Toaster oven to solar oven conversion

I found a toaster oven in some trash, and the way it felt, and how it looked, told me that it would make a lovely little solar oven. Two layers of thin metal, no insulation, nice clean interior with rack, not a lot much else to it, easy to abuse!

I introduce to y'all my victim that's having it's warranty violated REALLY well, a Black and Decker model TO14913. I don't think the exterior is stainless steel, if so it's the absolute thinnest stainless I have ever met. I think it's shiny aluminum.

Very grubby exterior, and that's kind of weird. The interior is really clean, looks like used half dozen times or so. The exterior has grease all over it... all over. 5 sides of the cube. The bottom isn't greasy. But the back, both sides, the front and top are. How on earth do you even get such a consistent grease pattern on something? Rotate it every week? I have no clue. Really odd.

The grubby front face of my victim

The grubby side of my victim

Nice clean interior

So I took it apart. They thought they were clever, used some odd screws to deter casual warranty violation. I'm more clever, and have a good tool selection  :D

Pile of dirty pieces parts

All degreased, cleaned nicely and drying

I have a question about the heating elements in this thing. They look like shiny glass rods with springs in them. I like the shiny glass rods! If I want to play with them, are they coated on the interior with anything I need to remove carefully? Anything toxic?

Heating elements that may have weird stuff in the shiny glass tubes

More to come. This looks like it will be a pretty easy project. Getting it's warranty violated REALLY well!!

Any info about what the elements contain would be appreciated :D

Those are quartz heating elements. As far as I know there is nothing toxic in the quartz.

Jordan Holland wrote:Those are quartz heating elements. As far as I know there is nothing toxic in the quartz.

That's what Hubby said, although he did suggest you clean them well in case there was something in the metal heating wire that off-gassed onto the quartz.

Just read this with my kiddo next  to me and he was impressed"Whats that about playing with glass rods?Are they holding those with their toes? Your friend is real creature!(that is high praise coming from my scurrying goblin boy!)

Yes, I was holding them with my toes. I have very usable toes, I used to be able to write halfway decently with my right foot. Tell him to use his toes for more things, and when he's my age, he'll still be able to do it  :D

I find it useful to have four hands sometimes!

Have you try cooking food with it? The weather is cooling down quickly.
I have a broken icecream chest freezer with sliding glass top. The inside stays at 135F from noon till 4-5pm when the ambient temperature is at 75-80 F. I use it regularly for drying leaves but thinking about doing sous vide with it.