thomas rubino

master rocket scientist
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since Apr 14, 2013
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Biography
13 acres in extreme rural Montana 100% off grid since 1983. Solar and micro hydro. Summer time piggy farmer. Restoring 2000-04 Subaru outbacks wagons for fun and a little profit. Not quite old enough to retire YET but closing on it fast... until then I must occasionally leave Paradise "home" and run large construction cranes on union job sites across the inland northwest. I make (Well try) A-2 A-2 cheese, I love cooking with my wood smoker for everything! Would not live anywhere else but rural Montana ! My wife Liz runs "Rocks by liz" a successful Etsy store and we have a summer booth at the Missoula peoples market. We currently breed and raise persian cats but are about to retire all the girls and let them be happy kittys for the remainder of their days.Oh and my biggest thing is... I LOVE MY RMH !
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latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A
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Recent posts by thomas rubino

Hi Rabi,   The lady on YouTube built a very nice grill.
As Tereza mentioned, if your charcoal is up on a grate, it will burn better, and your pots need to be closer to the charcoal.
Using clay mud to seal air leaks will also improve performance.

Having said that, I do feel the need to point out that this design is not a rocket stove at all.
This is a charcoal/ wood fire grill made out of bricks, not much better than the brasier, although the bricks will hold some heat.
A true rocket stove burns wood horizontally; it has a distinctive shape with a vertical feed tube, a horizontal burn tunnel, and finally a riser that you cook over.
Designed to produce a smoke-free, super-quick heating fire to cook on.
Once those bricks are heated up, then charcoal can be used to maintain cooking temps.
2 days ago
And have your PSA tested (blood test). This is the biggest indicator that you have a problem.
I have a blood test done each year, and I pay extra to have PSA tested. It is a good piece of mind
1 week ago
Hoo Ray, the site is back online!
Thank you, Sebastian, for helping keep this information available.
I bookmarked the new address so I can easily access it.  
1 week ago
I discovered this on the 8th.
I thought it was my computer, but now I know what really happened!
Hoping you get this back online soon.
2 weeks ago
Hey Joe;   I still have the  barrel I bought in 2013 for my first RMH.
It is off to the side and out of service now, but it was in seasonal use until 2025.
It could be installed today and put back in service.  They do not wear out.

Can you use full barrels rather than split ones?  Sure I guess so.
Although the extra-thick cob at the bottom would not heat up, the thinner side covering would.

Paint removal is not bad at all if you are in a location where a wood waste burn barrel is allowed.
With one good burn, 2/3 of the paint will be gone; then you burn a small fire and leave the barrel tipped on its side, rolling it as the paint comes off.
2 weeks ago
Hi Joe;
A quick reply.
A stainless barrel is used for looks only.
Heat radiation is comparable to steel; you will not gain or lose anything.

Using a piped mass is no longer recommended; they need cleaning, and the solid mass adds unnecessary weight.
Stratification chambers can be any shape or size that fits your needs and space.
An 8" J-Tube uses the ISA numbers for a 6" Batchbox
2 weeks ago
The piggies got too close to the waterline in the comfrey paddock, so I moved them onto the summer palace grounds.
In days they had dug up as well. They have three months to eat, drink, and sleep, and on September 2nd, they go for a truck ride to meet the butcher.
3 weeks ago
Oh My, the short answer is YES, welders require the proper size stick, or the correct size wire.
What you are thinking of is called gas welding; no welder is required, but it uses a torch to melt metal.

3 weeks ago
Sounds like a low-cost 110 volt wire feed welder would do most light jobs.
Very easy to learn how to use, small, lightweight, and portable.  
Cast iron welding is not for a novice. Special welding rod and proper heating and cooling are needed.
Here is an example.
https://www.harborfreight.com/easy-flux-125-amp-welder-57861.html
3 weeks ago
If you have to give them an antibiotic shot, then you would need to wait thirty days before butchering.
I had three ready to go to the butcher, when one got sick in a similar fashion. A shot fixed her right up.
Two days later, her buddys went to the butcher. For the next 28 days I was a part of the herd... all two of us.
She would see me up at the house, and come crashing through fences to get closer... A miserable time for both of us.

3 weeks ago