Thursday, October 23, 2008

Rocket Stove Kits

My neighbor who is a steel fabricator and does very fine work will supply rocket stove parts per order, or you can buy the basic kit which duplicates mine. If you have scrap steel that you'd like to use, I'm sure he would accommodate. His name is Shiloh and can be reached at 6405308. I'll help you put the thing together for free as a "build community" sort of thing.

You'll love it.

7 comments:

bott said...

I've been playing with this idea for rocket stove construction for a boat (right now, specifically Bob's boat).

First, it need to be a J-stove to that one doesn't dump a pile of flaming material across ones cabin in a roll or surge or whatever...

but, i was thinking of making it monocoque out of homemade refractory cement, the same mix as used for 5-gallon-bucket homemade bronze kilns. First make a styrofoam plug in the shape of the J-void that you want to leave. the styrofoam should be cheap and easily formed. Then, just make a doorskin box, fill partially with cement (maybe some chicken wire also) and suspend the foam plug in it while it cures. then burn out the plug... maybe with some gas and make napalm for fun, who knows. Then one can stack the short stack on the base, and an outter air-air heat-sync of some sort before sending up a flu.

This way, all the high heat stuff is just a simple pour with cement (maybe two for a taller, insulated flu) and all else is basic scrounged sheet metal cans and such.

the main problem i see is that the monocoque body may crack (or explode) under the high heating cycles, but hopefully if it can stand up to melting bronze in the propane blast furnace, it should be good...

It would also be simple to modify the base of it for a propane jet facing either horizontally across the flat leg of the J or right under the flu to induce the draft.

thoughts?

jaywfitz said...

Too heavy and it will crack. I would weld it out of steel and pack it with vermiculite.

bott said...

how thick do to you think to ensure a decent service life? 3/16"?

Then you're saying place it in a container crammed with vermiculite? Can do...

jaywfitz said...

I think for a small boat stove you could go with 1/8 wall, as you're not going to fire it as hot as you would a big one, and the thinner wall will heat and draw faster. The outer shell could be most anything, a used expired propane tank comes to mind.

Of course you will purge it before you start welding on it, right?

bott said...

more questions if you don't mind... i am finding lots of variance on appropriate metals choices. stainless seems almost vain, if not overly expensive. some people suggest 3cr12 as a decent alternative and quote mild steel as being too prone to corrosion for a lasting combustion chamber.

is all this just pontificating gab? is mild steel sufficient for good service life, especially on a boat where it will be in daily use for heat and cooking? i have no ability to weld stainless and/or 3cr12, but i'm sure i can get some mild steel stuck together... and the vermiculite will hide all my goobers.

jaywfitz said...

Use mild steel. It's cheapest and will hold up longer. Stainless especially is very prone to warping with heat and will look like hell soon enough.

If you want to be prissy, and it looks too nice to rust, have it powder coated.

Zach said...

You don't have to burn out the foam...

Acetone melts styrofoam/polystyrene into a puddle of goo. (Perhaps less toxic than smokey goo? Grin)

Zach