David Wieland

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:

David Wieland wrote:

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:Well, I broke off a screw extractor in the hole I drilled in my first attempt.

I'd say that with a broken screw extracter in the way, the welding techniques are the only options left. I can't see any other way to get the necessary grip on the bolt.  

It would be helpful to have a photo of the current situation.

If there is a protruding, embedded item, sometimes you can take a Dremel and carve in a solid purchase for Mr. 10 Inch Vise Grip, the chairman of the board.

While we're waiting for a photo, I'll update my previous reply to say that if there's enough of the broken extractor protruding to use a Vise Grip then it's likely that the Dremel isn't really needed. In my experience, truly tightening a Vice Grip on a bolt digs into it enough for a solid grip. (That's a "power" tool that everyone should have.)

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:Well, I broke off a screw extractor in the hole I drilled in my first attempt.

I'd say that with a broken screw extracter in the way, the welding techniques are the only options left. I can't see any other way to get the necessary grip on the bolt.
If you haven't already used a corrosion buster like PB Blaster, that's definitely worth doing as well.

Years ago (when we were homesteading in the 70s) my wife and I sourced square Tupperware-like inexpensive freezer containers. We reused them many times, replacing them only for "upgrade". Off-gassing was never apparent, and I doubt it would be for any plastic container used only at low temperature. I think plastic is a superior material for such use and much better than the old time alternatives, especially breakable glass. Also, the square freezer containers packed and nested beautifully.

What I did about 50 years ago, before I had built the house (with indoor composting toilet), was to make a small bucket outhouse, likely (it was half a century ago) a bit smaller than your pallet. It was in the country, with no nearby neighbours, so I don't think it had a door, although one could have been added easily. I used tongue and groove boards, but plywood or chipboard would be quicker and inherently sturdier. In that case, the vertical corners need to be reinforced with full height 2" lumber inside (or possibly angle brackets or strapping on the outside, spaced close enough to be sturdy).

If you use the pallet as the base and floor, it could be easily skidded or lifted on forks. If the pallet is "double-sided" with the heavy lumber (3"x3" or larger) at the edges, they can provide firm anchorage for at least two sides. (Use #12 screws or heavier, not nails.) I didn't have a pallet, so I just built a simple variant for the base that i then attached vertical boards to. The roof, probably plywood, was a single slope away from the doorway.  A toilet seat was supported on a simple platform with space for a small plastic trash can under it. (I must have had a foot rest for my 3-year-old son, but I can't recall now.)

Such a small structure doesn't need much framing, and mine was never in danger of being knocked over by normal storms. If you're in an area with occasional very high winds, you could drive two or more substantial stakes into the ground beside it, and screw the structure to them. If you want to keep critters out, the floor will need to be solid, of course. Building a critter-tight door requires some care, especially of you use boards, which are likely to warp.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:...I note that DST offers more evening opportunities to talk to my neighbours who have workee jobs. We're all out for a walk after dinner, now that it's light out. This is good for community.

That's an interesting observation, although it's neighbourhood dependent. It goes to show that there are pros and cons to nearly everything. Another downside to late light though is that young children who need to go to bed before DST dark don't get to see July fireworks or maybe even fireflies.

Jay Angler wrote:... being indecisive about which is better, permanent Standard or permanent Daylight savings...

I have a hard time believing that those advocating permanent Daylight time have really thought it through. What they're really advocating is shifting timezones eastward. That would mean that no one, regardless of their longitude, would have noon corresponding to the sun being at its highest point. So long high noon!

Matthias Hacker wrote:...Maybe I should start exporting them🙈

Bear in mind that the currently wimpy Canadian dollar is worth only about 70% of the US dollar. Also, shipping breakable things requires extra packaging, which increases the cost. The shipping charge in my case was about C$70, from a place only a 4 hour drive away.

thomas rubino wrote:Indeed, Peter does use kiln shelves on all his test builds.
But I believe that on his more permanent builds, he uses slabs.
What size (thickness) shelf did you use to roof your Batchbox?

For the firebox: 12" x 24" x 3/4" (305 mm x 610 mm x 19 mm)  cut down to firebox length, because no 12" x 18" shelf was available
  https://psh.ca/collections/high-alumina-kiln-shelves/products/12-x-24-kiln-shelf-pizza-stone
For the riser top: 12" x 12" x 1/2" (305 mm square x 12.7 mm)
  https://psh.ca/collections/high-alumina-kiln-shelves/products/12-x-12-kiln-shelf-pizza-stone
A firebrick thickness strip cut from the large slab spans the top of the riser outlet.
With taxes and shipping, the two shelves cost me C$174, but they saved a lot of time and didn't require warm curing -- important because the cold weather had already begun

I can't tell that there's been any deterioration so far, and I've run some very hot fires to warm the greenhouse bench on the really cold nights we've had sometimes this winter. It's predicted to drop to -26C tonight, the coldest yet, so I'm really stoking the stove this evening. After the heating season, I'll remove the lid and document the condition.

I've found, as confirmed by Peter, that kiln shelves work for the "roof" slabs -- making them a viable alternative to casting your own from refractory cement. Sourcing kiln shelves can be an issue though. I'm in a rural part of Ottawa, Canada, a city of over a million, but I had to order them from the Toronto area, which added a hefty shipping charge.
I used refractory in an earlier stove and was glad to not have to mess with that again. Knowing that thermal expansion stresses materials, including kiln shelves and other high alumina refractory, I used strips of a Superwool type of ceramic fiber blanket instead of mortar to seal the gaps between the slabs and the sides.

Emmett Ray wrote:exhaustipating

That's a keeper! I'm adding that to my vocabulary now. 👍