T Blankinship

Chris McClellan wrote:Ulla,
This is a particularly fantastic one my friend built. Two burners that can be switched out for griddles and an oven.  If you're serious I will actually be out your way this summer. Drop me a message.

Nice!
What are the dimensions of this oven and stove?

Rodney Polden wrote:I wish this package was available as a set of DVD's.  Some of us are in situations where DVD's provide much better and more durable, long-term access to the info you are offering.  Any chance of that?  DVD's plus printed plans would be my much-preferred option.
Thanks for what you're doing.

When I was building my rocket oven I did print out the plans. I used Fedx print service and I think it was about $36.00 all together. I would also like to see a starter pack in DVD's. My idea would be to get that starter pack into libraries and other places. One thought I have had was something like The Knights Who Say Free, who could with help get starter packs into these places.

A good start. More detail on the eBook like projects and about the authors. I think adding rocket oven and maybe more fire related things could be good. Then since this is a starter pack have a link to another pack with more stuff. Like a pyro pack or a rocket science pack.

So back in December of 2024 I had very bad luck at work. One issue after another and worst my boss was not very happy with me. So one day I just got a broom swept the floor my thought was "it would be hard for something to go wrong".  It did help a little but my luck as of today January 2025 is mixed at best, sometimes talking about or writing about bad luck can change to good luck.

Clay McGowen wrote:

T Blankinship wrote:Are you getting any smoke from the font of the oven? From the pictures it looks like there is no cob around the font of the barrel

The insulation on the oven looks to be compacted at the bottom of the oven or is it just the picture?

Yes and yes...
I'm only getting a little smoke, right at the start of a burn, but the amount is definitely non-zero.
The insulation is also definitely compacted a bit. I put my hand on the bottom on the metal near the riser and the top near the chimney, both were about the same temperature, but I'd expect the top to be hotter if the insulation was equal.
Both are symptoms of the same experience - a 500 mile journey from Arlee, to Wheaton Labs, then back to my house, then a grand tour around my backyard in a wheelbarrow.
I'd like to cob up the front but haven't made time for that.
I'm not sure what to do about the insulation concern

T Blankinship wrote:Another issue I have had is getting the right temperature. If I put a thermometer on the door and one on a rack on the inside I get a +/- 50 different. Do you have the same issue?

Undoubtedly. I don't quite trust the thermometer inside, but I do trust my own senses as well as the cooking times and food behaviors I've observed.
There is significant stratification inside my oven and, given the fact that it's not quite level, that's both top to bottom and front to back.
I'd love to come up with a solution for this as well, but I'm really struggling to think of a viable option.
Maybe a fan like in a convection oven? But I have no desire to add electrical power to this delightfully off-grid solution.
Maybe one of those heat-powered/Peltier fans that go on a wood fired stove? But the clearances don't seem like they'd work very well...

If anyone has thoughts on how I could insulate the burn chamber, I'd appreciate hearing.
For reference, the outside dimensions are roughly 30inches long x 9inches tall x 9inches wide
I'm leaning towards ceramic fiber board for the portability but open to other materials too.
Especially with the price, fragility of that material, and non-standard dimensions I need...
Superwool with standard clay brick beyond that?

I think putting cob on the front would help a lot.

As for the stratification I have the same issue. If I put a temp probe pointing down I get 600F but if the probe is parallel to the bottom of the oven I get around 350F to 400F. I think some work needs to be done on probe placement and find good spots.

I have used fiber board for my rocket it does work but will over two to three years show signs of ware. I have had my rocket fiber board for about two year now it still works but if I am using the oven for over an hour or more the core will heat up. Also keep in mind that fiber board must be protected from water.

A new/old idea:
Small and fast, big and slow. The smaller the wood the faster the burn and the bigger the wood the slower the burn. I keep different pieces of wood for controlling temp in the oven. Someone needs to invent a phrase to help with temp control.

Great job!

I built a rocket oven a few months ago and have been using it. Myself along with other people have posted what they have built here.

I used fire fiberboard for my rocket and it does work but it is showing signs of ware and tare. I have thought about building another rocket oven using a five minute riser but I need to find the time to make that happen. To insulate my oven I did use Morgan Superwool from Dragon tech (here is the link https://dragontechrmh.com/morgan-superwool-plus-non-ceramic-fiber-blanket/ ) and it is great stuff.

I have a few questions:

Are you getting any smoke from the font of the oven? From the pictures it looks like there is no cob around the font of the barrel

The insulation on the oven looks to be compacted at the bottom of the oven or is it just the picture?

Another issue I have had is getting the right temperature. If I put a thermometer on the door and one on a rack on the inside I get a +/- 50 different. Do you have the same issue?

In this video you can see how I put a 2 by 4 on the bottom and used wheels to help move it. Also I used rivets along with aluminum angles to hold the rocket together.  

I was posting about my rocket oven on Bluesky today and saw alt text for the video. This got me thinking about how does one described a rocket oven to someone who can not see. Is there a common way this is done? Where would I start?

This also got me thinking about other things like:

Hugelkultur

Natural building

Rocket based things (i.e. stoves, ovens, mass heaters)

If would be great if there was a common way to described this stuff.

What are your thoughts and ideas.

I have looked at Allerton Abbey on permies.com and I really want to see it in person. It is hard starting out by your self to build cool things. In the past four years I have not done a lot of permaculture things that I want to do because of a 40 hour a week job and lack of help. Starting from zero about seven years ago at my home, I have not done 1% of the things that Allerton Abbey has done.   If I was just staring out, going to the boot camp would be a path I would have taken. Having  Allerton Abbey done and someone living there is a massive boom to both Wheaton Labs and permaculture in general.


If you want to be a Gert then start the path now!

For a two hour project with power tools and a good shop. I would say that is a very nice spoon.

When I saw this today I thought about Mycoinsulated Roof and the work going on at permies.com. I think it would be fun to life in a home that was build by fungi!