caliking
is Blowin Smoke!
I broke the UDT some time ago by firing it too hot... whoda thunk that burning a stack of wood in it would break it (okay fine, maybe a tandoor FULL of wood was too much).
Anyways, the temps must have been crazy, because not only did the clay pot crack every which way, but the refractory cement holding the top layer of bricks in place basically flaked off.
First the lid cracked...
Then the rest of it went south...
You can see where the top row of fire bricks lost its cement.
So I went to hunt for a new pot. luckily I found one at HD on sale for about $25. It is about 21" high, 23" diameter at the top and about 14" diameter at the bottom.
I cut off the bottom, to form a lid ( that will become the top of the tandoor) and then cut off the top rim (which will become the bottom once I invert the pot into the tandoor). This time I was able to make much cleaner cuts with a sawzall, than I could when I first built my tandoor. It looked like this after my handiwork.
Then came the hard part. I removed the cracked pot, saving the perlite insulation I had between the pot and the drum.
Used premixed fire clay to patch up the top row of bricks and fix the pot to the bricks. I may have goofed here though - I sealed the rim of the pot to the bricks. i don't know how this will stand up to the high heat and then cooling down of the tandoor. I'm afraid the pot will crack again, but only time will tell.
Then I picked up a 24" square piece of diamond plate to make the new collar for the top of the tandoor. I tried an aluminium collar before, but didn't like it. Tried a plywood collar and burned it. So I decided to go all dressy this time.
And there you have it brothers! The UDT is back and ready for more action... well once the fire clay dries and I light a couple of small curing fires. I'm expecting guests over the Xmas holidays, and there have been requests for tandoori chicken and naans, so I hope the repairs hold.
Anyways, the temps must have been crazy, because not only did the clay pot crack every which way, but the refractory cement holding the top layer of bricks in place basically flaked off.
First the lid cracked...
Then the rest of it went south...
You can see where the top row of fire bricks lost its cement.
So I went to hunt for a new pot. luckily I found one at HD on sale for about $25. It is about 21" high, 23" diameter at the top and about 14" diameter at the bottom.
I cut off the bottom, to form a lid ( that will become the top of the tandoor) and then cut off the top rim (which will become the bottom once I invert the pot into the tandoor). This time I was able to make much cleaner cuts with a sawzall, than I could when I first built my tandoor. It looked like this after my handiwork.
Then came the hard part. I removed the cracked pot, saving the perlite insulation I had between the pot and the drum.
Used premixed fire clay to patch up the top row of bricks and fix the pot to the bricks. I may have goofed here though - I sealed the rim of the pot to the bricks. i don't know how this will stand up to the high heat and then cooling down of the tandoor. I'm afraid the pot will crack again, but only time will tell.
Then I picked up a 24" square piece of diamond plate to make the new collar for the top of the tandoor. I tried an aluminium collar before, but didn't like it. Tried a plywood collar and burned it. So I decided to go all dressy this time.
And there you have it brothers! The UDT is back and ready for more action... well once the fire clay dries and I light a couple of small curing fires. I'm expecting guests over the Xmas holidays, and there have been requests for tandoori chicken and naans, so I hope the repairs hold.
