More Training, stoves & molds

Everyone has been hard at work. Stan has been leading the training of the promoters and updating the mixing charts. First. The mixing charts are a critical tool to making good stoves. Stan has been continuously improving the charts so the promoters don’t have to modify the recipes.

Stove #2 is fully assembled and curing.

Stove #1 is fully operational, and the wome love it ??. We modified the air damper doors with a counter balance. This really helps.

The first meal cooked on Stove #1

Stove #3 was cast over the past 2 days. Now it needs to set and cure for a few days. Our Tipizel (pumice rock) supplier finally admitted that he shorted us and is shipping the balance of the order. We originally ordered 9.1 cubic meters. Carlos first sent 91 bags (1/2) the volume. After Roberto (THP) met with Carlos he realized his error.

Rick is frantically trying to finish the wood mold boxes. This has been a challenge, as I have had to spend more time with the molding and assembly than I expected. And my nail gun broke. I then thought I fixed it, but it only lasted about 200 more nails ?. Like many things I small plastic part broke. I tried to repair it by wiring it together.

I really though this would work. My guess is that the plastic mixture is defective (poor strength). I spent a long night (up until about 2am  trying to fix it and get everything reassembled. This slows down the process some, but with the help of the promoters. We should be close to finishing up all the mold boxes by Monday.

With stove #3 curing, the promoters can help with the assembly of the mold boxes. One challenge I have is trying to figure out exactly what parts I have and what I need. There are way too many 2×2’s cut to specific lengths, and it looks like we got too many of some and not enough of others  The bummer is that we are missing a bunch of long pieces. On the up side there is a local wood cutter that can easily make them in an hour or so.

If there is a “next time” for this project (we sure hope so) I want to make the wood parts out of molded plastic. We don’t do this this time because we don’t have the funds to make make the plastic molding tools.

In a few days Stan will be overseeing the casting of stove #4, and the assembly of stove #3.

Because we have spent so much time in Chiapas, we are coming home on the 29th and will return to Mexico early next year to complete the training in Oaxaca and San Luis Potosí..