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http://www.instructables.

com/id/Solar-Oven-Mark-ÌÌ/
Food Living Outside PIay TechnoIogy Workshop
SoIar Oven Mark II
by ehudwiII on June 14, 2012
Author:ehudwiII
Ì am an English teacher, father of four, and husband to a wonderful wife. Ì like to make, fix, and take apart. Few things are more fun than taking something
apart to turn it into something else, or just taking it apart for the fun of it. When Ì get my novel published Ì will write an instructable on it. :-)
Intro: SoIar Oven Mark II
This is my second attempt at a solar oven. My first was made from cardboard and worked okay. The first Ì built to make sure Ì understood the science. This one is an
improved version.
Image Notes
1. Shiny!
Step 1: TooIs/MateriaIs
You can get by with fewer tools. These are the ones Ì used.
TooIs
Table Saw
Miter Saw
Jig Saw
Drill
Drill bits
Square
Ruler
Corner Clamps
Staple Gun
Clamps
Sandpaper
MateriaIs
Plywood
Boards
Screws
Ìnsulation (in my case Ì used an emergency blanket)
High Heat Grill spray paint
Aluminum foil
Duct tape
Mirrors
Mirror holders
Pane of glass
Zip Ties
http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Oven-Mark-ÌÌ/
Small clip
Staples
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Step 2: Make the inner box
The plywood Ì used was from an old stage. Ìt was 1/2 an inch thick. Make sure you know what pans/dishes you will be using in the oven so you can make it to the correct
size. Ì wanted my inner box to fit a 9 inch pan with plenty of room to reach in and take it out. Ì made the inner box 13"x13"x6". Accounting for the 1/2" thickness of the
wood, made the inside of the box 12"x12x6". Plenty of room for my pans. Ì used a table saw to cut the plywood, and sanded the wood after cutting it.
Here are the measurements for the panels that made up the box.
2 panels 12"x6"
2 panels 13"x6"
1 panel 13"x13"
After that screwed the panels together using corner clamps. Ìf you do not have any corner clamps do your best to make sure the box is square. You don't want any leaks
that might let heat out. Then Ì sprayed the interior of the box with high heat black spray paint.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Oven-Mark-ÌÌ/
Step 3: Make the outer box
The outer box needs to have some space to allow for your insulation. Ì made the outer box 16"x16"x10". This allowed for about an inch of insulation. Ì made this one in
the same way Ì did the other.
Here are the measurements for the panels that made up the box.
2 panels 16"x10"
2 panels 15"x10"
1 panel 16"x16"
http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Oven-Mark-ÌÌ/
Step 4: InsuIation
Ì learned in my research that most of the heat lost from a solar oven is through the glass. Ìn hindsight Ì might have been able to make the oven without the outer box. Ì did
not perform any experiments with just the inner box. That would be a project for another time. For the insulation Ì decided to use an emergency blanket. Ìt said it reflected
90% of body heat. Ì figured it would work well for what Ì needed. Also do not use Styrofoam. Ìt can melt and release chemicals into your food.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Oven-Mark-ÌÌ/
Step 5: Combine the two boxes
Now put the two boxes together. Ì made a spacer so that the smaller box would be flush with the top of the larger box. At first Ì thought Ì might fill the box with stones
since they hold heat well, but decided it would be too heavy. Besides most of the heat is lost out the top through the glass.
The spacer Ì made was 3.5 inches high. Once you have the boxes flush use some wood to seal the two pieces together.
Then Ì made a slot for the glass to slide in. Ì took the plywood Ì was using and cut a slot in it wide enough for the glass to easily slide into. The slot was an inch deep and
about a quarter of an inch wide. Ì used the glass from a cheap picture frame to cover the opening. Ì lined the outside of the glass with duct tape to keep it from cutting me
when Ì use it.
Image Notes
1. You want the tops of the boxes to be even.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Oven-Mark-ÌÌ/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Oven-Mark-ÌÌ/
Step 6: Make the RefIector
Ì got the measurements for the reflector from this instructable on solar ovens. The widest size of the trapezoid is 2.25 x cook chamber width and the height is 1.25 x cook
chamber width. Ì used my jigsaw to cut the reflector pieces. Ì made one and used it as a guide for making the others.
Ì drilled holes at the top and bottom corners of each reflector. Then Ì wrapped the reflectors in aluminum foil shiny side out. Ì used duct tape to secure the foil. Then Ì
attached mirror holders to the reflectors. Ì used twist ties to attach the reflectors to each others. Ì also added a small piece of wood to the back of each reflector to help
stabilize it.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Oven-Mark-ÌÌ/
Step 7: Test
Test your oven. See how it is working and make see if there are any improvements you can make. You can see my testing data here . Ìn the third test Ì added the glass
from a scanner to the top of the oven. Ìt did not completely cover it, but it did increase the temperature. Clouds were an issue that could not be helped, but Ì found if Ì
checked it every half an hour to make sure it was angled toward the sun it did better.
From my testing Ì concluded that making the glass as thick as possible , and keeping the oven pointed toward the sun will help keep the temperature high in the oven.
We like to cook granola bars in ours. Post what you have cooked in your own solar oven in the comments below.
Image Notes
http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Oven-Mark-ÌÌ/
1. Shiny!
Comments
16 comments Add Comment
bajabIue says: Aug 20, 2012. 8:40 AM REPLY
Û¨½»´´»²¬ build... and a definite improvement over cardboard.
How hot does it get... and where are the pics of your homemade granola bars, hmmm? ;-)
ehudwiII says: Aug 20, 2012. 6:11 PM REPLY
Ì managed to get the temp up to 225, and we ate all the granola bars. The kids eat them like candy. :-)
ehudwiII says: Aug 27, 2012. 2:25 PM REPLY
Thank you everyone for all the comments. Ì have a ton of ideas for my next build of the oven. Also of note my wife reminded me that we did get temperatures
of 250 so... her memory is better than mine.
Manny B says: Sep 5, 2012. 9:56 AM REPLY
They usually are.
zawy says: Aug 26, 2012. 6:09 PM REPLY
Looks excellent.
The corners of this design are not reflecting into the box. They need to "cut across", connecting the sides of the rectangular mirrors. So they will be upside
down triangles. Ìf the 4 square mirrors are the same size as the top of the box (which helps packing it up) then they should be tilted back almost exactly 30
degrees. The trigonometry to prove this is surprisingly hard, but a simple experiment will show it to be true. Tilted further back and it starts missing the target.
Tilted further up and the area of collected sunlight is reduced. 4 mirrors like this make collected sunlight total to be 3x total regular sunlight (3 kW/m^2),
minus 10% reflection and absorption loss from the glass, if you make sure to use low-iron glass (should not be too green when looking at the edge) that is
NOT insulation (low E) glass or doubled-pane which causes even greater losses. Ìt looks like if the corners are improved, it might add another 1x sun (4
kW/m^2 total). The small addition can mean an important increase in max temp. Yes, R=4 insulation board on the back and sides is important.
ehudwiII says: Aug 27, 2012. 2:28 PM REPLY
Ì did not have a material that would hold the sides together without ripping. Ì will have to explore more options.
gsmith29 says: Aug 27, 2012. 12:44 AM REPLY
For the insulation, try using perlite (or expanded clay). Perlite is an exceptional, light insulator - it is used as the insulating medium for some LNG marine
tankers.
Ìf it gets wet its insulating properties drop off sharply.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlite
http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Oven-Mark-ÌÌ/
ehudwiII says: Aug 27, 2012. 2:25 PM REPLY
Thanks. Ì will check this stuff out.
godbacon says: Aug 27, 2012. 12:58 AM REPLY
make your inner box out of cement board or slate (colored black) it will act as thermal-mass and store heat, combat your cloud problem.
chesterdad says: Aug 23, 2012. 6:55 AM REPLY
We have a commercially purchased unit that works great. We used it last weekend and the oven temperature reached 350 degrees F. We found that after
about 4:30 PM or so, we couldn't get the temperature above 250 degrees F. You are better off cooking with late morning to early afternoon sun. Ì live in Utah
for reference.
The commercial one we have has a swivel pan in it and a leg on the back. The leg allows the oven to tilt into the sun. You can use the reflector pointed at the
sun and ensure that it makes a shadow on the face of the box. This will help capture more sunlight. (Ìf Ì were building one, Ì'd use more than one leg -
possibly a frame- and work to ensure greater stability than the one post leg ours has.)
The swivel pan is merely a pinned, swinging shelf. The pins, two only, are opposite one another and on the sides rather than the front or back.
Be certain to heed the warning about knowing the pan size(s) before constructing your own. We had to shop for proper sized pans to use in ours. Walmart
carries dark, thin walled pots, loaf pans, cookie sheets, and roasters. You want dark, thin walled cooking pots and pans so as not to waste time heating the
container.
Do you think a solar blanket would make a good reflector? Ì wonder if the foil reflectors would survive the abuse of folding and reusing.
Excellent Constructable! Thanks for posting.
ChesterDad
tig1 says: Aug 26, 2012. 4:23 PM REPLY
Hell Utah ! you should be able to get 350 de without the oven :)
ehudwiII says: Aug 24, 2012. 4:13 AM REPLY
Thanks Chesterdad. Ì have thought about building a frame for mine, but have not had time. Also the plywood in kind of heavy. A frame would make it
hard to move around.
Most emergency blankets Ì get are very thin and wrinkled. The wrinkles decrease the efficiency and the thinness makes it more susceptible to tearing.
Thanks for commenting. Ì like a good discussion.
jhitesman says: Aug 26, 2012. 10:56 AM REPLY
Great job, Ì've been working on a similar project and noticed there weren't very many reproducible solar ovens on instructables. Mine was a quick afternoon
build out of what was available but showed a LOT of potential. Unfortunately a surprise rain storm took it out. Working on a design for a more permanent one
now:
https://plus.google.com/photos/118393350380853916534/albums/5762973954193916913
One thing Ì found on mine was that a plastic turkey bag with a tight fitting frame worked better than a piece of picture frame glass in a less than tight fitting
frame. With the thin glass and somewhat loose frame Ì had a hard time getting it over 200 even here in the summer desert sun. With a turkey bag and a
cardboard collar to seal it Ì was getting over 325 without having to worry about my focus nearly as much.
Ì can't wait to build my permanent oven. The solar oven was a blast to cook in while it lasted. Like a crock pot that uses no power and can't short out and
burn your house down so Ì don't worry about leaving it alone while Ì go out. Ì made some great bread in it, cooked chick peas very nicely that Ì made into
hummus, apples with some sugar and cinnamon in a jar made a great treat - and Ì did a number of small brownies, cakes, cookies and other treats as tests.
Part of my plan for the new oven is to document building it for an instructable - but time is short right now so who knows when it will get done :D
Beekeeper says: Aug 26, 2012. 8:21 AM REPLY
For most cooking you need 375 degrees Farenheit so your max at 225 F seems way to low to be of much use. At first Ì thought you were recording in
Centigrade and thought this must be a good design. Ì have seen many similar ovens and the best have a sealed double glazed panel facing the sun and 4
inches of insulation between the outer and inner surfaces of the heat chamber with the inside painted matt black. The bigger the unit, the more efficient it is.
The best one Ì have seen has reflectors about 4 feet x 6 feet, the whole thing being on a trailer so it can easily be turned every so often to face the sun. Ìt is
big enough to roast two turkeys in side-by-side. Ìncidentally that heat blanket material usually won't last more than one season. You can get mirrors at your
local thrift store for very little money.
bIuerosei says: Aug 26, 2012. 7:42 AM REPLY
Ì made an oven years ago. A box in a box design, from cardboard with 2in. between them and as much cardboard scrap as Ì could fit between them for
insulation. Ì used a large oven cooking bag with a cardboard "picture frame" that fit tightly inside the bag for the glass. covered the inside with foil. Had a
single reflector covered with foil. Put a cooky sheet painted black in the bottom. Ì still have it and that thing gets HOT! You have to lift the whole top off to
open it. But for the cost of the cooking bags and a role of tape, it was a whole lot of fun!. Ì plan to one day add three more reflectors.The card board was
scrounged up from left over boxes.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-Oven-Mark-ÌÌ/
DaIe 1944 says: Aug 26, 2012. 7:04 AM REPLY
How about using 2" insulation board for the box? Plenty of duct tape should give sufficient rigidity, and that would constitute the inner box, outer box and
insulation all in one.
Could someone with some creativity devise a parabolic structure to which cheap (and thin) mirror tiles could be attached to concentrate the sun's energy?
Moving this framework slightly to keep the focus on the stationary box oven should be easier than moving the entire box and reflector structure.
Thank you for your efforts. Ì keep waiting for you people with creativity to come up with ideas that Ì can steal!

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