The Obsession Continues

Part Two: Supplies and Construction

We did it again. We have now cooked 3 meals and a loaf of bread in the solar oven. I almost feel guilty if I don't have something in it, like I am wasting energy. It is also hard to get used to not flipping the "on" switch or somehow turning it on. Below are some of our materials. We used:

1. scrap lumber
2. cookie sheet from the Salvation Army store
3. a picture frame the boys found dumpster diving
4. a new set of hinges
5. a can of black high-heat paint
6. one insulation board, which insulated the box and built the reflector panels
7. Some special tape that conducts heat or something, it is quite expensive and not necessary, but it made the finished project look cooler. We had it for wrapping our hose so it wouldn't freeze this past winter.
8. Various tools, you'd have to ask Sam, maybe I'll have him post.

The pot in the picture was supposed to dictate the size of the oven, but the cookie sheets ended up dictating the size and the pot doesn't fit.

First we made a box at the size we deemed appropriate, not sure exactly how we decide, but we measured once and cut twice. :P

Then we insulated it.

At some point we spray painted the cookie sheets with high heat paint. In hind site, we realized this step should have been done first, so they could dry while we worked on the rest.

The cookie sheets had to be cut to fit the box, because the box is designed to angle toward the sun. It took a few attempts to find a tool that would work.

Last we hinged the picture frame with glass to the top like a door and it almost fit perfectly...more on that in the next post on "tinkering, adjusting and triumph".

It was about 6:30 or 7:00 when we finally completed the project and when placed in the sun heated very little. It was deemed a failure and everybody went inside to get ready for bed. I tried to convince them that in the morning with more hours of sun it would surely work, but they were sceptical.

As you will see in more postings about the solar oven, this one works great after we do a little adjusting and tinkering. Sam is already making plans for an even better one, learning from this project. Altogether we spent less than $40.