Sunday, January 27, 2008

Robax astronomy

I have changed my mind about the stove. It really is like we have a little piece of our nearest star in it. I am amazed by how keen the carbon is to get back together with oxygen, and it is the energy from the sun that fixed the carbon into chunks for us to chop up and feed in to the tub.
The friend who visited yesterday was envious as he also makes things with wood, but he relies on oil stoves for heat. The plate of steel I used for the top of the stove was one of a pair that we picked up when dismantling a grilled meat restaurant that went belly up and he has the other one still waiting to be given a new life. At his home they do however use firewood to heat the bath.
The glass in the stove here is called Robax, it is the only part of the machine that I had to buy. Several people I know have made their own stoves, but they all used versions of pyrex for the windows and they all suffered regular breakages. I think this is the third season for this stove and the glass is still doing fine, so the dramatic picture on the web page you get to by clicking on the name really is true and I can honestly recommend the stuff if you are interested in having a stove window that will last for years.