Forum Replies Created

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  • BiggKidd

    Member
    March 3, 2023 at 6:42 pm in reply to: Thermoelectric power

    Going stir crazy two days of crap weather back to back is killing me. I NEED to get outside and do things before my crazy switch flips!

    I had to order another diamond cutoff wheel, turns out I’ve worn the first one out. I will say it made a WHOLE lot of cuts including 4 or 5 24 inch rip cuts.

    Also got the replacement modules ordered to replace the ones that got burned.

    Starting to feel like a never ending project here!

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    March 2, 2023 at 7:33 pm in reply to: WHAT MADE YOU START PREPPING?

    Cub scouts / boy scouts After realizing at such a young age how much better it is to be prepared than not prepared it became a way of life. Take camping trips for example it’s lot better to have a case of TP than no TP . Over simplified but I’m sure the message comes across.

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 27, 2023 at 11:31 pm in reply to: Thermoelectric power

    Got the copper cut down and got the heating element section made. It’s a hunk of 2 inch stainless steel thin walled pipe and I needed to attach it to half of a 1 in cast iron pipe coupler so the element will screw in to it. The stainless pipe gives a no contact zone for the copper connector bars for the + and – while moving the element closer to the center of the unit. Sadly JB Weld was the best form of adhesion I could find and it’s only good to 550F so hopefully it’ll hold. It’ll probably see that temperature and more. While that started curing I got busy making the air intake closer. After much searching I found a piece of scrap steel close enough in size I didn’t mind cutting it down. It is a bit thicker than I was planning on and so therefore heavier. I needed something heavy enough to close the trap door but not so heavy as to stop the wood from passing through. Hopefully I can find that balance point using this piece I’m working on. Rain got here again before I was able to get more done.

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 25, 2023 at 1:38 am in reply to: Thermoelectric power

    I stole the name from the small pony engines they used to use to start large diesel engines back before tech found better ways.
    This will either require a blower or another small fire near the chimney to get a draft started to get the main fire going. Only time will tell. In this case the pony fire is a smaller fire near the chimney exit to help get the draft going for the main fire. Once the main fire is going it should be able to maintain enough heat / draft to keep the fire burning strong. I’m praying it doesn’t require a blower to run period!

    • This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by  BiggKidd.
  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 25, 2023 at 12:40 am in reply to: Thermoelectric power

    Installing the water heating pipe should have, would have been a piece of cake IF I had remembered to do it BEFORE installing the front panel. But no I forgot to install it first so I spent about 2-3 hours working it in today and ended up with a sloppy job and not the nice clean install I was looking for. Worse the way I had to put it in will require a pump to be running If I had remembered to do it like I had planned the pump would have been optional. Oh well like spilt milk it’s done now. I got the hole for the electric element cut and got that almost ready to assemble. I still have to rip a 1/2″ copper pipe down to make some copper bars to hook the element up with it being recessed dang near to the middle of the unit. I just don’t have any wire I trust at 500F or possibly more. Once that’s done I have to make the air inlet doors and I “think” the stove build itself will be finished. The bad news is it’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow.

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 23, 2023 at 11:58 pm in reply to: Thermoelectric power

    I kicked butt and took names today! lol First I welded the wood rests in place then I welded the lower air intake on with it’s backing plate. After that I put the two cross bars in place to help prevent the weight from blowing out the center. About this stage I welded the feed chute in. Once that was in I cut the opening in the front panel and slid it home then screwed it tight. I still need to fasten the secondary facial backing plate and install the electric element and the basic stove will be about ready.

    I do still have to make the pony firebox and chimney yet.

    I may actually finish tomorrow if the weather is decent, long overdue!

    ETA: Then I have to figure out how in the heck to move it! YIKES!

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 22, 2023 at 11:56 pm in reply to: Thermoelectric power

    Made some good progress today. Finished cutting the feed chute and started assembling it. Got the trap door made and welded in to it. Then test fit all that and it’s ready to finish welding tight. Also got the pieces cut and ready to weld for the air intake shield.

    Starting to feel like a never ending project here!

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 19, 2023 at 3:33 pm in reply to: Bio-char!!! The dark underbelly of the garden.

    I’ve been building a supply of char for sometime now. Guess I’m getting close to having 50 or so gallons to use this year. I hadn’t seen the one about feeding it to the farm animals, need to look in to that. Thanks

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 18, 2023 at 9:36 pm in reply to: Thermoelectric power

    I’m to that point where mistakes can be really costly like the one I made a little while ago that caused a design change. Simply because I screwed up the order of progression. I HAVE to make sure that doesn’t happen again! I am down to the final assembly and the devil is in the details and putting things in in the correct order… Still quite a lot to be done including 8 feet of rip cuts relying on battery powered tools is going to take FOREVER!

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 18, 2023 at 12:22 am in reply to: save a fortune on batteries for solar-set-up

    Often times nothing more than a month long trickle charge will do wonders for old batteries.

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 16, 2023 at 11:37 pm in reply to: Thermoelectric power

    Made a little more progress today. Got the exhaust cut through the case and welded it to the burner section. So no more taking the burner out for any reason. lol After that I got the other two secondary air intakes made and welded in place, just have to weld the bottom edge yet, couldn’t see well enough to weld that last 2 inches! once they are done then I have to make an adapter to seal all the inlets through the case openings and figure out just how to make the feed chute and air cutoffs. I want the air to cut itself off when the stove runs out of fuel so I’m thinking a simple flap door the wood will hold open until it’s gone then the flap will close dropping doors across the air intakes. At some point I have to remember to put the electric heating element and cross bar(s) in along with a water heating pipe. Getting closer to the end with every small step. I sure hope this thing works cause if not I’ve wasted a ton of time and resources!

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 16, 2023 at 4:22 pm in reply to: Single-Steading

    When my ex left because she didn’t like being a mother or wife I pretty much decided to be single and raise my girls. That was 2011 it’s now 2023 and I went out a couple times with a previous girlfriend in 2018 other than that month or so I haven’t even considered dating again. That’s not to say I wouldn’t love to find someone but I’m not going to stop life and go looking either. A lot of my reason for doing like I did was being a child of divorced parents I wasn’t going to drag women in and out of my daughters lives with every shift in wind direction. I still remember my mom dating several guys before she met and stayed with one for many years when I was a kid.

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 14, 2023 at 4:18 pm in reply to: Horse losing weight – teeth?

    Need a lot more info to really be able to help. How old is the horse? Has anyone close to the horse recently left or moved away? Did it’s pasture mate get moved out?

    Honestly it could be a lot of things. I would want to know the answers to those first though. I would also be checking for worms, which may be the most likely answer if nothing else has changed. Horses can get depressed when they no longer have a person or animal they’ve been around a long time and are close to.

    GGood luck

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 28, 2023 at 2:58 am in reply to: Long term food storage..

    You’re welcome.

  • BiggKidd

    Member
    February 27, 2023 at 4:46 pm in reply to: Long term food storage..

    You will probably be as surprised to learn soaking and cooking them with a tablespoon of baking soda for each pound of dry beans will soften old beans up as I was. Just rinse them off and replace the water before adding your flavors so as not to change the taste of what you’re making. Of course if you’re making chili or something similar that has other strong flavors rinsing isn’t really needed in my opinion.

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