Matt Walker tiny cookstove build in Portugal

Jay Angler wrote:I had a possibly crazy thought - if you aren't using the oven right now, could you put slabs of marble with gaps for air flow in the oven section to add a little extra thermal mass until you are ready to build the bench? I'm not sure what the cubage is in the oven, so how much difference it would make?

I had a different but similar thought. If I remember correctly, and it's been a while so I might be mixing them up with something else, the Walker stoves are built such that different areas of the cooktop are different temperatures. If so, perhaps you could put a huge pot of water (large canning or stock pot maybe?) with a lid on one of the cooler burners as additional mass. Basically, the idea would be to heat it up, but not to a rolling boil. Similar thing could probably be done with the oven. My thought it that when you don't need it you can use the water and store the pots. Heck, if there's a spot that's the right temperature you might even be able to make something that takes long simmering, like bone broth, some days.

Thyri Gullinvargr wrote:...the Walker stoves are built such that different areas of the cooktop are different temperatures. If so, perhaps you could put a huge pot of water (large canning or stock pot maybe?) with a lid on one of the cooler burners as additional mass. ... Heck, if there's a spot that's the right temperature you might even be able to make something that takes long simmering, like bone broth, some days.

That is exactly how the walker cooktop works, and when the downstairs area is ready to use as a kitchen we will indeed be doing that kind of thing. Hopefully next winter the bench will be in place and enough work done down there that we can experiment and report. I'm looking forward to it!  

But for now I'd like to introduce you all to the puxmi-pulyu!

That's pronounced push-me-pull-you in case you hadn't worked it out. Also puxe is portuguese for pull, which as you can imagine causes endless amusement watching the Ingleses failing to open doors by pushing on ones which are clearly labelled puxe.

This is the tool Austin made for pushing the hot coals to the back of the firebox prior to reloading, and also for pulling the cold ashes out the next day to put on the garden.



This is the business end...



Once the fire is reduced to hot coals, if we want another burn we shove them to the back of the firebox (near the secondary air feed) and lay more sticks on top. They will then burn nice and hot from the back to the front. If all the wood burns at once there is a bit of danger of overburn which is kinda wasteful as even this wondrous device can't handle all that heat at once without letting too much escape up the chimney. The bricks need time to absorb the heat, and the more it absorbs, the longer it can keep giving it out again.



The next morning we can pull all those ashes out of the way. There were a couple of days' worth in there cos I didn't do it yesterday. Ooops...

I might chuck those little unburned bits back in too. Waste not want not and all that!

That thing sticking up at the back is the tube that forms the secondary air feed.



The ashes pull out quite nicely with this little contraption. As far as the start of the air tube anyway...



There's still ash left beyond the start of the secondary air feed tube, but not to worry - turn the puxmi-pulyu on its side and it can fit in the gaps.



There. Ash from either side of the feed tube has been pulled forward a bit and can be pulled right out.



Photo to show how the puxmi-pulyu fits, just in case it wasn't clear enough last time.

Burra Maluca wrote:

Thyri Gullinvargr wrote:...the Walker stoves are built such that different areas of the cooktop are different temperatures. If so, perhaps you could put a huge pot of water (large canning or stock pot maybe?) with a lid on one of the cooler burners as additional mass. ... Heck, if there's a spot that's the right temperature you might even be able to make something that takes long simmering, like bone broth, some days.

That is exactly how the walker cooktop works, and when the downstairs area is ready to use as a kitchen we will indeed be doing that kind of thing. Hopefully next winter the bench will be in place and enough work done down there that we can experiment and report. I'm looking forward to it!  

Burra, I was thinking more in terms of doing this before you're doing more generic cooking as a way to increase mass quickly now, but in a way that is easy to "put away" later once you have the bench. 😉

Thyri Gullinvargr wrote:
Burra, I was thinking more in terms of doing this before you're doing more generic cooking as a way to increase mass quickly now, but in a way that is easy to "put away" later once you have the bench. 😉

I don't have the energy for any more experiments at the moment, especially before the downstairs area is usable. When I am able to be down there for longer periods of time with somewhere comfortable to rest up while I'm down there I should be able to do more. But for now I'm totally up to capacity!

Even my little dragons have noticed I don't have the energy to go outside much and have bought me a little vase which they are putting flowers from the garden in to keep me in touch with what's happening outside of my room...

Burra Maluca wrote:
I don't have the energy for any more experiments at the moment, especially before the downstairs area is usable. When I am able to be down there for longer periods of time with somewhere comfortable to rest up while I'm down there I should be able to do more. But for now I'm totally up to capacity!

Fair enough. 🙂

Burra Maluca wrote:
Even my little dragons have noticed I don't have the energy to go outside much and have bought me a little vase which they are putting flowers from the garden in to keep me in touch with what's happening outside of my room...

Lucky you. It's been below 0° F (-18° C) where I'm at lately. Flowers are but a memory at the moment. 🥶