[AND]

I would love to design a Dutch Oven lid only!
For bread making in a standard oven. Something like in the photo.
Question: Is it possible to make it without casting? I wish to laser-cut the parts and bend the lid faces.
Considerations: Heat resistance, sheet thickness, Emission of harmful gases while cooking, welding configuration of the parts.
Any insights? Do's and Don'ts?

[RaderSidetrack]

It appears your photo/attachment failed to upload properly (nothing visible).

[peteeng]

Hi And - 1) anything is possible 2) even though I can't see your image I'd ask; why a dutch oven in a std oven? a dutch oven is used in a fire pit. Its nearly pointless using a dutch oven in a std oven? Dutch ovens are thick to provide a stable internal temp as the fire is very hot and not uniform in temp. Cast iron is used as it holds heat very well so will again be stable in temp (plus if your going to make many lids and ovens casting is a cost effective process) . But I expect a mild steel version to be similar. Or do you intend to use it like a casserole dish? Some have cupped tops so you can fill the lid with ashes but doesn't sound like your going to do that?

Anyways depending on how you intend to form it if you use soft mild steel you can english wheel it or pattern it then weld the bits together then wheel it or hammer form it... Mild steel will rust so you could do the same with aluminium or stainless steel. Indian metal workers are very good at hand hammering & shaping stainless, copper and aluminium. Peter

Hi AND _ I did some reading on bread making in dutch ovens and it seems to me the"DO" is used to compensate for temperature variations in poorly controlled ovens , like old school timber ovens,. Modern ovens with convection and good temp control don't need the DO to create great bread. But have a go and post the image so we can see what shape your chasing. Peter

[AND]

That's the photo I intended to show earlier.

[AND]

That's a typical bread Dutch oven for the kitchen oven. It radiates intense heat to raise the bread, but you can use it for tender fish, meat, potatoes, and such.

[AND]

My intention with this development is:
Instead of buying a heavy Dutch oven with two parts, you could buy two voluminous lids covering the entire baking pan to bake two loaves of bread at once.
I wish to use accessible CNC cutting parts and weld them myself instead of using industrial-scale methods like casting.

[AND]

Low-carbon steel would be easier to work with, but high-carbon steel would be better for the task and easier to maintain and rust resistant.
Can I laser-cut and bend high-carbon steel? Is the material available in 5-6mm thick sheets?

[peteeng]

Hi And - low carbon or high carbon steel will both rust. You will need to use stainless steel if you want to avoid rust. The DO does not itself radiate/generate heat. The oven its in heats the DO which has a slower thermal response then the oven itself (ie it has a higher thermal mass) so its internal temperature is more consistent. But then a good oven is all of that as well. Sorry none of your links work. Use the advanced tab below and attach your images vs using a link. Peter and yes you can laser cut patterns and weld together nearly any shape in steel, stainless steel or aluminium....