I finished curing and fired up first pizzas today! Outstanding. How hot should exterior surface temp be on top of oven? No veneer yet, just the two layers of stucco over the blanket. No cracking evident. Waiting to paint.
When I fire-up our Cortile Barile - we never exceed 180° on the top / chimney and the front opening of the oven (the hottest part of the oven).
Keep in mind, since you fired the oven BEFORE putting on veneer or paint, you will need to give the front / exterior of the oven a good scrubbin’ since soot and smoke may have adhered to the oven exterior / stucco shell. This soot & smoke will leave a soot-film on the exterior portion of the oven which will prevent a good bond between the veneer or paint and the stucco shell of the oven.
Grab a hard-bristle plastic scrub brush… a bucket of warm water… some Dawn or sudsy ammonia cleaner… and a dash of elbow grease… then clean the front of the oven before you apply veneer or paint.