How to Make a Solar Box Cooker

Basic Design
The basic design for our cooker includes 2 boxes of different sizes, a lid piece, a black oven liner, reflective material (foil,)
insulation and a glass lens (or a clear oven bag.)
Gather the following materials:
1 roll of foil to cover the interior of the oven
1 box cutter or breakaway knife
Non-toxic glue, such as Elmer's school glue
1 large clear oven bag
Aluminum foil tape (available at hardware stores)
Pen or pencil
Straight edge
2 boxes (one large, one smaller)
Third box or large piece of cardboard for a lid
String or yarn
Small bowl
Water
Sponge or paintbrush
Crumpled newspaper or shredded paper for insulation
Hole punch or stapler to attach string
Scissors
Step 1: Select and Prepare Your Boxes
Select two boxes that will become the body of your solar oven. These boxes do not need to be brand new. Recycled
moving or shipping boxes make great ovens. The boxes can be square or rectangular, as long as they are similar in shape.
You will need a small box, approximately 14"-16" in length and depth, which will be the inner box of your oven. It should
be large enough to hold the pots in which you would like to cook, but not so large that it will take a long time to heat up.
Tape the bottom of the small box closed.
You will also need a larger box, approximately 18"-20" in length and depth, which will become the exterior of your oven.
Fold the top flaps down and tape them securely closed. Do not close the bottom flaps at this point.
Additionally, a third box or a large piece of cardboard is necessary to form a lid. It should be several inches larger than
the open end of your large box, so that the lid can fit over the top of the large box.
At this point, you can spray paint the large box and the cardboard with black paint. Or, you can wait until the project is
complete to paint the exterior. Choose a flat, non-toxic paint for this project. Most water-based paints are non-toxic
once they dry.
Step 2: Cut a Window Opening in the Large Box
Center the small box on top of the taped end of the large box, and draw a line around it.

Cut along this line to form a hole in the top of the large box that is the
same size as the small box. Be sure to cut through both the outer and
inner flaps.
There will be a small rim remaining. Tape the remnants of the inner flap
to the outer flap . Use your hands to press on the tape and stick it firmly
to the box.
Save the pieces that you cut out for a drip pan and extra foil panels.
Instructions for making these items will be explained in Step 4.
Step 3: Create a Lid
If you are using a box
instead of a sheet of
cardboard to make the lid, open the box at the seams and lay it flat. If
this piece of cardboard is much larger than your lid needs to be, place
the large box on top of the cardboard and use a straight edge to draw a
line around the box, about 3 inches from each of the edges of the box.
You now have a square or rectangle drawn on the cardboard that is 6
inches longer and 6 inches wider than the large box. This will allow your
lid to have a lip that extends over the edge of the box.
Cut along the lines that you drew. This is your new lid piece.
Center the large box on the lid piece and trace around it with a dashed
line. These will be fold lines. Extend the lines out to the edges of the lid
piece. Hint: When drawing this line, make sure that your pencil stays
outside of the perimeter of the box and is not drawing under the edge
of the box, or your lid will be too small.
Center the small box between the fold lines that you just drew. Draw
around the box, using solid lines on three of the edges, and a dashed
line on one of the longer edges. Cut along the three solid lines using a knife. Fold the resulting flap upwards on the
dashed line. You now have a reflector flap and a window frame.
With the lid upside down, make one small cut at each of the corners, just to the first fold lines. Make your cuts parallel
to each other. Score all fold lines with the tip of your knife, cutting only through the top layer of the cardboard. Fold the
edges upwards along the scored lines.
Overlap and glue the corners, and hold with tape or clothespins until the glue is dry.
Step 4: Line the Interior of the Box with Aluminum Foil
Prepare your adhesive by placing 1 part water to 3 parts glue in a bowl and mixing well. This is not an exact recipe, so
adjust the amounts as you please. White glue spreads much more easily onto the foil when it is thinned with water, and
the water also allows you more time to adjust the foil before the glue dries. Reserve some full-strength glue for later
applications.
Cut sheets of foil or pull several pre-cut sheets out of the box. Using a brush or a sponge, spread glue on the back (dull)
side of one piece of aluminum foil, and apply it to the interior of one of the boxes with the shiny side facing outwards.
Repeat this process until the interior of both boxes is completely covered with overlapping sheets of foil. Be certain to
cover the box seams with foil as well, to seal up any areas where air and heat can escape the box.

To conserve glue and time, you do not need to completely cover the back of the foil with glue. Instead, paint the glue
around the edges, like a picture frame, and also a large 'X' in the middle of the foil. The edges are the most important
area of the foil to cover with glue so that the foil does not peel up or get torn with use. Keep in mind that the interior of
the large box will not show nor be subject to wear and tear, so it will not need as much attention to detail as the smaller
box will require.
Make certain that all of the edges of the foil in the smaller box are flat and glued
securely so that the foil does not get torn with use. To reinforce the interior of
the box, you can secure the aluminum foil edges with clear packing tape or foil
tape.
Use the aluminum foil to cover the reserved pieces of cardboard that you cut
out of the large box when making the window. The largest piece will serve as a
drip pan in the bottom of your solar oven. If necessary, cut the piece so that it
will fit inside the bottom of the small box. If you do not have a large enough
piece to cover the bottom of the small box, cut one out of the excess cardboard
from the lid piece, or join a couple of the smaller pieces together with tape to
form one larger piece. The smaller pieces will be used as insulation for the oven
in Step 6.
The last item to cover with foil is the lid flap. Line the bottom side of the flap with foil (the side that faces downwards
into the oven.) This flap will serve as a reflector to direct more sunlight into your oven.
Step 5: Trim the Flaps of the Small Box
Trim off the lid flaps of the small box to 1 inch. These flaps will be used to connect the
small box to the large box, so do not cut them off any smaller than an inch.
Step 6: Join the Boxes
Turn the large (outer) box so the window opening is facing downwards. Spread
glue inside the window rim.
Turn the small (inner) box upside down, lowering it into the larger box, onto the
glue. Make certain that it is centered so that the window of the large outer box
is directly over the opening of the small inner box. Press the small box flaps
firmly against the edges of the rim around the window opening to join the two
boxes. Press down on the small box or place a weight on it to hold it down
firmly until the glue dries.
Place the small pieces of foil-covered cardboard into the empty spaces between
the boxes, and then fill the spaces with shredded or crumpled paper. Do not
pack the paper tightly in the sides of the box, as the air in the spaces will serve
as a thermal barrier.
Place several pieces of tightly crumpled paper on the bottom of the small box to support the
weight of the food that will be placed into it. Close the box and tape it securely shut.
Step 7: Secure the Boxes with Foil Tape
Turn the oven right-side-up. Use aluminum foil tape to secure the connection between the
smaller and larger boxes. Pay special attention to any gaps, especially in the corners, sealing
them up completely with the tape.

Note: do not substitute duct tape for the foil tape. Duct tape will peel away from the boxes in high temperatures. Foil
tape is made to withstand temperature extremes, and it will hold securely when the oven heats up.
Step 8: Attach the Oven Bag to the Window
Turn the lid upside-down and use foil tape to secure the oven bag in place, covering
the window opening. Use a large or turkey size bag, without opening it up. This
makes a double layer of plastic. As the oven heats up in the sun, the air between
the two layers will expand, forming a thermal layer that helps to prevent heat from
escaping from the box through the window.
When using this method, it is important to first tape the open end of the bag
closed, and then tape all the way around the edges of the bag to secure it to the lid.
Press the tape down firmly, smoothing out any wrinkles. This stops water vapor
from entering the bag and condensing, forming a film on the bag that will hinder
sunlight from entering the oven.
Alternately, you can cut the bag open to form a single, flat sheet to cover the oven window. Whether you use a doublelayer or single-layer window, pull the bag tight to remove as many wrinkles as possible. Over time, the bag will
deteriorate, and will need to be replaced occasionally.
Clear plastic sheeting or window glass can be substituted for the oven bags. However, do not use any material that has
been treated with UV protectant, or it will prevent the sunlight from entering the box. For this reason, archival quality
glass or plastic are NOT recommended for this project.
Step 9: Attach Hooks to Hold the Reflector Flap Open
Cut two pieces of scrap cardboard, approximate 3 inches each in length to form two hooks.
Fold each piece in half, and place a thick dot of glue on the fold. Attach the pieces of
cardboard to the back of the oven, one on each side, parallel to the edges of the reflector flap.
Cut two 18" lengths of string and place a knot in each end. Staple one end of each string to the
edges of the reflector flap, using two or three staples each for a secure attachment.
When the cardboard hooks have dried thoroughly, lift the reflector flap and wrap the ends of the strings around the
hooks to hold the flap open.
Step 9: Paint the oven Exterior and Drip Pan
If you have not already done so, paint the exterior of your oven, using a non-toxic, flat
black spray paint. Be careful when painting the lid not to get any paint on the oven bag.
Paint the cardboard drip pan black, as well. Place the drip pan inside the oven, lying flat
on the bottom of the small box.
Place your oven outside, facing toward the sun with the reflector flap propped open.
Leave the oven in the sun for several hours to thoroughly dry the glue and dissipate any
paint fumes.
Your oven is complete!
Photo credit: All drawings are the property of SolarCooking.org