Rocket stove gets first fire lighted

The Rocket Stove - invented by Larry Winiarski - so simple and efficient! It was developed with Africa in mind, as it uses far less timber (by about 2/3rds less) to burn for the same amount of heat! That is a labor saving device for the local woman - as they do not have to go and collect timber from miles and miles away - and then of course carry it back to the hut.   Any how - after some Youtube-ing on the subject matter I came across a version of a rocket stove I thought I coud easily do as well.  Yes well - first stop - finding the right fire bricks! After many phone calls I found eventually a place in Invercargill that makes them - long story short - I got them from a sub-retailer in Rangiora - only 25km's away - so went and placed a order.

http://www.youtube.com/16 brick rocket stove

Larry Winiarski rocket stove making video


From there it was a small step to collect a special fire hardened insulating plate and then I got lucky. A special friend made me a metal box - just perfect fitting. Spray painting / buying Cement, etc etc - cutting a long story short eventually I got a fully made Rocket Stove.  So I invited said friend and others for a first firelighting Ceremony that involved (naturally) cooking.  Once it got going there was almost no smoke - so that is more environmentally friendly! In fact such was the clean burn of the timber inside the Rocket stove, that on the inside of the chimney stack there was no soot at all- nice and clean white bricks!!


After the first fire lighting and the intial burn settled down we put on the top a golden syrup tin full of cold water.  The 500ml liter got boiling in less then 8 minutes! Not bad really all things considered. 



 Coming back to Africa - seeing it uses less timber - it saves the local forests. There is a company in America that makes and sells them commercially and for every one unit sold, it donates one stove to the local African community - very commendable.  One can cook more then just straight of the heat - I used it the other day like a BBQ grill and if you put on a hot plate (leaving enough gap for the air to get under and out of it) you can fry etc anything. Very versatile, I'd say.  Indeed I also used my Wok on there successfully one evening.








Roasting Marshmallow. Unbelievably how much heat there is coming from there.  In fact Mamabear managed to burn her marshmallow in less then 3 seconds, unless you keep it turning over and over.







Oddly enough the couple who helped with the manufacture managed to avoid the camera all night. Stitch here seem to enjoy the occasion despite the drizzle and the "refreshing " nature of the evening. 

 

Why I was wearing my MAN-shirt again

Oh yeah I had a day of work - so naturally one goes to nature - urm - I wish, although I had a fun day so far.
Woke to fog this morning which quickly went and got mamabear out of bed and fed and then we tackled the fence. Parts of it needed repair and having done that we needed to paint it as it looked really grotty. Naturally we divided the job equally, which kinda worked as I painted fluidly and ergonomically (never mind some spilled paint spots on the new concrete drive) while mamabear decided it needed some more "deliberate" and artistic expression. A tad hard when all you got is "Redwood" colour.

So anyhow - the 50 odd palings quickly got done and the brushes washed out (hmmm second coat 2morrow - this time the whole length of it - all 30 meters) and we decided to head to the local outdoor mall as I needed some pailing nails to fix some loose boards and maybe a spot of lunch, and I could plonk my signature on the computing course I have already finished. So I took my MAN-shirt of - and yes Giggles - it has not been worn since you washed it on the coast and YES - it stayed clean - not a drop of paint on it. Urm - as for the testosterone smell - NO comment . . . . .
Paint well I did - the fence (and the protective sheet on the floor!!)
Anyhow made ourselves semi decent and trundled of the shops - by now lunch time and it was getting rather warm. Got the nails from the local hardware store (insert sound bite --- > arrrrghyeah) and tried to sign the register - closed till 1 pm - have to come back later. So we went to the local grocer and after a quick look around tossed out the "Healthy" lunch of salad and fruit and got a nice loaf of bread (wholesome with heaps of seeds - almost healthy) and a freshly roast chicken and a large bottle of Stella Artois ( a tall cool blonde - easy on the palate and only 5% and best of all - low calorie!!) walked 2 min to local park and set down -in the sun - amongst bushes and trees and LUNCHED!! YUMMY!! Burb! Dang there goes the diet (shhhh - the icecream for dessert - you did not see - honest - its a figment of my stomach!!) Sigh and all this with 21 degrees in the shade!

Now I have to write a report and think about scouts tonight and also write a letter to the principal and . ..
What I r e a l l y would like to do - will have to wait till tomorrow

Be good / Have fun

Concrete drive

Well who would have thought it possible. I woke up at 4 am this morning and it was just pouring down!! In the end we had 17mm of rain between 4-6 am. The ground was sodden and as usual at the front of our section we had a lake. It did not look promising for the workers to lay the concrete. Still by 9am-ish they turned up and got cracking. I had a computing Level 2 diploma exam - so left them to it. By the time I returned at 11.15 am - we had a blue dome day - lots of "Solar headlights" as Augie Auer used to say. Just stunning weather, just stunning.

Anyhow looks like the concrete will be finished this afternoon - then we have to wait 2 days before we can walk on it and at least another 5 days b4 we can drive on it.
Should keep Granddad safely upright - and of course is just perfect for the Harley we gonna eventually get!

Bluetooth thivery from lulu castagnette cellphone

It is just as well I got a sense of humor!! I really had to laugh over this one! A mate of mine got a new car and cellphone and part of HIS set up was a cheap "single mates rates" on weekend calls. He could only think of one number that would qualify - mine - and got the Tel-co folks to put that on his phone.

W E L L ^^ :o) we think they stuffed up big time and giving my mate MY SIMCARD number ------ because all calls to my cell phone and various txt's have ended up on said friends phone, and I no longer can do anything with mine. Cannot ring / txt to and from my lovely lulu castagnette clamshell.
Meanwhile I get a call on the old fashioned smoke signal line from a leader asking me why I am not answering his Txt's to me!! Just as well I used the old fashioned smoke signals to connect with someone.

And you know the funny part was - I had recently installed a bluetooth device in my lappy and thought I have upset some hidden setting on my cellphone!! Coincidence?? I kidd you not - here is me digging in my cellpone for clues for hours - when it was never my fault in the first place.

Lets just hope nobody sends any SECRETS to MY number - could be embarrassing for some parties - just imagine mamabear sweet rasping some txt and it goes to . . . . . NOT ME!! :p
Anyhow

Concrete people will arrive on Wed and start working / digging etc - good to get this done.

More concrete evidence

ok here is the strip we are looking to concrete over. About time to we finish the bit. Grandad already had a fall and it's just not save anymore for the old fella. Whence my quotes I sought - see yesterdays blog entry.
I would have to say though Mamabear is looking forward to having this bit completed - which is really some more concrete evidence that we are progressing nicely with the house and renovations.



So excited is she in expecting the finished product she could not help herself and test a new car! As you can see it just fits. And here is me thinking it would have been a Harley Davidson.



:-o) Speaking of which - I gave her a voucher from the local Harley Davidson store - they apparently do "chauffeur" drives. So sometime over the next week or so she will get kitted out in leathers and helmet and will be driven up to Sugarloaf - along the Summit road and back down at Sumner and back to the shop - should take about an hour!! Wonder what she will make of that trip?????

Concrete measurements

I ask you - how hard can it be . . . . . . really???
We have this strip on the drive that we did not concrete in at the time - mainly because we run of the necessary dough.
So now we think we have enough dolores saved, I rung up 5 contractors to take measurements and give us a firm price on costs and the results where astounding.
One just did not turn up for a start - the remaining four quoted as follows

$ 5378 --- 76.0 sq meter --- @ 1 sq meter = $ 70.60
$ 4405 --- 71.2 sq meter --- @ 1 sq meter = $ 61.88
$ 7671 --- 73.2 sq meter --- @ 1 sq meter = $ 104.8
$ 4331 --- 77.5 sq meter --- @ 1 sq meter = $ 56.25

I mean for a start the area is a nice straight rectangle - so u would expect the square meter figure to be closer together. And the all quoted the same concrete - / finish / placement / cut /etc etc

Guess it pays to shop around ^^

now - who will get the job??? ok - eeny meeny miny mo . . . . . .

:-)