I tried to compose the description of this sauna when I posted the one on my reply to the shower and my computer decided it was time to crash.
I got this idea for a sauna back when I took a Colorado Outward Bound Course in the San Juan Range of Aug. 1973.
One of the men in our patrol knew how to construct a camp sauna by using one of the plastic tarps we used for shelter.
We lit a campfire and hunted for rocks to heat up in the fire ( make sure they are non porous rocks formed by volcanic action or your campsite will turn into a battle ground of rock chips flying at bullet speed ). We also dug a pit in the ground and erected the tarp into a tent over the pit.
When we heated up the rocks we placed them into the pit. The person taking the sauna carried a kettle full of water into the lodge and poured the water onto the rocks. This created enough steam to last about ten minutes and the a quick run and jump into an ice cold mountain stream.
The term sauna came from Finland (in Finnish pronounced souna). They would ( And I understand they still do) go as a family into the sauna naked and after ten minutes or so run out and jump into the snow banks outside. In their sauna the building would be multi-purpose one room would be the sauna and the other room would have food such as fish hanging to dry. They also used the same building for their small livestock.
In the center of the building was a platform with rocks piled on top and a fire beneath it constantly going.
A good example of this is at a living hiostory museum where I worked for a couple of summers as a Costumed Interpretter. The sauna is at the Ketola Farm in the Finnish section.
While the Finnish were using the sauna for centuries far accross the sea many Indian people used the sweat lodge to clean out hte impurities out of their blood. They went inside the sweat lodge with a hot rock fire inside and plenty of water for drinking and for steam. They would go in their for three days to fast and pray. Them they would come out and get drenched with water.
I am not 100% certain on these stories anybody that wants to correct me on my accuracy please, feel free to do so ( Gently please).
In Gods Service
Randall A Hermanson
Pioneer Commander
FCF1998
OP#1 Woodstock Il
Mark W Jones wrote:
Do you have a plan or a source for one? Lots of trial and error time in
this project. Good tips and ideas.Thanks
Mark Jones
On Sat, 22 Apr 2000 22:11:23 -0500 [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Dear Mark:
> I was thinking of setting up a shower at Pow Wow this year also.
> you may have to sacrifice a bucket by punching or drilling holes in
> the
> bottom of it.
> To heat the water, you could purchase some solar fiberglass to put
> on top of
> a water tank. To be effective this tank needs to be shallow, like 3"
> deep or
> so. The solar sheet should be pointing to a near 90 degree angle to
> the noon
> sun. The angle related to earth will not be as steep in Missouri as
> it will
> in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. Be sure to seal it so
> it doesn't
> leak. You will need a reservoir of unheated water to back it up.
> First ones
> in get a warm shower.
> You may want to heat water using a propane burner, maybe put a tank
> on a
> propane grill.
> In the Illinois National Guard the rear mess areas had immersion
> burners that
> heated a garbage can full of water to wash and sanitize mess kits.
> Keep the
> kids away from them, only qualified adults should service immersion
> burners.
> Keep a roaring fire going under a tank of water, maybe even use
> charcoal or
> fossilized coal that blacksmiths use.
> Make three or four tanks 6" dia.. by 48". Keep them over the fire
> and have a
> pressure relief valve on them so they don't explode. Then pipe the
> water to
> the bucket.
> When I demonstrate making Shaker Boxes at rendezvous I have a 6" x
> 6" x 48"
> open boiler made out of copper sheeting for roofs. Braze the joints
> together.
>
> Have a rope that can be pulled and has a spring to return on it to
> close off
> the valve. It would be similar to the gravity fed toilets in the
> early part
> of last century.
> " Press the button pull the chain there goes ................
> down the
> drain".
> Have a wooden skid they can stand on so they won't have to wash
> their feet
> after a fresh shower.
> Here's how it works. When the rope is pulled it activates a spring
> controlled
> valve that shuts off only after a certain amount of water has passed
> through
> a pipe, enough to fill a two gallon bucket. the water immediately
> starts to
> trickle out of the bucket. Get lathered up first and no Hollywood
> showers.
> One pull on the rope and that's all they get.
> Coming up: a post on how to construct a sauna tent.
>
> Onward In Gods Service
> Randall A Hermanson
> Pioneer Commander
> FCF 1998
> OP#1 Woodstock Il
>
>
>
> Mark W Jones wrote:
>
> > Ok. I need some help here. I want to put up a Portable camp
> shower this
> > year at Pow Wow. Does anyone have any plans for building one? I
> used
> > the Black Plastic Bag units that hang up in the air for 10.00 each
> but
> > they didnt' last a day with the boys.
> >
> > I want a larger system. I would be open to one that uses a
> propane stove
> > or campfire or solar heat or any or all of the above. It could be
> a 5
> > gal. to 30 gal. system where we could schedule showers through out
> the
> > day and keep it running. Any ideas or previous experience would be
> > helpfull here.
> >
> > Also anyone have any sources for already made units?
> >
> > Mark Jones
> >
> > Mark Jones, Ozark MO, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Download a Free Royal
> Ranger
> > Database visit my website at:
> http://home1.gte.net/mjones02/index.html
> >
> > ________________________________________________________________
> > YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
> > Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
> > Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:
> > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
> > _______
> > To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > "Eat the hay & spit out the sticks! - A#1's mule" RTKB&G4JC!
> > http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Mark Jones, Ozark MO, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Download a Free Royal Ranger
Database visit my website at: http://home1.gte.net/mjones02/index.html
