What's the attraction of the Rocket stove? Cooking with little fuel? Portable? I'm not sure I get it.
Yes, using small amounts of fuel that can be scrounged by hand (sticks and twigs, stuff that can be found lying around the yard) to cook and being portable are both part of the attraction. I just like the concept, I think they're fascinating. They develop a lot of heat in a small footprint and burn very efficiently and cleanly. They're also popular among "preppers" for the same reasons.
I'm going to use carbon felt (plumber's pad) as gasket material on top of the stainless steel smoke chambers. I think that will seal them off well. If not I'll use thick stove gasket material. I'll put together a cap for the vertical feed too. That seems to be necessary on the YouTube videos and forum posts I've seen.
BrianK , Even rope style fiberglass gasket for wood stoves won't hold up to the heat of a rocket stove- it fuses into "glass"- becomes brittle in no time. Ceramic fiber blanket or ceramic paper is the only way to keep things sealed tight... The CFB I have is rated to 2300F, so if you want a few strips, PM me yer addy and some dimensions, and I'll send you some- unless you'd like to buy a roll of it for $150....!!!!!
Thanks Eric. I'm using this stuff, carbon felt blanket: http://store.cyberweld.com/panfelwelbla.html Tillman Welding Blanket - Thermofelt 615 Soft, thick, affordable welding blanket provides protection up to 3000F. 16 oz. Black Thermofelt material is non-flammable, non-melting, non-shrinking and scratch free! No heat transfer takes place between the blanket and the protected surface, making it ideal for auto body and other thin sheet metal surfaces. With a working temperature of 1800F, this blanket is a safety must for the auto body mechanic or the home hobbyist. It is available in 2 sizes, either 3' X 3' or 6' X 6'. I laid a piece over the smoke channels, marked it with chalk, and cut out the pattern with about 3/4" margin on each side. It seems to make a pretty solid seal, as it bows up the lid just slightly when I close the clasps. I'm letting some Rutland stove cement that I used to fill the gaps on one side around the firebricks set up a bit and I'm going to do a test fire here in a bit if the rain holds off. My iPhone is dead so I have it charging so I can take photos of the finished project and a video of the first fire and stove top temps.
BrianK Cool, I hadn't considered the carbon blanket to be rated so high, I'm interested to see the results... The vid I posted above was a batch box of firebricks(obviously), but my efforts led me down the path of building molds and mixing and pouring 3oooF castable- but there are now more compact "riser-less" rocket cook stoves that employ only brick and offer a comfortable cook top height, al beit a more permanent structure, which utilizes the ceramic glass upcycled from a kitchen range.... neat stuff for an indoor(of course, doubles as a heater) or outdoor situation. Here's some good reading on a super efficient cooker/heater.... http://donkey32.proboards.com/thread/1624/walker-riser-less-core
Thanks Eric, I met Matt (NW Walker here on FHC) at the Wood Stove Decatholon in DC in the fall of 2013. Great guy, he does awesome design work on the rocket stoves. Here's my first burn, highest stove top temp so far is 760* It took a good 5 minutes and blowing a bit down the feed tube to get it to draw and take off. The feed and stove pipe temps I got were off, the laser was reflecting off the pipe and recording the stove top. Stove pipe temps were actaully around 125*
That's a sweet set up, BrianK ! And you've met the best of the best in NW Walker! That is a great guy right there. So glad yer efforts are paying off. But of course,as they say on Donkey32's rocket stove site, "Metal is Doomed" (Satamax), but with limited use, I'm sure it will hold up. BTW, have you looked at that RS site, or a member?
Not a member but a long time lurker. I know metal is poor at best for rocket stove applications but this little project was as much for kicks as for real use. I still haven't decided what my long term project will be but that stove Matt built sure looks tempting.
This is where you and I will disagree, Eric. Metal isn't all that bad. The complaint I have with most RMHs is that they aren't practical and don't work in most situations. Their stoves are modified masonry stoves. The efficiency of certain RMHs can be questioned so that is another reason why metal is not a bad thing under certain circumstances. (Don't point this out to my French boyfriend. Ha ha.) Brian, that looks like so much fun! Because the stove is outside, I am wondering if the height of the flue would make a difference in draft. What do you think?
Sorry, I just realized I missed your reply on this thread. I do think a smaller diameter and taller flue would have improved draw. (I didn't do much more with this stove and now it's on my workbench, getting covered with dust. Too much to do this summer and fall.)
