Survival Stove

[Rick]

You can store something like four fuel tabs inside the stove when it's not in use, right?

[mbarnatl]

Yes, you can store four fuel tabs in a closed stove.

[Rick]

Okay, now I've got another toy to find. Thanks.

[Blitz]

A bit of an update:

I went back and cut five inverted notches in the vegetable can and repeated the test. This time covering the can with the cup. It still smothered the fire. Bubbles formed on the inside of the cup in about 8 minutes but the small fire chamber and covered top produced a lot of smoke. The fire only lasted 17 minutes in this test and the water temperature only reached 170 degrees.

Still, it is a vegetable can and if that's all you have it can make a heck of stove. By holding the pot, pan or cup a couple of inches above the can to allow the fire to better draft and continuing to feed pieces of wood to the fire you could still have a nice hot drink or meal or simply use it as a heater if you did not have anything to heat water in.

Rick

Try taking the little binder clips, the ones that fold, and put 3 or 4 of them around the top to give about a 1/4 or 3/8's draft between the top of the can and the pot.

[Rick]

I visualize what you are saying but what binder clips?

[Blitz]

Like these

http://www.restockit.com/Binder-Clip...source=froogle

Little black ones. Clip them to the top upside down and fold the little silver tabs down.

[Rick]

Oh, yea! Thanks. That would work with ease. You can remove the silver tabs all together. Just squeeze them inward and they come right out. Now, what kind of an empire can I build with binder clip tabs. Hmmmm.

[Blitz]

Here is a video of the stove in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN30_tG7S3A

I actually just got one myself but haven't had a chance to fire it up yet.

BTW I'm not affliated with the maker of the video or the stove.

Blitz

[Rick]

That's the video that gave me the idea on one of the stoves. It's one I did a write up on. My review tells you want cans to use to build it. It's a blaster. I limited the amount of fuel so it was an equal comparison but if you were adding fuel as needed that rascal could flat cook a meal.

If you find the top can a bit loose then just bend a small spot in the bottom of the upper can. Twist the cans until the bend "locks" behind one of the screws.

[Blitz]

to the write up you did? I would like to see it.

Here is another cool little stove I have. Not me int the video BTW.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbR5nhLM2i0

2 pounds though, kinda heavy. I keep it in my FJ.

[Rick]

It's at the start of this thread. That's what started it.

[Blitz]

It's at the start of this thread. That's what started it.

Umm oh yeah, so I feel pretty dumb right now. I thought you were talking about another thread, sorry about that.

[Rick]

No need to feel dumb. The only dumb question is the one never asked. There's a lot of posts on here and some subjects can be a bit obscure to find.

[Elkchsr]

Here is a little different shoot off of your idea Rick

When I was in Scouts (30 years ago )

We used one of the old 3 lb coffee cans

Cut a V in the bottom where you put in the wood (about proportionate to the one you made)

Then using one of the old can openers (that had a 'V' punch on one side, a bottle cap remover on the other) and put holes around the sides at the top about an inch apart

We cooked on these quite a few times (our scout master wanted us to get good experiences at every thing we did)

They pack easily as you can stuff the can with clothes and put back in your pack

One draw back, they are very hard to carry water in, but the good thing is they are very easy to make

[Rick]

Actually, there is one sitting on my work bench. I'm trying to figure out how I want to butcher it. The problem with something that large is once you use the stove there is an obvious soot build up and trying to pack anything inside it just makes that something dirty. So you either pack it in plastic bags, which get shredded from the sharp metal produced by the can opener or you have this honkin' big dirty can you can't do anything with.

That's one of the reasons I drilled the other cans. I wanted to avoid those sharp points.

I do think it would make a great vehicle camping stove for hunting or things like that. I guess when you get down to it. If you have time to make stoves out of cans you probably have too much time on your hands.

[Elkchsr]

Ahhh....

We would just wrap it in a plastic bag and yes, some things did get dirty...

[dilligaf2u2]

I have made several kinds of alcohol stoves. My favorite is the adult beverage bottle stove. I have an old Braslight 1 and the Military Trangia cook kit.

I use the Zip stove most of all. For gas I have a Coleman 502 I got back in the early 70's. It still works great and does its job well. It is just to heavy (now days)for carrying long distances.

Hobo stoves I have used a few times. Easy to make and work well in a pinch. The Buddy Burner wax-cardboard stove is a great idea for short term use and day hikes.

Tea candles and a box stove works for baking. I have even made a solar oven out of a car window shade and once out of a maylar space blanket.

http://zenstoves.net/

is a good place to look!

Don

[Capt.Canuck]

I find that the Ebits stove for it's size very good (4" x 3" x 3/4" folded). You have 2 positions of the stove, 1) holds my Olicamp SS cup. 2) Opens completely to hold my Olicamp SS 7.75" plate. The Ebits fuel tabs are very small and there is no fumes or smoke, so you can use it in your vehicle if necessary. Each tab burns @ 1400 degrees F for 15 minutes.

http://www.bestglide.com/esbit_stove.html

I have one of those Esbit stoves too. Got it back in ~'92 when I was with the Cdn Forces, and it's still going strong. Folds up nice and compact, and you can store the fuel tabs inside when not in use. I believe it was issued kit, but I may be wrong.

GW, have you ever used it just over hot coals - i.e. a wood fire? If so, how did it fare?

[sh4d0wm4573ri7]

Rick I dont know exactly how you did your veggie stove but mine I put holes in the top opposite side of the can from where I put the wood in and it still didnt do real well, so i designed another same way except I installed three supports (made from coat hanger wire across the top which raised the cup up off it about 1/2 inch and it worked much better . I also own 2 trangia's , 1 etowah, 1 titanium triad I believe its called and of course the very infamous pepsi can stove all work well the triad is a pain to fill though and must be filled completely to get it to light all in all i use the etowah and trangia models mostly as the etowah holds 4 oz and both the etowah and trangia models can simmer which I trully like .

[UnknownWarrior]

I have one of those Esbit stoves too. Got it back in ~'92 when I was with the Cdn Forces, and it's still going strong. Folds up nice and compact, and you can store the fuel tabs inside when not in use. I believe it was issued kit, but I may be wrong.

GW, have you ever used it just over hot coals - i.e. a wood fire? If so, how did it fare?

Someone who got that stove from ebay india told me this:
"the stove I have bought is useless, you would spend a whole day trying to cook a meal at high altitude. A cheap kerosine pressure stove [Rs 100] that you can abandon/gift away on your last day will work wonders."

I'm about to buy this stove which looks exact as the esbit one (but which is no longer available on the esbit stoves site). So need guidance.