Re: BioChar Workshop November 17th and 18th - Question from Shane Burnett

[Larry James]

Shane,

(Also forwarded this on to the google group)

been busy with the holidays and stuff I let slide till after the workshop got done and haven't really had much time to commit to followup. (or a Blog Post... sigh)

haven't had time burn my stove either with all the wet weather so don't feel to bad.
I really need to get some more biochar for our spring container planting
(and 3+gal of worm tea to that needs to be mixed in)

prob try to do a real follow up after the first of the year
(think Antioch is just finishing up their semester tests and break until Jan 11th?)
I believe Smitha should have access to the workshop email list,
so hopefully get it out to everyone after that?

good idea on the Pre-Homework...
had been thinking that having a pre-homework assignment to get everyone on the same page before the workshop would be a good idea, just not pre-organized for this one.

For Fuels...
I'd stick to tried and true fuels until you get comfortable with the stove before moving on to more exotic materials.

never heard that anyone using dried leaves
(think they are high nitrogen anyway and should be used in regular compost)
you certainly would need to have some way to have airflow and extremely dry for them to burn. wood chips would be probably as far as I'd be willing to experiment (minus and fluff that could block too much airflow)

any material should be roughly a uniform size that allow good airflow.
wood pellets obviously work great,
broken up pallets work well (split the bigger pieces like 2x4)
bamboo cane is awesome (again, it it's dry)
sticks/twigs/tree cuttings packed in end up anywhere from 1/2in - 1in.
again all dry materials...

think this will work for the google group link...or at least search against it.
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!forum/biochar-farm-stove-users-group

link to my photo journal stove build workbook its here...
(still not pictures from the previous workshop merged in for a few of the final steps).
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B8bHsdJxt4vzOXRMVVE4aHNrVlk
(warning it is 124mbs)

check out the SeaChar.org website, facebook, and YouTube site
(Art has a good video on there on using the stove)

-L

P.S. and yes I believe the stove going "Viral" is the key to widespread acceptance and helping to turn the tide so to speak.

On Sat, Dec 15, 2012 at 4:13 PM, Shane Burnett <shane....@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello folks-

Just wanted to follow up on the stove-building workshop with a few thoughts.

--overall, I think the workshop was great. Each of us was able to build 2 stoves, which not only gives us 2 different sizes to work with, but also helps us to see what makes the stoves work -- an aid in coming up with additional designs.

--I felt like we were able to accomplish quite a bit despite the less-than-perfect weather.

--I think the workshop could have been even more effective if there had been more context for the stoves. I think that many of the attendees had a reasonable understanding of TLUDs, carbon-negative cooking, and biochar, but I think that others had a very incomplete picture. Perhaps a "homework" assignment before the workshop, with links to Art's videos and maybe a Powerpoint, or even just a set of links with info would have helped to ensure everyone had more context. Perhaps an online group discussion the week before the workshop for Q&A? 

--At the workshop, we were told several times that the content of the 3-ring binders we were working from was posted online and that we'd be given the link...still waiting for that link. Apologies if it's in my spam folder; I looked there and didn't see anything. Larry also mentioned the names of additional groups and resources online (a Google Group, I think?); it would be great if the follow-up email also included those links/info.

--I think someone mentioned that earlier workshops didn't include the cooktop, and that these had been included this time around to increase the functionality of the stoves and help to ensure that they wouldn't just be sitting in sheds and garages after the fact. I'm sad to report that mine is, in fact, sitting in my garage right now. Admittedly, I am on vacation at the moment, but I was only able to fire it up one time after bringing it home. I tried using dried oak leaves that I had raked from my yard. Unfortunately, I think they are not dense enough to work well in the stove. Pack the stove loosely, and there aren't enough calories -- by the time the stove gets going, the fuel is all used up. Pack the stove tightly, and there isn't enough airflow for it to burn. It was a smoky smoky smoky! So, in addition to that pre-workshop homework I mentioned above, I think it would be wise to have some post-workshop support. Something I saw somewhere in conjunction with the workshop indicated that we'd be talking about good fuels for our stove. I think I even read that we might be harvesting and using blackberry canes, which didn't make much sense for a November workshop, so maybe it was referring to a different date. Do blackberry canes work well? I should have a ready supply of these at the end of summer next year. I have done some research online, and it appears that some people make their leaves into pellets and burn them in pellet stoves. I've also seen people turn their junk mail into pellets. The 5-gallon stoves are supposed to work well on pellets, I believe -- but a pellet mill is a big investment for what's currently a hobby. A neighbor has an apple cider press -- once a year, everyone rounds up their apples and we have a massive cider pressing. It would be great to have a similar resource to turn our leaves etc into pellets. Didn't a bamboo group help sponsor the workshop? Do they have scrap bamboo available? My desire is to create a heap of biochar for my yard, for my community garden, and for the other plots at my community garden, but I need some ideas on good fuel sources to make this happen. 

--To make the biochar revolution work, this thing needs to function like a pyramid scheme -- you guys teach us, and, ideally, each of us runs our own workshops, teaching others to build their own stoves. Each of us goes out into the community and demonstrates our own stove to others. In addition, each of us should start making lots of biochar. I know that most of the people at the workshop probably won't get around to doing any of those things, but with access to the "instruction manual" pdf, links to like-minded individuals, and (ideally) some tips for scrap fuel, you'll greatly increase the odds that the "pyramid scheme" will work.

Thank you,

Shane Burnett

On Tue, Oct 2, 2012 at 10:57 AM, Jaclyn Dagger <jda...@antioch.edu> wrote:

Hi Shane,

Thanks for your e-mail.  

The workshop is 2-days on Nov. 17th and 18th.  Although the event is both days, we will be building most of the dome stove on Saturday when we have access to a generator.  The stove will be fully functioning, and we will actually take some time to burn them out.  The part you will miss on Sunday is building the cook top and airbase bottom for the stoves we build on Saturday.  We will also be demonstrating and building smaller tin can stoves on Saturday. 

I have cc'd some of the other workshop organizers on this e-mail.  Larry, could you chime in and elaborate on what Shane will miss by just coming on Saturday? 

Best wishes,

Jackie Dagger

Morethanna Farm Graduate Assistant 

On Fri, Sep 28, 2012 at 11:02 AM, Shane Burnett <donot...@eventbrite.com> wrote:

Shane Burnett <shane....@gmail.com> has a question for you about your event.

Greetings! Is this a 1-day or 2-day event? From the description, it appears that it's a 2-day affair, but the registration is for one day or the other. Could you clarify? For me, 1 day is ideal, because I work on Sundays, and I love the idea of being able to build a stove in 1 day...but I don't think that's how you guys operate.
Thanks,
Shane

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