Author Topic: Woodburning camp stoves (Read 77080 times)

Kim · « **Reply #125 on:** 17 August, 2010, 12:00:47 am »

As I may have mentioned elsewhere, the lovely Barakta presented me with Northfield Wilko's last old-style biscuit tin when I got back from Rutland on Saturday night. Today I returned to the King[']s Heath branch to invest in the matching coffee/tea/sugar tin set which I'd spotted last week. As I queued at the tills, I noticed they had individual coffee tins that were a better match for the biscuit tin on a shelf covered with "half price" stickers. So for the awesome price of 96p I am now the proud owner of two.

A large supply of patience and HSS bits will have to wait until I'm a bit less busy, but those are less likely to be discontinued.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #126 on:** 17 August, 2010, 12:14:40 am »

Last week I had some fun cooking food on a bush buddy.

clarion · « **Reply #127 on:** 17 August, 2010, 09:56:32 am »

We tried out ours at the weekend, with the help of the family pyromaniac (my dad). Needed two goes to get the mix right, but boiled two pans of water and had plenty of warmth.

I need to remember to light the gas, not the wood, or it gets very smoky

dkahn400 · « **Reply #128 on:** 17 August, 2010, 03:38:01 pm »

Quote from: clarion on 17 August, 2010, 09:56:32 am

We tried out ours at the weekend, with the help of the family pyromaniac (my dad). Needed two goes to get the mix right, but boiled two pans of water and had plenty of warmth.

I need to remember to light the gas, not the wood, or it gets very smoky

Don't you need to light the wood first in order to produce the gas?

clarion · « **Reply #129 on:** 17 August, 2010, 03:48:33 pm »

Well yes, but the gas wasn't staying lit at first, so I needed to apply flame.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #130 on:** 11 September, 2010, 04:29:11 pm »

I've tried making a baby one of these.

Hmm. No 'gassification', but maybe I need to light the gas, like Clarion said.

Marco Stefano · « **Reply #131 on:** 18 September, 2010, 06:45:32 pm »

If you don't get gasification and just burn wood, you may have too much air going in. The process relies on enough air to start the fire and heat the fuel enough (750°C +) to release volatiles (CO, H2, CO2, CH4), but the process should be most near anaerobic.

Too much air combusts the carbon in the wood structure, rather than leaving a residue of intact black char in the bottom. Looks like Charlotte's stove is spot on; fuel packing may be critical to a good performance (one may need a stove meet or competition with more stoves, fuel types and beer to find out).

UEA in Norwich have one of these running on woodchips and powering a CHP plant. It's a little bigger.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #132 on:** 18 September, 2010, 06:53:02 pm »

I suspect the problem is too small to achieve enough heat.

cycleman · « **Reply #133 on:** 26 October, 2010, 10:01:10 am »

i am thinking about buying a woodstove biomass le from earthhuggers .com. anyone tried one ?

peevafred · « **Reply #134 on:** 30 October, 2010, 06:13:43 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 17 August, 2010, 12:14:40 am

Last week I had some fun cooking food on a bush buddy.

I have used the BushBuddy for some extended tours and it has been great it fits inside a litre pan and I use about 1 inch of old inner tube to get it going. I find that with the one pint K Kettle ( great for a quick brew.) I have a good combination for cooking.

David Frank · « **Reply #135 on:** 13 November, 2010, 09:39:49 am »

A little OT, but my grandfather ran his car on charcoal during the war. He lived in Brazil, where they had little petrol but plenty of wood, and American cars with their huge engines. The charcoal burner bit was built on to a frame which hung off the back of the car, and the gas produced was piped to the engine. Apparently they got the car going with petrol, then switched to charcoal once moving. A car could do 40 miles on a fill of charcoal, petrol stations adapted to a quick de-ash and refill service. Brazil runs a lot of cars on biomass (alcohol from sugar cane) today.

andyoxon · « **Reply #136 on:** 13 November, 2010, 10:25:30 am »

Prolly too large, given that it's a kettle, but works really well. Had a larger one for walking days in Africa, staying in the car and used when we got back...

Kelly Volcno Kettles's In Different Sizes Medium 1.75 and Large 2.5 pint - Surplus and Outdoors

alexb · « **Reply #137 on:** 13 November, 2010, 10:32:59 am »

Quote from: Ergle on 13 November, 2010, 09:39:49 am

A little OT, but my grandfather ran his car on charcoal during the war. He lived in Brazil, where they had little petrol but plenty of wood, and American cars with their huge engines. The charcoal burner bit was built on to a frame which hung off the back of the car, and the gas produced was piped to the engine. Apparently they got the car going with petrol, then switched to charcoal once moving. A car could do 40 miles on a fill of charcoal, petrol stations adapted to a quick de-ash and refill service. Brazil runs a lot of cars on biomass (alcohol from sugar cane) today.

Slightly off-topic reply, but we've donme some research at work on biomass fuel production from sugar cane.
One big problem is that it's effectlively grass, so the lkeaves are full of fine silica hairs. When the cane is burnt off for harvest it produces a huge amount of smoke and that smoke is carcinogenic because of the burnt silica in it. So the cane harvesters work in a very dodgy environment.
The "neutrality" of biomass fuels is very questionable when all's considered.

Neat idea to run a car off wood gas though!

jane · « **Reply #138 on:** 18 November, 2010, 08:31:15 am »

Quote from: andyoxon on 13 November, 2010, 10:25:30 am

Prolly too large, given that it's a kettle, but works really well. Had a larger one for walking days in Africa, staying in the car and used when we got back...

Kelly Volcno Kettles's In Different Sizes Medium 1.75 and Large 2.5 pint - Surplus and Outdoors

I was given one of these for my birthday. I have never used it although I love the idea and look of it- it's just too big and bulky for cyclecamping really. I think mine is the big one and I got these little attachments so you can cook as well as boil water.

Wobbly John · « **Reply #139 on:** 18 May, 2011, 02:28:30 pm »

If anybody had plans to make one of Charlotte's stoves, but missed out on the Wilkinsons tins - they have similar sized ones in stock now - the lids fit inside the tins this time, but appear to be an even better fit. The body of the tins is ribbed on the new design and the lids are slightly domed.

The price has gone up, of course.

Charlotte · « **Reply #140 on:** 18 May, 2011, 02:33:44 pm »

I'm on commission

Kim · « **Reply #141 on:** 18 May, 2011, 02:36:25 pm »

Hmm, still haven't got round to molishing mine. Probably should, given that it's camping season.

ravenbait · « **Reply #142 on:** 19 May, 2011, 03:29:30 pm »

Sorry, haven't had a chance to go through the thread, but has anyone tried one of the Hive stoves from bakcpackinglight?

Sam

TimO · « **Reply #143 on:** 19 May, 2011, 04:16:45 pm »

Quote from: ravenbait on 19 May, 2011, 03:29:30 pm

Sorry, haven't had a chance to go through the thread, but has anyone tried one of the Hive stoves from bakcpackinglight?

There was certainly some slight discussion of the Honey Stove, to which the Hive kit fits, but it wasn't a lot.

Kim · « **Reply #144 on:** 23 May, 2011, 03:34:34 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 18 May, 2011, 02:36:25 pm

Hmm, still haven't got round to molishing mine. Probably should, given that it's camping season.

Just had an experimental fettle, and have concluded that I'll be here until the heat death of the universe -possibly longer - using any of the drills I have available. Hand-cranked works best on stainless, but this is a *lot* of holes. Hmm...

Charlotte · « **Reply #145 on:** 23 May, 2011, 03:39:07 pm »

Plz to read up on drill speeds for stainless steel.

Apart from buying good quality drill bits, you need to drill much slower than you think. Use pilot holes, keep it cool, don't use too much pressure and make sure your drill is perpendicular to the job as you go.

Aim to be getting little spirals of swarf pirouetting off your drill bit

Kim · « **Reply #146 on:** 23 May, 2011, 03:48:57 pm »

This I knew already. None of my drills do an appropriately low RPM, apart from the hand one, and my arms really aren't up to drilling that much stainless. Molishing a pair of brackets to mount lowriders to the forks of my Dawes nearly killed me.

Most of my inept mechanical fettling has been of enclosures for electronics, so I'm only really equipped for drilling plastic, ally and masonry.

This is, I suspect, an n+1 tools opportunity...

Charlotte · « **Reply #147 on:** 23 May, 2011, 04:10:24 pm »

*cough I have one very similar to this cough*

Kim · « **Reply #148 on:** 23 May, 2011, 04:27:43 pm »

And that would make drilling panels neatly for switches and blinkenlights a lot easier...

* Kim goes for a bike ride before she does something that'll get her into trouble with barakta.

Charlotte · « **Reply #149 on:** 23 May, 2011, 04:32:27 pm »

Soz