About

The mission of Paul’s Rocket Stoves is to facilitate engagement with contained fire that inspires primal connection with nature and community.

Paul’s Rocket Stoves are handmade outdoor cooking appliances that run on renewable bio-fuel such as wood-sticks.

As the fuel burns inside the contained and insulated combustion chamber, heat naturally updrafts into the mouth, through the combustion chamber, up, and out the chimney: to provide substantial heat.

This burning is enclosed, thus making these stoves safe, rather than an “open burning” fire which is often banned from use in many urban areas. Because these stoves are composed of a high percentage of perlite, a material with great insulation quality, virtually all of the heat is channeled up the chimney and available for cooking or heating – in a safe, fun, and unique manner.

Based in Fredonia, NY, this business designs, builds, demonstrates and sells custom handmade products to provide everyone with a means to experience the unique joy and sustainability of cooking and heating outside using bio-fuel such as wood-sticks as fuel within efficient, handmade, customized rocket-stoves, and is constantly improving the functionality and aesthetics of these stoves: for a better world.

VALUES:

• Environmental Sustainability, for us and future generations
  (Using Bio-Fuel such as Wood-Sticks that are a Renewable Resource, and providing a means for people to have an enclosed fire safely even in the city – to promote fire safety)
• Improvement of Human Happiness, for everyone
  (Offering a new and fulfilling way to cook food and achieve a sense of “primal” accomplishment)
• Functionality and Aesthetics
  (Although Form follows Function, both are important. Art brings meaning into life, and Practical and Efficient Function sustains life.)

‘3 SIMPLE STEPS’

1. Place the rocket-stove in a safe area and collect some sticks.

2. Insert sticks in the mouth of the stove, perhaps with some newspaper, and ignite.

3. Use the heat that rises up & out the chimney to cook.

HOW DOES IT WORK SO WELL? 

The rocket stove is made with perlite which is a great material for insulation. The combustion is completely internal, virtually all the heat produced is contained in the stove and naturally updrafts out the top of the stove; where you can cook food in about the same amount of time, or in some cases faster than you would on a standard grill or stove.

DEFINITION ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA

“A rocket stove is an efficient and hot burning, portable stove using small diameter wood fuel. Fuel is burned in a simple combustion chamber containing an insulated vertical chimney, which ensures almost complete combustion prior to the flames’ reaching the cooking surface. Rocket stoves are most often used for portable stoves for cooking but the design is also used to make rocket mass heaters for heating. In field tests in India, rocket stoves used 18 to 35 per cent less fuel compared to the traditional stoves and reduced fuel used 39-47 per cent compared to the three stone fire, as well as a large reduction in emissions.”

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Place rocket stove outside, on flat ground, away from anything easily flammable, where there is no roof above and nothing you want to remain clean of possible ashes and soot.

2.  Have at least a quart of water available, in case you need to extinguish the fire immediately.

3.  Take dry newspaper or the like and crinkle it into a few small balls. Place paper balls in the mouth of the rocket stove (on the side), allowing the balls to expand outside of the mouth but not completely clogging the hole, so to still allow air to circulate.

4.  Place dry twigs (1/16 to ½ an inch in diameter) into the mouth of the rocket stove, laying them on the balls of paper, not completely clogging the mouth but leaving space for air to circulate.

5.  Using matches or lighter, ignite the balls of paper and allow time for the flame to ignite the twigs in the rocket stove.

6.  After the twigs have ignited, place dry sticks and small dry logs (1/2 an inch to 2 inches), keeping space for air in the mouth of the rocket stove. Allow time for these sticks to ignite and as they burn, feed them deeper into the mouth of the stove by gently pushing them in.

7.  Once the paper has completely com-busted, the amount of smoke should decrease to very little smoke and as the sticks com-bust – the flame should travel up the chimney of the rocket stove. At this point, place cookware and food on top of or above the rocket stove, centering with the chimney – keeping space around the opening of the chimney (top) for the exhaust of hot air to flow out. (Using small objects that won’t melt or ignite in high heat, such as small metamorphic rocks [avoid using sedimentary rocks, such as shale with possible air and/or water within the rock that may expand in heat and explode])

8.  As you are cooking, maintain the heat level of the fire by allowing the wood in the burning chamber to burn off – which decreases heat, or adding more dry sticks and/or logs – which increases heat.

9.  Once you are finished cooking, you may allow the burning wood reaming in the burning chamber to com-bust completely – the fire will dissipate on its own. But, if you wish to extinguish manually, you may do so by pouring water or baking soda over the flame.

10  You can leave the stove outside, as it is safer to leave outdoors, because of potential fire hazards posed indoors.  The stove is built for outdoor use – it can endure harsh weather and climate conditions for many years.

SPECIFICATIONS
(These specifications may vary from each stove. These specifications on based on the Bare Rocket Stove model)

Size: About the size and shape of a 5 gallon bucket. Product Height: 16 (in.), Product Width: 12 (in.)
Weight: Approx 30 (lbs.)
Material: Perlite and Portland Cement.
Perlite is a form of obsidian characterized by spherlulites formed by cracking of the volcanic glass during cooling, used as insulation or in plant growth media.
Portland Cement is manufactured from limestone and clay and hardens under water.