The Burning Question: RMH and children

So i'm wondering how to prevent kids from getting burned on the barrel. I believe Ernie and Erica mentioned that someone told them about how they made a metal cage that doubled as a mitten dryer. Has anyone tried this? Or anything like it?

I covered mine I cob and a marble top, it slows the release of heat takes longer to warm but won't burn
Mikael

That's beautiful.

Other than slowing heat release, does it have any affect on performance? I'm thinking that the air passing through the manifold and into the duct would be hotter. Would it ever get too hot for the duct?

I grew up with a wood stove, we just learned not to touch it because it was HOT.
We have a electric radiator in the back room, my 2 year old tells me not to touch it, because it is HOT.
Kids are much smarter than we give them credit for, my 2 year old reminds me of this every day.

Hi Matt
It does take longer to heat but holds longer, mine fits in a small space 8x12 it is about one quarter of the foot print so I is made with different internal dimensions, and I burn wood pellets in a vertclal burn grate I call a m channel. No part of my stove is to hot to touch exept the marble top at full burn. That just means feeding the channel continuously till it is white hot. My burn chamber is made with fire bricks 4x8 stuck together with clay slip dirt and water (NC clay mud high sand content) I have a 30 gallon drum so it is a smaller vertiginous but then I heat water on top so it puts out a lot of BTUs I think that answered your question with more variables but it is not from any book I just used my own demmensions and got lucky.
Mikael