First big firing advice needed

I don't know it might be fun and a source of laughs to let your guests shape and top their own pies.  As Canukjim says who cares if it looks like Africa it is still going to taste good.

Be careful firing your oven up to pizza temp to soon.  Keep the curing fires going and gradully get to the 750-800 degrees.  From what I have read the more curing fires you can do the better.

As to getting above 500 what are you doing to get it there?  What type of oven? 

Couple of thoughts....

First, keep building bigger fires in the oven and burning longer. If you have only reached 500 you are no where near fully dry yet. If you have reached 500 you should be ready to build a big enough fire to clear the dome and that should IMO be done fairly soon if you are to be ready for the 3rd. The dome will clear at a temp of 750. I would suggest getting it there, stop feeding the fire and let it mostly burn down, then close it up and let the heat soak into the refractory. Clearing the dome should occur within an hour or so if you have a reasonable size fire. Then (ideally even the next day while the oven is still warm, clean it out and start a bigger longer fire. This time clear the dome (it will almost certainly soot back up when you start a new fire) and keep burning a good size fire for another hour.  It wouldn't hurt to do an even longer burn once more before the third. Be sure to have roasts and chickens, and whatever to slow cook in the residual heat as the oven cools the next day after firing.

WRT the party, I would suggest you keep it simple for your first party. Yes, make your own dough using a good recipe involving overnight retard! For tomato sauce buy commercial and doctor it with red wine vinegar and more oregano/marjoram. Use bagged preshredded mozz and don't try to make a bunch of different pizzas. There will be enough learning curve for the first party that I would not recommend getting fancy or complicated. And I would not suggest letting your guests make their own pizzas for your first party. Get some experience and then get more daring and complex. I personally find it much easier/preferable to be complex when dealing with no more than about ten people. When I go over that it is IMO much easier and preferable to keep it simple. Otherwise you will have no time for your guests. 

Good Luck!

Jay

There is a definite learning curve, head switch when it comes to firing a WFO.  Without additional information on the oven type, added mass (if any), fuel type, etc., it's difficult to make specific recommendations about firing times.

What you do want to reach is what's called the "secondary burn" stage, where the gasses themselves inside the oven are burning.  I call it the "Plasma Beast." To reach that stage, you need a really big, bright (lots of flame) fire that pretty well fills the chamber.  This is much, much different from a woodstove or fireplace.  The rule is not to be timid about firing and not to localize it in the center of the oven floor.

This is a tricky business to discuss this way.  Suggest you send me an email.  I'll respond with my phone number, and we can go over the procedures.

I do have photographs of what I call the five stages of firing in a WFO.

CJ