The cauldron is a spherical cast thick-walled metal cauldron designed for cooking. The spherical shape of the bottom is needed so that when placed in the hearth, the flame evenly heats the entire surface. At the same time, the contents inside such dishes heats up quickly and stays hot longer. For cooking in a cauldron, a stationary hearth or a portable metal oven is required.
Design features
Unlike a pan with a flat bottom, which heats up unevenly, the cauldron distributes heat over its surface. However, this effect can be obtained when the flame of the fire covers most of its outer surface. This cannot be achieved using a flat stand or a tripod installed over the fire; a special hearth or stove must be made.
It is better to build a stationary brick structure, but if this is not necessary, you can get by with a simple structure made from an ordinary gas cylinder. There are also more complex home-made structures that are built from car rims or a steel pipe with a diameter of at least 250 mm and a wall thickness of 3-5 mm. However, they all turn out to be cumbersome and not very convenient to use.
Advantages of a gas cylinder oven
It is practically impossible to manufacture a metal furnace without welded seams, which are rapidly destroyed during operation under the influence of external climatic factors and heating of the walls to a high temperature. Therefore, for such structures, empty gas cylinders are most often used, which have suitable geometric dimensions and are almost a ready-made container for the furnace. After a little refinement, the gas cylinder becomes an ideal stove for cooking in a cauldron. With certain skills, such a furnace is made in an hour.
A self-made stove for a cauldron from a gas cylinder has a number of advantages:
- guarantees a snug fit and even distribution of heat (heat) along the walls of the cauldron;
- ensures complete combustion of wood and the most efficient use of heat;
- allows you to easily move the product from place to place.
Making a stove under a cauldron does not require practically any financial costs - only a gas cylinder is needed, and the summer resident will find everything else in his own workshop.
When choosing a gas cylinder for a furnace, they are guided by 2 parameters: volume and diameter. It should be borne in mind that part of the volume will be occupied by the blower (ash pan) of the stove and the bottom of the cauldron itself. Of the entire model range of cylinders (5-50 l), the most suitable is a cylinder with a capacity of 50 l. In it, you can equip a large-sized firebox and a convenient ash pan.
Consumables, oven fittings and tools
To make a stove for a cauldron you will need:
- old gas cylinder 50 l;
- pipe with a diameter of 100-150 mm;
- steel sheet - 0.5 m²;
- steel corners - 4 pcs.;
- door hinges;
- grate;
- furnace door;
- ash pan door.
From the tool you may need:
- welding machine with electrodes;
- grinder with a set of cutting and grinding wheels;
- electric drill with a set of drills;
- a set of locksmith tools (hammer, chisel, pliers, etc.)
- stiff brush with steel bristles;
- roulette;
- marker.
Dross and sparks flying in different directions when welding and cutting metal can damage the retina of the eye and / or the skin of the worker. Therefore, before starting work, you need to prepare a set of protective equipment:
- welding mask;
- protective glasses;
- closed shoes;
- a suit made of dense fabric;
- gloves.
Working with hand-held power tools requires compliance with the safety rules set out in the relevant labor protection instructions.
Making a stove with your own hands
To make a stove for a cauldron from a gas cylinder with your own hands, several mandatory operations are performed.
Balloon preparation
It is necessary to release the remaining gas from the container. The valve is opened and the balloon is kept in this state in the air for several days. Then turn the tap completely out and pour out all the contents from the container. A similar result can be obtained if you rinse the balloon several times with warm water.
Trimming the cylinder to size
After filling the cylinder with water and turning the tap all the way down, start cutting. It is necessary to carefully, preferably along the welded seams, cut off the upper and lower parts, thus obtaining a blank for the oven with a height of at least 45 cm.If the cuts are uneven, the most even of them is trimmed with a grinding wheel and make it the top of the stove.
Then they try on the cauldron: if it fits into the cylinder by 2/3, this part of the work can be considered completed. If the cauldron has a larger volume, vertical cuts are made to a depth of 5 cm with a grinder every 7-15 cm along the upper edge. If necessary, they are bent so that the cauldron goes inside by 2/3 of its diameter.
Flushing
It is necessary to thoroughly rinse the inner surface of the resulting workpiece several times, first with an aqueous solution of bleach, and then with a soda solution. This will get rid of unpleasant odors.
After the inner surface of the workpiece is dry, they begin to perform locksmith and welding work: installing a chimney, doors, accessories. Next, the stove is ignited, thus eliminating the remnants of unpleasant odors, and at the same time checking the tightness of the chimney and installed doors.
It doesn't hurt to paint the outside of the stove with black paint if it's rusty. Even after some of the paint has burned off, the stove will look neater.
How to improve the oven under the cauldron
It is easy to turn the stove under the cauldron into a universal hearth. For this, a special cast iron plate with removable rings is purchased.
The maximum hole diameter of the plate with the rings removed must correspond to the dimensions of the cauldron. The best option - the stove ring covers the cauldron under the very handles.
When purchasing a stove, pay attention to the presence of a central plug. This part is needed when the stove is used to heat a room. This plug will prevent smoke from spreading and will not disrupt the draft.
To increase fire safety, it is recommended to equip the stove chimney with a spark arrestor. It can be made from an ordinary tin can with a large number of holes that can be made with a nail.
How to use the oven correctly
When operating the furnace, certain rules must be observed:
- The furnace should be installed on a thick sheet of metal, which will provide additional fire safety for a structure heated to a high temperature.
- Limit the access of children and animals to the heated hearth.
- Do not place the oven near flammable objects.
- To avoid condensation on internal surfaces, use only dry wood.
- Do not use the oven to incinerate construction and household waste.
It is strictly forbidden to pour liquid petroleum products into such a furnace. Only solid fuels can be used.
