Mexican pots

Hello Dylan,

We haven't met, We are Maria Jose and Rodrigo, a couple from Mexico City, a Designer and an Architect, We design and produce a line of products called Pendejuelas. We saw your video on how to heat your room for 8 pence a day, and got us thinking, and decided to reinterpret your idea. We know there are a lot of this heaters bouncing around the internet, and that it was first seen in the WWII but as far as we know it's your idea, or at least we got it from you.

So long story short, we want to thank you, we would like to give you credit, and of course would like you to have one of the heaters you indirectly helped to design.
We are making a video explaining how the heater works, and would like to give you credit, Where should we link the interested to? your Blog? your youtube channel?
Also, If you want, please give us a physical address to send you one.

We are aware that there are other people making similar stuff, but we wanted to give it a go.

Our version is made with clay and ceramics, the candles are made with bee wax. For obvious reasons it took it's shape from a Matyoshka doll, and its name is its mexicanized version: Matrushca

We are going to produce them in our workshop with artisans from the state of Hidalgo, and It is really a big deal here in Mexico, where houses are not built to stand cold temperatures and poor people have a hard time heating their homes.

Find attached one of our early 3D renderings, and a photo of a couple of our prototypes.

Best Regards.

Maria Jose and Rodrigo.

mexican pots 2

Mexican pots

M and J

utterly brilliant

send me one and I will make a film about it being used on the boat

dylan winter
23, botyl road
botolph claydon
winslow
bucks MK18 2LP

I am an ag engineer and sailor who loves sailing in the winter. Heating is always a problem - I tried one flower pot and you could see

that the air was getting really hot around the pot and then going straight to the ceiling. I wanted more air - lower temperature

us humans never invent anything - we just tweak stuff until it works a bit better

My website is www.keepturningleft.co.uk so any traffic you can kick there will be great

incidentally

this is a film about winter sailing and using meths to keep warm - the ice is sliding past the boat

Dylan

This is about Sailing around Britain.

7 Responses to “Mexican pots”

  1. 12 February, 2015 at 11:17 amRivercruiser says:

    You probably shocked Maria Jose and Rodrigo.

    “meths” has an entirely different meaning in Mexico and the US.

  2. 12 February, 2015 at 5:44 pmRon G says:

    That’s more like it! And great to see you get some credit.
    Not really sure what “meths” is, but I guess it’s not good (don’t play the right video games or watch the right shows I guess), but our methylated spirit is either denatured ethanol or denatured alcohol over there, can’t remember which (poisoned to teach you camping tramps a lesson by killing you if you drink it). Just thought I’d mention it if you get in touch with Maria or Rodrigo again to reassure them!

  3. 12 February, 2015 at 6:23 pmjack says:

    Do I see franchise possibilities here Dylan? The next big thing since pet rocks……..

  4. 12 February, 2015 at 10:38 pmMark the Skint Sailor says:

    Dylan, it’s amazing how such a simple idea has taken off, but anything that is cheap and simple deserves to do well. I’m not sure any of the fancy bespoke heaters actually push things along. Most seem not to understand the physics and don’t have holes in the top to promote heat circulation through the device. Rather than a convection heater they just radiate heat which doesn’t seem to be as efficient at space heating.

    I’m thinking of making one up for Sprite, but I’m finding it difficult to find terracotta plant pots small enough to make a compact version (maybe I’ll have a look at the local garden centre this weekend but as always garden centre=higher prices!). I’ll probably also suspend the thing on a chain so I don’t get problems with the base burning/melting the thing its sat on or taking up valuable shelf space.

  5. 13 February, 2015 at 12:40 amGary B. says:

    An English language version could be called the “Winter Ceramic Heater” Probably make some on a turn table – like pots. Of course due to the direction of the Earth spin these would be made with the table rotation being counter clock wise. Hence, when the Winter Ceramic Heater – aka Matrushca are sailing off the shelves we all will be chanting “Keep on Turning Left”, if you get the drift!
    The design of the Matrushca is a “mirror” image the famous wood doll. Some were made by wives of “hunters” in the outer regions of Siberia or some such place which experienced lots of “westerly” winds.

  6. 13 February, 2015 at 9:22 amdylan winter says:

    it is odd how people’s minds take strange turns at night

    D

  7. 14 February, 2015 at 4:07 amGary B says:

    It’s the cold!

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