thomas rubino

master rocket scientist

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news 7,130 Posts 514 Threads

since Apr 14, 2013

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Biography

13 acres in extreme rural Montana 100% off grid since 1983. Solar and micro hydro. Summer time piggy farmer. Restoring 2000-04 Subaru outbacks wagons for fun and a little profit. Not quite old enough to retire YET but closing on it fast... until then I must occasionally leave Paradise "home" and run large construction cranes on union job sites across the inland northwest. I make (Well try) A-2 A-2 cheese, I love cooking with my wood smoker for everything! Would not live anywhere else but rural Montana ! My wife Liz runs "Rocks by liz" a successful Etsy store and we have a summer booth at the Missoula peoples market. We currently breed and raise persian cats but are about to retire all the girls and let them be happy kittys for the remainder of their days.Oh and my biggest thing is... I LOVE MY RMH !

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latitude 47 N.W. montana zone 6A

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Recent posts by thomas rubino

Are you interested in building a rocket mass heater? What is holding you back?

Hey Joe; I still have the barrel I bought in 2013 for my first RMH.
It is off to the side and out of service now, but it was in seasonal use until 2025.
It could be installed today and put back in service. They do not wear out.

Can you use full barrels rather than split ones? Sure I guess so.
Although the extra-thick cob at the bottom would not heat up, the thinner side covering would.

Paint removal is not bad at all if you are in a location where a wood waste burn barrel is allowed.
With one good burn, 2/3 of the paint will be gone; then you burn a small fire and leave the barrel tipped on its side, rolling it as the paint comes off.

3 days ago

rocket mass heaters

Are you interested in building a rocket mass heater? What is holding you back?

Hi Joe;
A quick reply.
A stainless barrel is used for looks only.
Heat radiation is comparable to steel; you will not gain or lose anything.

Using a piped mass is no longer recommended; they need cleaning, and the solid mass adds unnecessary weight.
Stratification chambers can be any shape or size that fits your needs and space.
An 8" J-Tube uses the ISA numbers for a 6" Batchbox

3 days ago

rocket mass heaters

New piggies may 2026

The piggies got too close to the waterline in the comfrey paddock, so I moved them onto the summer palace grounds.
In days they had dug up as well. They have three months to eat, drink, and sleep, and on September 2nd, they go for a truck ride to meet the butcher.

1 week ago

pigs

Basic welding equipment?

Oh My, the short answer is YES, welders require the proper size stick, or the correct size wire.
What you are thinking of is called gas welding; no welder is required, but it uses a torch to melt metal.

1 week ago

gear

Basic welding equipment?

Sounds like a low-cost 110 volt wire feed welder would do most light jobs.
Very easy to learn how to use, small, lightweight, and portable.
Cast iron welding is not for a novice. Special welding rod and proper heating and cooling are needed.
Here is an example.
https://www.harborfreight.com/easy-flux-125-amp-welder-57861.html

1 week ago

gear

Sick pig(s)

If you have to give them an antibiotic shot, then you would need to wait thirty days before butchering.
I had three ready to go to the butcher, when one got sick in a similar fashion. A shot fixed her right up.
Two days later, her buddys went to the butcher. For the next 28 days I was a part of the herd... all two of us.
She would see me up at the house, and come crashing through fences to get closer... A miserable time for both of us.

1 week ago

pigs

New piggies may 2026

Well, it has been just over a week now, and tilling is progressing quickly.
They exposed the water line briefly and are very close to it out in the middle.
They have terrorized the Comfrey patch as far as they can reach.
One more week should do it, unless they expose the water line again...

2 weeks ago

pigs

farm utility vehicle, 3rd iteration

And then for those who want a workhorse that can go just about anyplace and have heated comfort.
https://www.roxoroffroad.com/
Not cheap, but quality rarely is.

2 weeks ago

transportation

Recommendations for sealing shattered solar panels

I believe that one panel with bad output will lower the output of good panels, the same as with batteries
I would hope for the best, but I would not be surprised if they do not hold up in the long term.
Keep these panels as one string, and if you get more, create a second string.

2 weeks ago

solar

Recommendations for sealing shattered solar panels

Hi Rachel
Well, if they still have full output, and you got them at a great price, then just about any pourable weather-proof sealant will work.
With your plan to use them as a temporary learning tool. I would buy the least expensive sealant and treat the panels gently.
Perhaps attach them to a wooden frame so they can not twist.
As long as nothing traumatic happens to them, they may just last many years.
However, I would not mix them with any new panels you might purchase in the future.

2 weeks ago

solar