Scott Farrell

Al, thank you for the reply.

I was thinking of a small propane torch as well. Just wondering if there were any other ideas out there.

The stove is built of metal because that is what I had on hand. I don't plan on this being a permanent installation so I see no need to build something up out of brick, mortar and/or cob.

I realize I am losing heat out of the chimney however, I also stated that this is just for heating a shop while I am in it. It was not built to be a rocket mass heater, just a rocket heater or rocket stove.

Yup, I know the paint should be removed. However, is burning it off really the best way to do it? Doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me. The plan was to find someone to media blast it for me but, well, that plan didn't happen. Read the comments I have on the YouTube video. I realize I have made many mistakes on this build, not removing the paint being just one of them.

The 'tin' is old road signs and is quite thick. Also, hard to tell in the video, there is a gap.

You really, REALLY like pushing 'The Book' don't you. Are you sure you are not getting some kind of commission for it? Anyway, the build, flaws and all, works. It's not pretty, and it is far from perfect but, it does the job. My plan is to learn from my mistakes and eventually move on to a much prettier and effective rocket stove.

Again, thank you for the reply Al. Seems that the propane torch may be the way to go.

Hello.

I have recently built myself a rocket stove out of a 16 gallon grease barrel. I am using it to heat my shop while I am in there working. I tested it outside before I installed it with no problems. Now that I have it installed, I have discovered one problem. Being a rocket stove it has no mass to retain heat. That makes start up much more difficult. I was not smart enough to build anything into the system that would facilitate startup when the system is cold. Before I (finally!) got a fire burning, I actually had a draft coming out of the feed tube.

Does anyone have any tips, short of a system redesign/rebuild, that might help me out?

I made a short video of the stove in operation. Please don't be to critical of me :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQASNwDAScg

Cindy Mathieu wrote:Look for a manufacturer of hi-temp epoxy. This stuff is very expensive. Cotronics is one.

Not a huge fan of the 'very expensive' part :(

Next time I cruise through Home Depot I'll take a look at what they have.

Well, I have read and read and read some more about rocket stoves and have decided to (finally!) take the plunge and attempt my first build. I have most of the materials I need and have made my first cuts. And now, of course, I have run into a small problem.

I am exhausting into a 4" round duct. I cut a hole in the barrel (this is a 16 gallon barrel by the way) trying to get as tight a fit as possible. For never having made this type of cut, I was pretty proud of my work. My mistake is, the flange is designed to fit onto a flat surface and, as we all know, the side of a barrel is rounded. This leaves gaps around the edge.

My question is, what would be the best way to seal these gaps? I can't really weld it without blowing right through the thin metal of the flange. Is there any type of high-temp silicone sealant that anyone has experience with?

Here is what I have so far:


Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.