Brian Fahey

There is an Immersion Heater M-67 used by the military that should work perfectly for your use.  Will run on almost any fuel that burns including old engine oil, diesel, kerosene, gasoline.  They are still available surplus new and generally sell for around $100. US.   A great idea over reinventing the wheel.   Of course it isn't a rocket stove but the payoff is using discarded burnables.

I make soap from biodiesel waste.  It was reacted with KOH (Potassium hydroxide) but none remains in the oil which has a lot of glycerin.  

This spring I spilled some on the deck, so spread it out on the wood.  Now several months later the oil has permeated the wood and looks great.  I plan on using this oil to coat the remainder of the deck.  It does leave the  wood dark, but to me that's fine. The area that does have the oil shows the water beading up.  The dogs never lick it nor does it track inside the house.

Biodiesel makers often will give this oil away for free.  Usually they pack it in 5 gallon plastic containers.  That much oil will go a long way.  Try pouring it into a bucket and then using a sponge mop as an applicator.  

While I do like the rocket stove, I'm wondering if any have tried to build a kachelofen by its German name, sometimes also known as a Russian Stove.

My mothers home had one very similar to that shown at the top of the following Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masonry_heater

Essentially these are tall units in which the fire burns near the bottom then the smoke rises, does a 180 turn, comes down a channel then turns 180 and rises again to gather at the top and be expelled out the chimney. The are available commercially, but can be built of fire brick which does require mortaring, At the top there is a draft control, and usually at the bottom as well.

Her heater needed only branches to build a quick fast fire three times a day, although it was warm with only one firing as in the spring and fall, but in the dead of winter, it needed three. Mom's home was well insulated, and quite large, yet this stove did a great job of keeping the main thermostat inactive

I've looked at the rocket stove, and like the bench idea, but that is also possible with the Kachelofen. The latter can have fancy tile facing, or just simple mud & straw as in the Rocket stove. Those not familiar with the Kachelofen or Russian stove should give them a look.

HI ALL

I'm a retired farmer from Western New York. Raised Angus cattle, horses, and lots to feed them. Retired, sold the farm and bought a house in the middle of a farm. Has a wonderful view, and I figured I'd live here and retire.

Something happened and I began to have physical difficulties, so could no longer work on my place. (Spinal problems) But that didn't stop me from thinking. The farmer uses a lot of pesticides and herbicides, so I began to think of a way that could be done with nature, and materials that wouldn't spoil the soil.

In the process of that I happened to discover a rust remover I made from from various grasses and tree waste. No acids, no chemicals, just good ole mother nature at work. Then I was able to concentrate it so that the user could dilute it with ten parts water, making a thin bath, and soak rusty tools in it.

But before I made it available to the permies, I had to try it out on all sorts of things, went to garage sales and bought tools that were awfully rusty. Most items took a day or two, a few needed nearly a week. An early propane burner made of cast iron took nearly a week and made mountains of foam during the process.

So what to do with the diluted product when it is no longer needed? Spray it on your garden as a fertilizer and pest remover. (They don't like it I guess). Works better as a fertilizer.

I called the product Beulah's Rust Remover. [Beulah is a long story.]

If you would like some, I sell a 1/2 gallon for $14.00 Shipping extra, usually about $9.00 or so. Larger amounts available, just ask.

Mind you I'm not in a business, this just supplements my rather poor Social Security.

I'm still working on the definitive bug spray, that solution is not as easy.

you can contact me via email brianfahey@juno.com