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I need advice on choosing material for a stove.

Sergey Ukraine

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I am planning to build a flue-curing kiln. It is still in the development stage. I am interested in choosing the material for the inner lining of the chamber, i.e., the material that will be in direct contact with the hot and humid air in the chamber. I also plan to use this chamber for kilning (>122°F to 128°F for 1 to 2 months, with humidity). I read your posts about ovens, but nowhere did I see any mention of what material was used. Perhaps the translator distorted the meaning of the sentence and I misunderstood. I would appreciate your advice!
 

deluxestogie

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Both @Knucklehead's "exoskeletal" kiln and my "endoskeletal" kiln use wood for the framework, and 2-inch thick XPS foam board (extruded poly-styrene) for the wall structure. (Both are linked in our Index of Key Forum Threads.) That structure seems to be durable during both kilning and flue-curing temperatures and humidity.

Bob
 

Sergey Ukraine

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Both @Knucklehead's "exoskeletal" kiln and my "endoskeletal" kiln use wood for the framework, and 2-inch thick XPS foam board (extruded poly-styrene) for the wall structure. (Both are linked in our Index of Key Forum Threads.) That structure seems to be durable during both kilning and flue-curing temperatures and humidity.

Bob
So, XPS foam board (extruded polystyrene) isn't covered with anything else? It doesn't give off any smell when heated?
 

deluxestogie

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Correct. And I sealed the seams with Tyvek tape (which is not made of Tyvek, but is used to seal seams in sheets of Tyvek used in housing construction).

Before placing tobacco into the kiln, I brought it up to temperature for a couple of days, to outgas the materials, but really smelled nothing coming from it.

Bob
 

The Haroo ln

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I also use a big larder fridge to ferment my tobacco, but I'm more than sure that if you add some sort of ventilation to it, it can be used to flue cure. If you are going down the fridge route I would probably recommend a freezer as it would hold the temp for longer. The heat source wouldn't have to come on as often this way due to the insulation it already has
 

Sergey Ukraine

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I also use a big larder fridge to ferment my tobacco, but I'm more than sure that if you add some sort of ventilation to it, it can be used to flue cure. If you are going down the fridge route I would probably recommend a freezer as it would hold the temp for longer. The heat source wouldn't have to come on as often this way due to the insulation it already has
I will build the oven entirely by myself, without using ready-made chambers or refrigerators.
 

Knucklehead

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I will build the oven entirely by myself, without using ready-made chambers or refrigerators.
The 1x4 frame and polystyrene makes for a really lightweight unit with wheel castors. I used a bathroom exhaust fan (rated for humid areas) controlled by a ceiling fan controller for speed contol. A light dimmer is not rated to pull a fan and can be a fire hazard. I use a crock pot for heat and humidity with a temperature controller. A foam door seal helps to retain heat.
 

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Sergey Ukraine

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@Sergey Ukraine - If interested, I can write a more detailed post of my custom kiln build that can be seen here with a short setup description: https://fairtradetobacco.com/thread...ny-advice-for-the-next-run.13273/#post-227684. Most of the ideas in my the kiln build are from FTT, so if you have read all the key threads about kiln builds, all info is available in those threads - a bit scattered though. I have been using my kiln for 2 months now and it has worked like a charm.
Thank you. I have already come up with the design itself; all that remains is to choose the material and work out the finer details.
 
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