Solar Cookers. There are
dozens of Designs out there and available for many to use. The one that I chose is called a Box Cooker. It is a design widely used in India. The basics are that rays from the sun collect on dark surfaces and heat them. Kinda like walking barefoot on Concrete in the Summer. Hot to the Touch!! Same principle.
So, yesterday we went to Goodwill to look around. I love Goodwill. Besides the Grain mill that I found for $3.00 I found two "Wine Crates" for Boone's Farm Watermelon wine for $6.00 each. My first thought was wow that would make a good Solar Oven! My wife agreed to the price and I bought both of them, in case I screw up. Trying to stay on the cheap side I used an old Sun Visor for the reflector.
I bought a couple of hinges from Ace Hardware and a Staple gun from Big Lots. The First thing I did was remove the lid and attach the Hinges.
Using the Lid as a Guide I cut a reflecting square from the Car Visor. This I staple onto the Lid. I then traced the sides of the box and cut out inside panels. These I stapled in, trimming the excess with a sharp knife.
The hard part was attaching the lid. Originally the lid slides out. I left the grooves alone so I can later add a piece of Glass. Instead I attached the hinges to the side. In the real world the lid should close all the way. This one does not, the hinges are too small. The ones I used were the cheapest I could find at $4.00.
All that is left is to get a Terracotta tile for the bottom. This is my wife's idea. It should both conduct the heat and make it easy to clean up spills. I added and stick to prop the lid.
Later this week I will try it out and report on the results.
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