Hi Y'all,
I'm sure you've all seen the cardboard box dehydrator (if not, try http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/dehydratorstryder.htm). Well, I had an old Ikea bookcase that was destined for the tip as it had collapsed a bit, so I thought I'd have a go at making something equally cheap but a little more permanent - so here is my dehydrator for £5.77 (for 2 batten light fittings and a switch - everything else I had lying around.)
The door is held in place by 3 L-shaped brackets, so can be slid up a little to let the air in, and lifted a few more inches to take off completely to the left. The lid is under 4 similar brackets, so can also be slid back a little to allow the air out and regulate temperature.
Inside is lined with foil (held in place with good old gaffer tape), and a sloping foil "baffle" encourages the warm air to the back as well as shielding the produce trays from getting too hot from direct infra-red heating.
There are copper wires threaded back and forth through small holes to form supports for the foil trays I am drying things on.
Initially I only had a partial foil lining, but the un-lined parts were getting a bit warm to the touch outside, so I extended the lining throughout to reduce heat loss.
So here are some results - dried pears and kiwi.
"Urban bushcraft" in the sense that this is found materials to make something useful, and every time I go to the supermarket I look for going-out-of-date fruit to buy and dry at bargain prices. So far I've done apples (rings and leather), pears, and kiwis. All excellent as I love dried fruit. The kiwi particularly surprises people as it is tangy and delicious.
I'm currently thinking of adding an old computer fan in the bottom to increase air flow - another interesting (and free) experiment.
Amazing what fun you can have with two 100W lightbulbs. I'll try to bring some samples to the North West meet on Saturday - providing there are any left after my 3 year old has had "More apple Daddy!"
Now - I think I have some overripe bananas to slice up...
Ben
I'm sure you've all seen the cardboard box dehydrator (if not, try http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/dehydratorstryder.htm). Well, I had an old Ikea bookcase that was destined for the tip as it had collapsed a bit, so I thought I'd have a go at making something equally cheap but a little more permanent - so here is my dehydrator for £5.77 (for 2 batten light fittings and a switch - everything else I had lying around.)
The door is held in place by 3 L-shaped brackets, so can be slid up a little to let the air in, and lifted a few more inches to take off completely to the left. The lid is under 4 similar brackets, so can also be slid back a little to allow the air out and regulate temperature.
Inside is lined with foil (held in place with good old gaffer tape), and a sloping foil "baffle" encourages the warm air to the back as well as shielding the produce trays from getting too hot from direct infra-red heating.
There are copper wires threaded back and forth through small holes to form supports for the foil trays I am drying things on.
Initially I only had a partial foil lining, but the un-lined parts were getting a bit warm to the touch outside, so I extended the lining throughout to reduce heat loss.
So here are some results - dried pears and kiwi.
"Urban bushcraft" in the sense that this is found materials to make something useful, and every time I go to the supermarket I look for going-out-of-date fruit to buy and dry at bargain prices. So far I've done apples (rings and leather), pears, and kiwis. All excellent as I love dried fruit. The kiwi particularly surprises people as it is tangy and delicious.
I'm currently thinking of adding an old computer fan in the bottom to increase air flow - another interesting (and free) experiment.
Amazing what fun you can have with two 100W lightbulbs. I'll try to bring some samples to the North West meet on Saturday - providing there are any left after my 3 year old has had "More apple Daddy!"
Now - I think I have some overripe bananas to slice up...
Ben
