I have decided

[callistra]

I am going to make a solar oven.
If it's going to get stupidly hot around here, I want to make something positive out of it.

Hints, tips anyone?
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/radabaugh30.html
http://www.exoticblades.com/tamara/sol_cook/index.html
http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/other/solar.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-and-Use-a-Solar-Oven
http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/surv/solarbox.htm

Comments

[fe2h2o.livejournal.com]

Talk to fred_mouse. She has been planning for a while.

[leecetheartist.livejournal.com]

Plus, it will bring rain and cloud. Washing cars, building solar dehydrators, ovens etc are a sure way to bring rain.

Our roma tomatoes sure have dried quickly, these past couple of days!

[callistra.livejournal.com]

YAY me then!!
:-)
Congratulate me in a day or two I guess...

[fred-mouse.livejournal.com]

I bought the book on building and cooking with them, plus I've got lots of stuff. Want to do a co-operative venture? (we can practice on mine at my place, then go and build yours at your place? alternatively, if you have the glass, then I've lots more chipboard earmarked for the job than I actually need, so we could build them both at my place. plus, I really need the motivation to try)

[callistra.livejournal.com]

We have odd shaped peices of glass all over the place actually. I will need to talk to john about that, but hey, sounds like a fantastic idea!
:-)

[fred-mouse.livejournal.com]

I suggest a Monday when the forcast is for 30 degrees or lower, starting say, 10am (which allows youngest and I to get home from swimming lessons, unless you want to start with swimming, in which case we can meet at the pool at 9:30am when the class finishes). If we start by just looking through the book and planning, and then doing some work if we have the energy/time, then neither of us will try and do too much.

[rdmasters.livejournal.com]

E-Z-2-Make solar food dryer:

1 piece dark corrugated steel or similar.
1 piece glass perspex, or similar.
1 large silicone goo

--or--

1 large flat cardboard box
Cling wrap
Black paint.

empty pizza boxes
flywire
duct tape.

Glue glass and steel together with silicone. Let set. Or, cut one of the largest faces off the box. Paint inside black. Let dry well. Wrap in clingwrap, and cut slots in both ends. This is your collector.

cut tops and bottoms out of all but two pizza boxes. Leave a lip. Cut the top off one remaining one, and the bottom off the other.
Tape flywire into the bottoms of the others.

Cut one edge off the pizza box with the top only cut out. This is your chimmney base. Cut a slot in the opposite side of the box with the bottom cut out. Cover this with flywire. It is your cap.

Rest one end of the collector on a box, chair, whatever. Build a wheeled frame, if you are feeling adventurous. Make sure that it is in the sun for most of the day.

Tape the base to the collector, with the open side facing the collector. Make sure the base is horizontal, and that the channels in the collector are feeding into the slot. Use lots of tape to make the seal/ducting required.

Put fruit/veg/herbs/etc in the drying trays (the ones with the flywire). Stack on top of the base, and cover with the cap. Tie down with light stretchy material - stockings work well.

Bring food trays in each night.

2-3 days will dry de-seeded tomatoes and halved figs. 1-2 days for herbs or onion slices.

Proof the dried food in an oven at 120C for 5-10 minutes, and jar with a dessicant pack. Check in about a week to make sure all is good.