Make:

I loved these things as a kid, though you need a nice big mirror. Only managed to cook a marshmallow or slice of hot dog at a time with kitchen sized stainless steel bowls..

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I looked in to making one of these about a year ago using the framework of the old large sattelite antennas that you can find if you look hard enough. My problem was finding "bendable" mirror material. From this article, I still can't figure out what material they are using.

Any ideas?

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These things are nice and all but they can be very dangerous. They can burn and blind people that are not familiar with there use. A much safer option would be a solar oven. Solar ovens don't work as fast, but can be made for super cheap (some as low as a dollar or two) and you can't burn your food with them. I have found that if you put your food out in the morning, when you come home its hot and ready to eat. Its nice to have a hot meal waiting for me when I get home.

You can find info about them at
solar cooking
and
How to make your own.
and lots of other places.

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I bought one of these giant (31" x 40") fresnel lenses last year for $39 on sale.

http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G13994

Melts asphalt, causes the sidewalk to superheat and explode, and turns a zinc penny into a molten blob in seconds! The possibilities for destruction (of your retinas) are nearly endless with a toy like this. :)

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These could prove to be a key part of the solution to the world's energy needs and an antidote to global warming. There is much (but not enough) research ongoing- try googling "solar dish engine" or "solar powered stirling engine" - or even "solar water splitting". Allegedly an array of these machines in an area 100Km square in, say, the Nevada desert, would provide more than enough electricity to power the entire United States! As I live in the UK my design is more modest (not enough sunshine!), but I intend to build a portable version that can generate several kilowatts. Thus I would be very interested in sources for mirror materials (satellite dishes, mirror tiles, etc.
Thankyou

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