Little Black Egg

[November]

Mike,

Or one could just get a granite Lazy Susan, which can be found lots of different places, and be done with it.

Example:
http://www.marble-art-gemstones.com/-Granite-Lazy-Susan~c

- red.november

[canadianbacon]

On the 2Stone there is nothing to lubricate, it just spins on a pin, and now that I think of it,
the stone never wobbles.  I don't know why, but Willard might give you a few tips on that.

No lubrication needed = low maintenance and no parts to break, so it may be something to think about.

All the images of the ever-evolving Little Black Eggs are really great, and I'm sure get a lot of people
quite excited when they see them.

Great work guys.

[Essen1]

November,

How does granite hold up in a high heat environment? I've never used or even considered granite, as a matter of fact. Your suggestion basically means to use granite instead of a pizza stone?

But the idea in itself is pretty cool.

Canadianbacon,

I wonder how Willard holds the stone in place then?

Mike

[November]

How does granite hold up in a high heat environment? I've never used or even considered granite, as a matter of fact. Your suggestion basically means to use granite instead of a pizza stone?

Granite can withstand a fair amount of heat.  After all it is stone.  Constant expansion and contraction might take its toll after a while, but it's a one-stop solution.  For using your own 12" stone you might consider an annealing pan which are designed to withstand heat.  You would probably want to trim the side to make pizza removal easier, or use several stones to equal the inner height of the pan.  There's always the chance you could find one with a shallow pan too.

Examples:
http://www.progresstool.com/pd_annealing.cfm
http://www.jemco-usa.com/tools/soldering.htm

[November]

You could just make your own custom ball bearing unit with two metal rods, three steel balls (as used in bearings), six steel pins, and no lubricant.

EDIT: I estimate the cost of the materials based on using 304 stainless steel to be under $12.  The time it would take depends on how skilled you are at bending metal rods.  Once the rods are bent, the rest of the fabrication would take just a couple minutes.

[Essen1]

November,

I'm not sure I'm following you with the DIY ball bearing. But I will check further into the granite plates. My only concern is possible cracking. The pans might be another alternative.

Thanks for all the tips!

Mike

[November]

I'm not sure I'm following you with the DIY ball bearing.

Three equidistant metal balls held in place relative to the top surface by six pins, ride in a groove formed by two concentric metal hoops.

EDIT: I've illustrated the design.  The top of those pins would fit into holes drilled in the underside of the stone.  The pins are press-fit and don't have to be bonded.

[Essen1]

I was just about to ask you for an illustration. Now I see what you mean. It's definitely a possibility, but what does prevent it from rolling off the metal plate? Perhaps another metal hoop, soldered to the surface off the plate?

Mike

[November]

but what does prevent it from rolling off the metal plate? Perhaps another metal hoop, soldered to the surface off the plate?

I don't understand what you're asking.  What metal plate?

EDIT: If you don't mind the extra welding/soldiering, you could weld the hoops to a "plate" to make it easier for moving the bearing unit in and out of the egg.  However, a plate shouldn't be required.  The weight of the stone applied to the balls should force uniform hoop concentricity.  The balls are riding on the hoops, by the way, not any surface beneath the hoops in case that's what you were imagining.

[Essen1]

This one. I installed it about a week ago and took the grilling grate out because it warped and didn't provide a stable base for the stone any longer.

[November]

The balls are riding on the hoops, by the way, not any surface beneath the hoops in case that's what you were imagining.

Ah, that is what you must have been thinking.  The balls are not in contact with anything on the bottom except the hoops.  If you want to take the extra step of welding the hoops to the plate you have now, it would certainly help stabilize the bearing just in case you like using your egg during a tornado or some such extreme condition.

[Essen1]

 

I can't remember the last time California had a tornado touching down. What I meant, though, was if you keep rotating the stone on the ball bearing, which sits on the plate wouldn't it slide off to either side?

Mike

[November]

if you keep rotating the stone on the ball bearing, which sits on the plate wouldn't it slide off to either side?

I can't picture how you are imagining that's possible.  I've never seen a Lazy Susan slide around on the surface it rests upon unless it experiences unusual lateral forces and there isn't sufficient mass to counter those forces.  If you're truly concerned about it sliding around, you can tack 3-4 pins to the plate around the outer hoop and 3-4 pins to the plate inside the inner hoop.  I just don't see how you would have a problem though.  How much does you stone weigh?

[Essen1]

November,

I have the feeling we're both confusing each other.

I thought your DIY bearing consisted of two circular metal rods, which hold the three balls in place, sort of like a railroad track going in circles, with the stone on top and the entire unit just sits on top of the plate, with the balls touching it.

I wish I could illustrate what I'm talking about. The stone is a Fibrament-D stone, I don't know about the exact weight.

[November]

I thought your DIY bearing consisted of two circular metal rods, which hold the three balls in place, sort of like a railroad track going in circles, with the stone on top and the entire unit just sits on top of the plate, with the balls touching it.

What is the antecedent to the pronoun I emboldened and underlined above?

[Essen1]

I'm sorry. The metal plate.

[November]

I'm sorry. The metal plate.

And I've stated twice now that the balls don't come in contact with the metal plate.  They ride on the hoops.

EDIT: I've attached a front cross-sectional view illustration with and without the pins.

[Essen1]

November,

Now I understand! I'm sorry about the confusion and me being somewhat slow to pick up on your idea. It sounds like a cost-effective alternative.

Again, thanks for all your help and tips.

Mike

[Villa Roma]

Hood scoops, ram air and exhaust gas recirculation. But I thought this forum was about pizza, not cars. Right you are bro, for my latest experiment I decided to simply borrow some automotive technology and apply it to the LBE.

Here's the skinny, I wasn't quite satisfied with my pizza. The toppings weren't getting as well cooked as I'd like. I noticed that there was quite a bit of hot air shooting out of the side exhaust vent and thought that there must be a way to harness some of this wasted energy.

The theory of this mod is that as the hot air passes the holes in the aluminum disc it will create a venturi effect pulling air from above. Some of this air and hot gases from the burner will be captured by the scoop and directed upwards creating a slight pressure in the top chamber. This should complete the cycle, forcing hot air down onto the middle of the pizza, hopefully cooking the toppings to perfection. I didn't have time to finish this mod (hence the simulated holes) but I should be able to get-er-done by next weekend to see if my theory pans out. Just in time for Father's day pizza!

       I can't drive 55.....Villa Roma

[Fingerstyle]

Villa Roma,

Didn't want to let too much more time go by before thanking you for creating the LBE. I'm loving using it and learning from you and others on this thread. How're your latest air scoop tweaks working?

Following the trail you blazed, I cut out a side vent, albeit mine's rectangluar and a bit larger than your original.  I use firebrick splits on top of the cooking grate and a Pfalzgraf 14" x 1/2" round stone on top of that.  I used the small Weber coal grate inside the lid (thanks Retrodog!)  in my LBE, supporting two foil wrapped half firebricks.  That leaves about 2" cooking clearance.

I got an old stone oven 16" stone, but with its feet and total 3/4" height I don't have enough clearance under the top stone grate, so for the time being I'll stick with a 13" max pie size. I'm not sure, but I think the open gaps at rear and sides of the firebricks help with heat flow - but makes for hotspots and  uneven baking unless turned frequently.

I've set the LBE on top of a spool table topped with floor tiles, the works with bottle roll on a convertible hand truck (for easier transport from garage to patio and back.) Pictured below.

Like others, I found the 18" cooking grates sagged (pictured) - especially with the weight of the firebrick splits -  though I'm not sure it'd ever fail altogether.  I really like the looks of the metal plates Essen1 and others have made, but I don't weld and custom work is pricey here so I got a heavy duty charcoal grate instead - unfortunately about an inch smaller than the Weber cooking grate, but with the support tangs pulled out and bent upward, it stays in place (shimmed with balls of foil)

17" DIA. (ROUND) NICKEL PLATED BRIQUET GRATE Code:BG9 $14.14 at http://www.allpartsgrills.com/item28619.ctlg

I think I'll try Retrodog's baffle ring, but leave the front cut low so I can spin the pie with a spatula without lifting the lid.

I'm also keen to try your whole wheat crust - your pies are beautiful!

thanks again

Vic