I have been planning on building a solar grill for quite a time now, and the one problem, which is also the biggest - I need to shape a mirror into a paraboloid, so it bundles solar energy efficiently.
My designs for the whole thing have the focal area of the paraboloid - i.e. the grillage - placed in close proximity of the mirror, depending on the design between 1 and 1.20 meters.
I am afraid that the heat radiating from the focal area would heat up the reflective surface too much, especially if I use an easy-to-shape material like acrylic mirror, which would without a doubt deform after a couple of minutes.
So long story short, I want to know if there is a material that
- Has high reflective properties
- Does not deform at temperatures of 300°C or even higher (400°C to be on the safe side, if the BBQ is going on for hours and to calculate in unexpected risks)
- Is reasonably easy to shape (it should be possible without having to handle gigantic machinery or overly dangerous tools)
- Can be paid for by a poor engineering-student, so the amount I need should be below 200$. If possible. (a griller is pointless if I have to eat rice for the rest of the year)
Ps.: English is not my first language, so there likely are a lot of mistakes in there. If something is unclear, please comment! I apologize for those mistakes beforehand.
