Never been much of a baker on the trail, but thought tinkering with a reflector oven would be a fun project. Just didn't want something too big and I have limited experience working with metal. I think RedOleary posted a great youtube video a while back of his homemade reflector based on the Svante Freden design but made from aluminum flashing. I was planning on going that route until stumbling on another design found on the BushcraftUSA forums. A post by Operater6 (link here - member login required) showed his concept of making a mini reflector oven from a large aluminum tray available at the dollar store. One of those large liner trays to fit the bottom of a conventional electric oven at home. With a few cuts and folds, he ended up with a pretty functional reflector to bake biscuits on the trail. If you're not a member on those forums, here are some shots of his "2 Dollar Reflector Oven" ...
Photo Credit: Operator 6 - Bushcraftusa Forums
Photo Credit: Operator 6 - Bushcraftusa Forums
Photo Credit: Operator 6 - Bushcraftusa Forums
Photo Credit: Operator 6 - Bushcraftusa Forums
He very generously provided plans for others to try and replicate his smart little invention...
Folding Oven Plans
Photo Credit: Operator 6 - Bushcraftusa Forums
Instead of using the aluminum oven trays however, I ended up using something else that was found a few weeks back on garbage day. Someone in the neighbourhood was throwing away what looked like roll of aluminum. Thought is was some sort of construction material but it turns out it was a camping accessory called the BakGlo Campfire Chair Warmer. Here are some graphics from the company website:
This one was well used and dirty with tree resin and other junk, but a quick cleanup and polish made it good to go. As soon as I saw it, it seemed perfect for this project. Some masking tape was laid out to form the pattern since pencil marks didn't show up well on the shiny surface. Given that there was more material to work with than a dollar store aluminum tray, I deviated from Operator6's original measurements a bit. Top to bottom was 21" long (20" + 1/2" folded edge on each end).
At this point, I folded along the appropriate lines according to the plans (while keeping the tape on temporarily). Essentially, you fold the top half toward you with the triangular wings inward. The bottom wings are folded toward the back to form the "legs" of the oven. Here's a photo when it's partially folded up, but still collapsed to give the idea.
The plans call for two tabs to be inserted into slots on the sides in order to secure the shape. I cut these only after folding up. Good thing because they were off from the original plan given my deviation. The slits aren't visible in the photo but here are the tabs bent and partially inserted:
At this point the whole thing was still a bit wobbily but found that by folding the tails on the bottom piece inward 90 degrees stiffened things up.
A leather punch was then used to poke 2 holes on either side. The original design called for 3 holes with 9" skewers to serve as the baking shelf. For mine, I used a 24" piece of 1/8 steel rod bent into a long U shape and stuck into the holes. Once inserted across the oven it added a lot of rigidity as well. The plan is to use the 6" aluminum lid of my Mini Trangia cookset as the actual baking tray. Don't have that cookset with me in the city, but managed to find another 6" steel pot lid as a substitute for the photo. Here's a shot of the reflector stove all rigged up...
It folds down to a neatly formed into a 10"x10" package. The triangular wings have a tendancy to pop up, so they're placed on the bottom and then the whole slipped into a folded cardboard envelope.
The cardboard might be a bit overkill, but it could always be used to start a roaring fire and made again when needed. Hoping reflector oven users will keep posting their tasty recipes on the site.
Photo Credit: Operator 6 - Bushcraftusa Forums
Photo Credit: Operator 6 - Bushcraftusa Forums
Photo Credit: Operator 6 - Bushcraftusa Forums
Photo Credit: Operator 6 - Bushcraftusa Forums
He very generously provided plans for others to try and replicate his smart little invention...
Folding Oven Plans
Photo Credit: Operator 6 - Bushcraftusa Forums
Instead of using the aluminum oven trays however, I ended up using something else that was found a few weeks back on garbage day. Someone in the neighbourhood was throwing away what looked like roll of aluminum. Thought is was some sort of construction material but it turns out it was a camping accessory called the BakGlo Campfire Chair Warmer. Here are some graphics from the company website:
This one was well used and dirty with tree resin and other junk, but a quick cleanup and polish made it good to go. As soon as I saw it, it seemed perfect for this project. Some masking tape was laid out to form the pattern since pencil marks didn't show up well on the shiny surface. Given that there was more material to work with than a dollar store aluminum tray, I deviated from Operator6's original measurements a bit. Top to bottom was 21" long (20" + 1/2" folded edge on each end).
At this point, I folded along the appropriate lines according to the plans (while keeping the tape on temporarily). Essentially, you fold the top half toward you with the triangular wings inward. The bottom wings are folded toward the back to form the "legs" of the oven. Here's a photo when it's partially folded up, but still collapsed to give the idea.
The plans call for two tabs to be inserted into slots on the sides in order to secure the shape. I cut these only after folding up. Good thing because they were off from the original plan given my deviation. The slits aren't visible in the photo but here are the tabs bent and partially inserted:
At this point the whole thing was still a bit wobbily but found that by folding the tails on the bottom piece inward 90 degrees stiffened things up.
A leather punch was then used to poke 2 holes on either side. The original design called for 3 holes with 9" skewers to serve as the baking shelf. For mine, I used a 24" piece of 1/8 steel rod bent into a long U shape and stuck into the holes. Once inserted across the oven it added a lot of rigidity as well. The plan is to use the 6" aluminum lid of my Mini Trangia cookset as the actual baking tray. Don't have that cookset with me in the city, but managed to find another 6" steel pot lid as a substitute for the photo. Here's a shot of the reflector stove all rigged up...
It folds down to a neatly formed into a 10"x10" package. The triangular wings have a tendancy to pop up, so they're placed on the bottom and then the whole slipped into a folded cardboard envelope.
The cardboard might be a bit overkill, but it could always be used to start a roaring fire and made again when needed. Hoping reflector oven users will keep posting their tasty recipes on the site.
