How to make Sri Lanka’s anagi II stove
Practical Action
Introduction to the Anagi II Stove
How it Saves Fuel and Time and Reduces Smoke
The Anagi II stove encloses the cooking fire with insulating ceramic, protecting it from
cooling draughts. What would be smoke in a traditional stove is burned as flame, raising the
temperature of the hot gases. The stove then guides the hot gases across the bottom of 2
pots.
Field tests show that by cooking two pots at once, one and one-half hours may be saved each
day in cooking time in the Sri Lankan kitchen.
Properly constructed and operated, the Anagi II will use up to 30% less wood than traditional
open hearths. It will also greatly reduce the smoke women are exposed to while cooking:
smoke which causes eye and lung disease. If the stove is smoky, there is too much fuel in it.
Remove a few sticks of wood for a hotter, faster, more fuel-efficient fire.
The firebox is designed to accommodate coconut shells and palm fronds as well as wood.
Overview of the Construction Procedure
The Anagi II stove can be made profitably by teams of 1 potter and 4 assemblers/finishers.
Each team can make 25-30 stoves per day. The potter throws the 3 main pieces. The next
day an assembler joins the main pieces and adds the smaller pieces all of which are formed
using plaster press moulds. Air holes are cut, the stove is checked for quality control, and the
surface is smoothed. The factory logo and “Anagi II” are stamped, and the full date and
assembler's initials inscribed. The assembly procedure takes about 50 minutes.
After 3 days of stiffening, the stove is removed from its special pallet, and any sharp edges
are carved away. The surface is rubbed smooth, and when "finished," the stove is set on racks
to dry thoroughly. It is then fired to a hard, porous state: 850 to 900°C.
The clay used in making the stove at tile factories consists of 8 parts tile clay: 1 part sand: 1
part grog (crushed fired clay), by 'Volume. This mixture enables the stove to be fired on top of
the stack of tiles in the kilns, space which is often not utilised. The addition of sand and grog
to the clay prevents damage which would otherwise occur due to higher temperatures in the
top of the kiln.
This manual provides illustrations for all steps in construction, and plans for all tools,
moulds, and templates. Included is a discussion of drying and firing, and quality control
checking procedures throughout.
Throwing the main pieces should only be done by a previously skilled potter. Likewise, the
plaster mould should be made by a person who has already been trained in mouldmaking, as
there are subtleties to the skills which are beyond the scope of this manual.
The Design
The parts of the Anagi II stove are labelled in the following diagrams. Wet clay dimensions
are given, with fired clay dimensions in parentheses following. (The fired dimensions are
10% less due to shrinkage.) Correct dimensions are essential to assure that the stove can be
used to cook quickly, using a minimum of woodfuel. The combination of the baffle and the
flame shield assure even heating on the second pot, and the shield provides a safety feature
of keeping flames away from the first pot.
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