F Styles

i use an old 50 gal water heater embedded in my last heat battery bench and it sucks out the last of the heat at around 180 degrees with no risk of boiling no matter how hot i run the Rocket Mag stove.

great ideas... now i am sure i can use a refractory material like you did and use foam to create the air pockets instead of poly or wood chips.... i know this will work. if you can do that with what you said works then i am confident that foam will also work.

i also have experience with perlite and i used it in my rocket mag stove and it does work well. i really think foam and refractory mix material should work. thank you for the ideas

satamax i am interested in that firelite you posted... have you worked with it and how is it mixed or made to make "concrete" i tried a quick search for "firelite" and there is way too much stuff to sift through and i have not found that bag of stuff yet since http://www.thermalceramics.com/ in that document is dead.

thank you guys for chiming in.

i am not looking to reinvent the wheel. i know this kind of stuff exists but if you want any of those companies to build you a custom rocket stove or custom molded heat riser is not economically feasible. i am looking at the potential for affordable DIY.

I am not sure if i did not do a good job of making my self clear or if people just dont read what i type... not sure, but i will repeat that i do not like the video guys formula... should i have not have posted the video in order not to confuse folks? the videos are ONLY to be used for examples for a discussion.... please do not use his formula and tell me his idea wont work because i do not agree with it. its the foam concept im talking about, not his formula. I do know refractory should be more rugged than his formula. please do not include comments about the liquid glass because i do not agree with it. is that more clear? am i clear on that i do not like his formula but do like the foam concept for DIY molds?

my main interest is the in a foam and refractory cement mix idea and being able to DIY molds your self without having a large expensive company do it for you.

Hey rocket stove brother... my Rocket Mag stove is doing amazing and has exceeded my expectations in ever way. im telling ya i could forge steel in this thing.  its still easy as heck to load from the top and dump in very large logs... goodness im so glad i dont have to split tiny little shards to burn and just tossing in regular sized wood stove chucks allows me to buy a load of local wood if i need to with out having to do extra splitting. did i mention the easy top down loading... easy on the back, im not getting younger.
i am not interested in the formula of "liquid glass" the guy in the video uses... i just think we could take refractory cement and mix foam in it to make a refractory foam cement that would withstand the heat and have insulating properties. I dont think anyone has done it exactly the way i am thinking of doing it and the video was only to generate discussion and not duplicate his formula.
i think it can be molded and formed into rocket stoves and heat risers.

my formula would be refractory cement + foam creates refractory cement that has air pockets that would insulate, kinda like lava rock. test need to be done and its only in idea stage. looking to get people talking about it and experimenting.

i think its a great idea and has potential.

i would post a video of my season inspection but it the same as the last one.

anyone have any ideas on foam refractory cement? i think it has potential for affordable rocket stove molds and heat risers

Erica Wisner wrote:  I have never seen one that was an improvement on the brick J-tube, for smokeless performance.  [Edit: As of 2018, I have now seen 2 batch box models built and operated by Peter van den Burg, that did burn amazingly clean.  However, I've also seen other people have major smoke issues using the identical batch box stoves without Peter's meticulous procedural care.]

-Erica

you have not seen my system. My Rocket Mag Heater burns clean, complete and holds hours of wood. I even have videos of my Rocket Mag Heater burning a 10" log completely. my Rocket Mag Heater seems to first vaporize the wood as it burns at the bottom of the magazine next to the burn tunnel as it turns the wood into charcoal. the vaporized gases burn super hot 2000 plus degrees as the fire brick glows orange and then when all the gases burn at super high temps it gets a boost when the charcoal then ignites and burns like a forge as it collapses into the bottom at the end in a complete burn. no smoke, complete burn, large wood magazine that holds large logs. mega improvement. i have a super insulated and decent size heat riser and bell that may make this system suck the warts off a toad. the secret is the air tight top lid and bottom air intake.

I saw this idea that could be refined for amazing DIY rocket stove builds in the affordable category. Make your own insulative refractory cement casts and heat risers for rockets stoves. I am posting this video for education purposes and discussion only. I am not telling folks this will work and has worked since i have not done this. i would like to test this idea out and think it has great potential. comment below and join the discussion and add your experiences with this topic,

I dont think this guys formula is the best for refractory... i think the formula could be improved, but i do think he is on to something. i am thinking more like foam refractory cement and foam, clay and foam, and or ceramic and foam and or a combination of all them?

Mat... That is a nice stove and i have no idea how i missed it for so long and if i had seen this before i built mine, i would have built one like it. goodness very impressive.
would you be so kind i am so curious, I have a few questions:

how long does a full batch box burn for?

what is the largest unsplit log you have put in your batch box?

What temp does the glass top get?

what temp can you get the oven?

when your cooking is done and you open the oven does it effect the batch box?

does it start to smoke because you introduce air into the oven exhaust path when you open the oven door?

how did you get your (boiler door) oven door air tight?


thank you for sharing!

i have designed in my mind a thin firebrick plating and peter air vent for longevity of air vent and firebox and would love to share.

I start it now by loading it with full size 8'' logs, split starters,  a hand full of wood shavings in the front, one strike of a match or a lighter and walk away with out baby sitting  a startup because I love not having to touch it for hours. from load to light in seconds and not have to touch it again.