Masonry Heater Workshop April 18-24, 2014

The Masonry Heater Association of North America will present a masonry heater, bake oven, and masonry skills workshop at Wildacres Retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains north of Asheville, North Carolina April 14 – 20, 2014. 

Masonry heaters are site-built wood-burning appliances that radiantly heat a home with wood.  They are very efficient and use relatively small amounts of wood heat without the use of electricity, gas, fans, or ducts. Wood is burned in a firebox, which connects to channels inside a large thermal mass.  After the fire is out the appliance gradually radiate heat to the living space for many hours without causing large temperature fluctuations or drafts.

The annual meeting and workshop will include hands-on training for a Kachelofen (tile) heater with Jessica Steinhauser and Mario Zauner; A Five Run Masonry Heater with Testing Demo by Doug Hargrave and Norbert Senf; A Finnish Heater for Beginner Masons by Marty Pearson and Jeff Owens; A Bake/Pizza Oven by Pat Manley; a Small Guastavino Vault Demo by Tony Bioundo, a Bricklaying Clinic by Tom Trout and Pat Jenkins, a Grundofen J Loop Masonry Heater with Domestic Hot Water by Eric Moshier, Dan Givens, and Joe Copeland; and A Brick Hammer and Trowel Only: 36” Diameter Clay Brick Dome Oven by Alex Chernov and David Moore. 

Classroom seminars include Google Sketch-up Clinic with Boris Kukolj; What Does it Mean? By the Technical Committee; A Unique and Challenging Heater Built by Jerry Frisch, Masons on a Mission Presentation by Pat Manley, and Untold Stories and Ooops that Confront a Masonry Heater Builder.  The Heater Mason Education and Development class will be held throughout the week.

The annual Design/Build Contest for masonry heaters, bake ovens and masonry will be judged during the week and trophies will be awarded at the final meeting.

An auction will be held on Thursday night, and the Pizza Party, where participants can sample pizza from the wood-fired ovens is held on Friday afternoon.

For more information on how to join the MHA or attend the workshop contact Richard Smith, Executive Director, at 520-883-0191, e-mail execdir@mha-net.org or visit www.mha-net.org.

Free and easy way to keep glass door clean on heater

One of the best things about having a cozy warm fire is watching the flames dance around, but if the glass doors are not clean it takes away from the experience. Glass doors on masonry heaters and wood ovens get blackened with soot, and need to be cleaned periodically.

An old tried and true method that my grandfather used can solve the problem, allowing homeowners to once again enjoy their fire.

There are stove glass cleaners on the market that work well, but if you want to save some money and a trip to the hearth store left over wood ashes work fine.

To clean glass doors with ashes:

• Wait until the glass is cool before cleaning
• Get a damp paper towel or soft cloth
• Dip the cloth into cold fireplace ashes and scrub the cold glass thoroughly
• Wipe with a clean damp cloth

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Marge Padgitt is the president of HearthMasters, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri.  She is a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep and NFI Wood-burning Specialist, and writes articles for national magazines and blogs. 

New Facebook Group for Wood-Fired Ovens

There is a new Facebook page just for Wood-fired ovens.  The page is open to anyone interested in designing, building, or cooking/baking in wood-fired brick, cast, or cob ovens.  Members may post photos of their oven projects, finished ovens, or foods cooked in the ovens. 

Many chefs and home cooks are interested in restaurant and outdoor wood-fired ovens due to the unique flavor it imparts to the food. For the best pizza or bread, chefs prefer wood-fired ovens and they are making a resurgence in the United States and Canada. Brick ovens are the most popular due to their high heat retention properties.  Brick ovens can obtain and sustain temperatures of 700 degrees or more, which is best for pizza.  Breads and other foods cook at a lower temperature. 

Skilled craftsmen who specialize in brick oven construction are available across North America.  Many are listed at the Masonry Heater Association Website at www.mha-net.org.  The new Facebook page is also a resource for oven builders as well as the Yahoo chat list.  To join the Yahoo chat list visit https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/MasonryHeatersBrickOvens/info and request to join.  You will need to provide some information about why you wish to join so the moderator will know you are not a computer spammer.  

To join us on Facebook go to Facebook and do a search for "Wood-Fired Ovens" then request to join and I'll add you to the group.

Marge Padgitt
HearthMasters Oven Builders
www.chimkc.com

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Brick ovens to be introduced at World of Masonry

Marge Padgitt Kansas City Alternative Energy Examiner

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January 6, 2014

The Masonry Heater Association of North America is hosting an introductory wood-fired brick oven building workshop at the World of Concrete/World of Masonry Conference in Las Vegas, NV January 20-24, 2014.

Then workshop is for masons who wish to learn more about brick oven building techniques and methods. Site-built brick ovens are increasingly popular among professional chefs and home cooks, who find that wood-fired cooking imparts a unique flavor to breads, pizza, and gourmet foods. The addition of oven building to a portfolio can greatly increase income for professional masons.

The workshop will be presented by the MHA Wood-Fired Bake Oven Committee, whose members are professional masons specializing in residential and commercial brick oven building. The committee is currently working on changes in codes and standards, professional oven building training, public awareness, and an oven portfolio focusing on dome and arch brick ovens, squirrel tail ovens, and cob ovens. The portfolio will be available to professional masons.

The World of Concrete Conference is the largest international event dedicated to professional contractors. The event will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109. To register for the World of Concrete Conference visit www.worldofconcrete.com.

For more information about the MHA Bake Oven Committee contact chair Marge Padgitt at 816-461-3665 or ympadgitt@yahoo.com.
The media is invited to attend and take photos of the event.

The Masonry Heater Association of North America is a non-profit organization with members worldwide. The MHA sponsors workshops throughout the year. The next annual meeting and workshop will be held April 14-20, 2014 in Little Switzerland, North Carolina.
For more information on how to join the Masonry Heater Association of North America, or media scheduling contact Richard Smith, MHA Executive Director, at 520-883-0191 or e-mail execdir@mha-net.org or visit www.mha-net.org.