Rocket Stove Take 2

By Sara:

I discovered once it started raining that the rocket stove I originally built (with my parents) on the ground just soaked up water every time it rained, making it impossible to use since any heat from a fire that I managed to start would just go to drying the clay.  So, I destroyed it (sorry mom and dad) and started again from scratch.

First, I built a base from bricks and put a slab of cement that I found lying around our yard on top.  I made a wooden frame for making the base of the stove.

Before it dried completely, I stuck these pieces of rebar into that indentation - these will keep the firewood from sitting directly on the floor of the stove entrance so air can move under them and up the main pipe of the stove.

To Anthony's horror, though he appreciates my stewardship, I found this broken bucket on a pile of trash in our neighborhood and brought it home as a frame for the pipe part of the stove.  I wrapped a water bottle in a piece of plastic as the form for the hole.

The third piece I made was a "pot skirt" to set the pot on for cooking.  It curves so heat will be brought up along the sides of the pot while food is cooking.  I used some pieces of wire to make supports so the pot doesn't block movement of air through the hole in the stove.

Later, once all those three pieces were dry enough to take out of their molds and move around, I assembled the whole stove.  Beorn tried to be helpful by sleeping on top of the clay I was using to stick it all together.

The final product:

It was difficult to light a fire the first time I tried, since my firewood was not completely dry and the stove was also not completely dry.  Basically, I failed to do anything worthwhile that attempt...  The second time, I managed to start a fire and cook rice on the stove, though it was still tricky keeping the fire going.  Hopefully through that effort, the stove has dried completely and the third try will be even better.