Dying VERY inexpensively
Monday, 17. August 2009, 15:49:15
How can you reduce the grief and expense and mess of dying wool & angora fibers? Do it outside!
I became fascinated with the idea of Solar ovens recently. For cooking. Since the materials are things you probably already have and want to dispose of (cardboard boxes, etc), I started to make one.
My first one was a disappointment. It only got to around 200º. So I made another, that one was better, 250º or so. My third one was the final design for cooking and it gets over 300º on a good, clear sunny day. I started to tear apart the other 2 when it hit me, hey, that temperature was ideal for dying! I have not done so yet, but I will very soon. Cake dye is what I usually use. I have other dye, but every time I think of using it, I don't want to create a vessel that cannot ever be used for regular cooking again. I might have trouble getting pictures of the ovens in use. I recently changed my main computer over to Linux and my camera (old Sony) isn't recognized, so I might have to put it on my work computer and network it over to the play (Linux) one. My cell phone is totally unpredictable, some pics are great on it, and some are horrible and I can't seem to predict which.
Meantime, here are some solar oven links:
http://www.uberpest.com/cooker.html
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/radabaugh30.html (this is the one that finally got above 300º)
If I made any more, I'd use mylar mirror film on the reflectors, and barbeque grill paint on the interior off the cook box. (I used tempura on mine, came off on first attempt to use it.) I have a double layer (separated by 1 thickness of cardboard) of turkey cooking bag material on mine instead of glass. I've been informed that you must use strong glass or it will break from the temperature differential, so I skipped that. But if I use it very often I'll get the right kind of glass for it.
Since clouds reduce the heat, I think I could dye in the "good" one too, on a partly sunny day. Usually you would not want to try to cook in it on a day like that, because the temperature drops every time a cloud goes by. More later, hopefully pictures too.
I became fascinated with the idea of Solar ovens recently. For cooking. Since the materials are things you probably already have and want to dispose of (cardboard boxes, etc), I started to make one.
My first one was a disappointment. It only got to around 200º. So I made another, that one was better, 250º or so. My third one was the final design for cooking and it gets over 300º on a good, clear sunny day. I started to tear apart the other 2 when it hit me, hey, that temperature was ideal for dying! I have not done so yet, but I will very soon. Cake dye is what I usually use. I have other dye, but every time I think of using it, I don't want to create a vessel that cannot ever be used for regular cooking again. I might have trouble getting pictures of the ovens in use. I recently changed my main computer over to Linux and my camera (old Sony) isn't recognized, so I might have to put it on my work computer and network it over to the play (Linux) one. My cell phone is totally unpredictable, some pics are great on it, and some are horrible and I can't seem to predict which.
Meantime, here are some solar oven links:
http://www.uberpest.com/cooker.html
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/radabaugh30.html (this is the one that finally got above 300º)
If I made any more, I'd use mylar mirror film on the reflectors, and barbeque grill paint on the interior off the cook box. (I used tempura on mine, came off on first attempt to use it.) I have a double layer (separated by 1 thickness of cardboard) of turkey cooking bag material on mine instead of glass. I've been informed that you must use strong glass or it will break from the temperature differential, so I skipped that. But if I use it very often I'll get the right kind of glass for it.
Since clouds reduce the heat, I think I could dye in the "good" one too, on a partly sunny day. Usually you would not want to try to cook in it on a day like that, because the temperature drops every time a cloud goes by. More later, hopefully pictures too.
WIDGETIZE