Making the biltong box.

Okay so here we go I will be posting detailed pictures with comments below each picture to assist you in making a box for biltong.

This is the box I used. It is a 64lt storage container and will allow me to make around 40 pcs of biltong at any one time.

First I took the plastic air vent and marked it on the container using a wipe off pen. As you can see I marked the outer dimension and the inner dimension as well as the screw holes. I did this to make sure it will fit exactly in the gap I am making.

Yip, thats a gas cooker and a scalpel or hobby knife. I heated up the blade and pushed it through the plastic. Using this method meant I would not be leaving any edges that could crack as the edges are fused by the heat. It's not easy and took a while but the result was perfect size.

After I removed the plastic cut out I used a lighter just to smooth the edges out a bit and make sure that no cracks would be able to form in the plastic. 

Neat cut out.

The cut out part as you can see with the blue marks showing where the venting is.

A perfect fit

Above is the vent with the outer cover on. As you can see it is in full  open vent position. 

When I slide the vent cover over I can restrict the air in the box to try and get the perfect heat vs humidity level. Around 28 degrees is recommended to dry it out. 

I did the same process to cut out the hole for the fan on the side.

I took the fan off the cover and put a thin sheet of wire mesh between the fan and the cover to stop flies and bugs from being able to get into the box and any time,

Above you can see the mesh I installed.

A view from inside the box.

I used the same process to cut into the electrical hobby box so I could install the switches.

After I cut it out with the hot blade I used a small file to neaten it. The plastic is robust and strong on these hobby boxes.

You can see the box is getting thier. The main switch to switch it all on and off and the two smaller switches to switch the fans on and off. 

The wiring was very simple and took a few minutes to do. 

The light fitting was really simple to attach using two small bolts. Here you can see the Fire bulb it is red in color and I know it will generate more that enough heat for the box

Here is a picture of the heat and humidity sensor that I installed into the front of the box. I once again used a hot scalpel to carve the opening for it to fit into.

I bought two rails that you would normally hang clothes on as they again were washable and being chrome plated would not rust due to the humidity. 

These are the hooks I go on E-bay they fit exactly on the clothes hanger poles.

Here is a picture of the completed box with some biltong in it drying.

HOW IT LOOK FINISHED 

I must say I hope you have fun building your biltong box and remember the things you see above a merely a guide on how to build it. I have seen many others, some better and more complex than this. I have even some that are just a cardboard box. I will be posting some more pictures in this blog to give you other idea's on how to go about making yours.