Mike Henderson
12-12-2015, 11:38 AM
Earlier I had posted a question looking for an insulation that would stand up to moderate temperature - for use in a solar kiln. I got some good suggestions and have completed the kiln, at least at far as my agreement with the client. Here's some pictures of it.
She wanted a solar kiln large enough to put 10 full size beehive frames in - to melt the wax off the frames. That would be easier than trying to clean frames by hand.
Her husband is a good metal worker so he's going to make the pan that the wax drips on to, and a collection container. In discussing it with him, he said he'd use stainless steel sheet.
Also, they will paint it. Flat black on the inside to absorb heat, and any color on the outside - just to protect the wood.
So here's the kiln from the front. I used two pieces of acrylic for the door - there's an air gap of about 3/4" between them. The interior is lined with insulation one inch thick. The door at the front is to access the collection container.
327019
Here's a view from the side. The kiln is tilted at 15 degrees, which is what was recommended by papers from two universities. But for winter use, when the sun is down in the sky, you'd have to prop up the back of the kiln.
327018
This next picture shows the interior with the door open. I used some hardware to limit how much it opens (and to hold it open) but I'm concerned that if you opened it in windy conditions, it might blow closed on you. I put weather stripping on the edge of the box so that there's no air leakage when you close the door. Since hot air rises, it would probably leak out around the door if that was not sealed.
327021
Here's a close-up of the interior with a sample frame (standard brood frame) in the kiln. She can easily put 10 frames in the kiln and have space between the frames for air circulation. And just a note: The catch pan goes in the front and is accessed by the door in the front. A metal pan will go on the bottom of the slanted part and the wax will drip on to it. The metal pan will be shaped such that there's a spout at the front to dump the melted wax into the collection pan.
327020
I enjoy these unusual woodworking challenges. It's a chance to work with softwood (pine in this case) and to build to a different level of perfection than is required in furniture. For example, I used half blind dovetails for the box joinery but could knock them out pretty quickly, not worrying about whether they were perfect or not.
There's about $150 of materials in the box: wood, acrylic sheet, hardware, weather stripping, etc.
Mike
She wanted a solar kiln large enough to put 10 full size beehive frames in - to melt the wax off the frames. That would be easier than trying to clean frames by hand.
Her husband is a good metal worker so he's going to make the pan that the wax drips on to, and a collection container. In discussing it with him, he said he'd use stainless steel sheet.
Also, they will paint it. Flat black on the inside to absorb heat, and any color on the outside - just to protect the wood.
So here's the kiln from the front. I used two pieces of acrylic for the door - there's an air gap of about 3/4" between them. The interior is lined with insulation one inch thick. The door at the front is to access the collection container.
327019
Here's a view from the side. The kiln is tilted at 15 degrees, which is what was recommended by papers from two universities. But for winter use, when the sun is down in the sky, you'd have to prop up the back of the kiln.
327018
This next picture shows the interior with the door open. I used some hardware to limit how much it opens (and to hold it open) but I'm concerned that if you opened it in windy conditions, it might blow closed on you. I put weather stripping on the edge of the box so that there's no air leakage when you close the door. Since hot air rises, it would probably leak out around the door if that was not sealed.
327021
Here's a close-up of the interior with a sample frame (standard brood frame) in the kiln. She can easily put 10 frames in the kiln and have space between the frames for air circulation. And just a note: The catch pan goes in the front and is accessed by the door in the front. A metal pan will go on the bottom of the slanted part and the wax will drip on to it. The metal pan will be shaped such that there's a spout at the front to dump the melted wax into the collection pan.
327020
I enjoy these unusual woodworking challenges. It's a chance to work with softwood (pine in this case) and to build to a different level of perfection than is required in furniture. For example, I used half blind dovetails for the box joinery but could knock them out pretty quickly, not worrying about whether they were perfect or not.
There's about $150 of materials in the box: wood, acrylic sheet, hardware, weather stripping, etc.
Mike