Preparing for Hard Times: MORE SOLAR OVEN HOW TO

Saturday, March 2, 2013

MORE SOLAR OVEN HOW TO

The next step up is the box in a box with a reflector flap and a clear window. This cooker just sounds complicated but since it uses glue and aluminum foil, cardboard boxes and a little spray paint, it is just kindergarten art on steroids!

cardboard box

2nd smaller box

piece of cardboard

amplifier

You need two cardboard boxes, one smaller than the other, two pieces of cardboard one larger than the big box lid and one smaller than the inside of the small box, a small roll of aluminum foil, a pencil or dowel sharpened at one end, a bottle of white glue, some newspaper, a can of paint (spray or liquid as long as it says non-toxic when dry), glazing material (oven roasting bag can be replaced when it becomes cloudy), an hour or so and some pots, if not dark pots, then you need to paint the outside black.

First, paint the inside of the smaller box and your small piece of cardboard black, and check your pots, if they need painting, do that now and let it all dry. Place small box on top of closed big box and trace the box onto the lid, set aside. Cut away the rectangle made by the tracing. Open the box and glue aluminum to all the sides, inside. This is a good time to practice lining. This first box won’t look great, but you will get better and no one will see this part. Fold down the remainder of the top flaps and glue in place. You may need to use a clothes pin to clamp the flaps till the glue dries.

Now that you are good at lining, fold the flaps down and line the entire inside of the small box with foil. Make it smooth and keep the glue off the surface. Place the small black painted cardboard into the small box as a drip pan. You now have the insulator and the oven complete.

Next, make the removable lid/ reflector/ glazed frame. Lay the large piece of cardboard down on the ground; trace the large bow onto it leaving a two to three inch border. Place the small box on the same piece of cardboard and WITH the ridges running side to side, trace the small box onto the cardboard. Set aside boxes. The flaps are made by cutting from the outside edge to the mark of the big box, fold and overlap the corners and staple them or glue and clamp until dry. This creates a removable lid for the cooker. Now, make sure ridges of cardboard are running side to side and cut a flap by only cutting along the two sides and front of the cardboard. This creates the flap. Line the inside of the flap with foil. This creates the reflector. Turn the piece over and glue a glazing material to the inside.

The glazing material can be plexiglass or the glass from an old picture frame or an oven roasting bag (turkey size. Glue open end shut then glue to lid frame).

To finish, crumple news paper to keep the small box off the big box, about an inch off the bottom. Place pots of food in small box. Put lid on box and lift flap. Prop flap up with pencil or dowel. TAA DAA!

For more step by step instructions with pictures go to www.ehow.com