SGT Rock
2003-09-26, 08:09
I mentioned this in another thread. Since then I have been doing some tweeking.
Baghdad Cat Stove
Background:
This is a project I played with while marking time in Baghdad, Iraq. Basically I wanted to play with stove design, and figured since I was about at the peak of performance that I could test by the limited observation techniques I had here, I would apply myself to working with the cat type stove originally designed by Roy Robbinson.
Since I was looking to “smaller is better” philosophy for solo backpacking stoves, and have had good results from the Cat style stoves in the past, I decided to see what I could do to make a very small stove that had a Cat Stove like design: interior burner, air jacket, and separate stand.
Since building materials and tools are limited here, the parts did become somewhat trickier than I am used to. But the benefit to this experiment was the fact that these same parts, tools, and methods would be easy to re-produce on the trail.
Tools needed:
Leatherman Micra. If you don’t have one of these, then scissors and a knife blade.
Parts needed:
1 Soda Can, ½” thick insulation, 12” long piece of bailing wire, 1 Vienna sausage can, 1 juice can with a 2” diameter similar to a V8 can – for this I used a Rani 240 ml juice can from Saudi Arabia. Super glue or JB Weld is optional.
Construction Method:
Step 1: Burner/Fuel Reservoir. Cut the juice can to ¾” using scissors. Then cut four equally spaced “V” shaped notches ¼” deep and ½” wide around the lip. Cut a piece of insulation ½” deep to cove the bottom.
Step 2: Air Jacket. Cut the Vienna Sausage can 7/8” tall. Then cut 6 evenly spaced “V” shaped notches on the lip ½” deep and ½” wide. Next, scribe then cut cut a circular hole in the bottom 1¼” diameter.
Step 3: Bottom/Cold Weather Primer. Cut the bottom off the soda can ½” tall, pretty much to the bottom of the paint on the label. Then if you want to save some more weight, scribe and cut 1 ½” from the center out of the soda can bottom.
Step 4: Pot Stand. With the bailing wire, make a “U” shaped stand. It is easy to show, but hard to explain. I’ll give it a shot since I cannot include a photo:
Bend a ¼” leg on one end, it should be about an 80° bend.
Bend another 80° bend 1 ½” from the first.
Bend another 80° bend. You should now have a “U” with a ¼” tip on one side, and a very long bit of wire on the other end.
Start at the opposite end and repeat steps a-c.
Now bend both the “U”s in until you have a four leg stand. Two separate legs on one end, and two legs on the other end connected by a 2” long piece.
I hope that wasn’t too confusing. When completed it will form a stand about ½” above the top of the burner. I have tested this as a fairly stable support for a small pot with up to 3 cups of water.
Step 5: The Base. Center the Burner (step 1) on the Bottom (step 3). If you have some super glue you can make this permanent. You can also use JB weld. DO NOT use RTV, it dissolves in alcohol even after it sets – trust me!
Step 6: I HIGHLY recommend making a bottom reflector and windscreen. There are various methods out there that can be done using aluminum foil, oven liners, or more soda cans. The main thing to remember is there should be a ¼” gap all the way around the pot from the windscreen.
Usage:
To use the stove in normal weather, pour fuel into the burner then put the Jacket on, the soda can bottom will naturally make it set in the correct position. Light the stove then place the pot stand over it.
To use the stove in cold weather, the base of the stove also can be used as a priming cup. Add a small amount of alcohol (3-6ml) in the base and light it after lighting the alcohol in the burner. I got this idea after seeing the new Brasslite Turbo IID.
I am working on a plan to allow this stove to simmer by simply removing the air jacket.
Evaluation:
I have not been able to precisely test the stove yet because I do not have my scales or thermocouple. For a pot I used an aluminum non-stick 1.5L pot without lid (I have a lid but I must observe to see the waters actions) and a windscreen constructed from soda cans.
To simmer two cups of water for 15 minutes – 12ml alcohol.
Maximum fuel capacity is 30ml denatured alcohol.
I also have not been able to precisely weigh the stove, but the stove and stand should weigh about ½ ounce.
Baghdad Cat Stove
Background:
This is a project I played with while marking time in Baghdad, Iraq. Basically I wanted to play with stove design, and figured since I was about at the peak of performance that I could test by the limited observation techniques I had here, I would apply myself to working with the cat type stove originally designed by Roy Robbinson.
Since I was looking to “smaller is better” philosophy for solo backpacking stoves, and have had good results from the Cat style stoves in the past, I decided to see what I could do to make a very small stove that had a Cat Stove like design: interior burner, air jacket, and separate stand.
Since building materials and tools are limited here, the parts did become somewhat trickier than I am used to. But the benefit to this experiment was the fact that these same parts, tools, and methods would be easy to re-produce on the trail.
Tools needed:
Leatherman Micra. If you don’t have one of these, then scissors and a knife blade.
Parts needed:
1 Soda Can, ½” thick insulation, 12” long piece of bailing wire, 1 Vienna sausage can, 1 juice can with a 2” diameter similar to a V8 can – for this I used a Rani 240 ml juice can from Saudi Arabia. Super glue or JB Weld is optional.
Construction Method:
Step 1: Burner/Fuel Reservoir. Cut the juice can to ¾” using scissors. Then cut four equally spaced “V” shaped notches ¼” deep and ½” wide around the lip. Cut a piece of insulation ½” deep to cove the bottom.
Step 2: Air Jacket. Cut the Vienna Sausage can 7/8” tall. Then cut 6 evenly spaced “V” shaped notches on the lip ½” deep and ½” wide. Next, scribe then cut cut a circular hole in the bottom 1¼” diameter.
Step 3: Bottom/Cold Weather Primer. Cut the bottom off the soda can ½” tall, pretty much to the bottom of the paint on the label. Then if you want to save some more weight, scribe and cut 1 ½” from the center out of the soda can bottom.
Step 4: Pot Stand. With the bailing wire, make a “U” shaped stand. It is easy to show, but hard to explain. I’ll give it a shot since I cannot include a photo:
Bend a ¼” leg on one end, it should be about an 80° bend.
Bend another 80° bend 1 ½” from the first.
Bend another 80° bend. You should now have a “U” with a ¼” tip on one side, and a very long bit of wire on the other end.
Start at the opposite end and repeat steps a-c.
Now bend both the “U”s in until you have a four leg stand. Two separate legs on one end, and two legs on the other end connected by a 2” long piece.
I hope that wasn’t too confusing. When completed it will form a stand about ½” above the top of the burner. I have tested this as a fairly stable support for a small pot with up to 3 cups of water.
Step 5: The Base. Center the Burner (step 1) on the Bottom (step 3). If you have some super glue you can make this permanent. You can also use JB weld. DO NOT use RTV, it dissolves in alcohol even after it sets – trust me!
Step 6: I HIGHLY recommend making a bottom reflector and windscreen. There are various methods out there that can be done using aluminum foil, oven liners, or more soda cans. The main thing to remember is there should be a ¼” gap all the way around the pot from the windscreen.
Usage:
To use the stove in normal weather, pour fuel into the burner then put the Jacket on, the soda can bottom will naturally make it set in the correct position. Light the stove then place the pot stand over it.
To use the stove in cold weather, the base of the stove also can be used as a priming cup. Add a small amount of alcohol (3-6ml) in the base and light it after lighting the alcohol in the burner. I got this idea after seeing the new Brasslite Turbo IID.
I am working on a plan to allow this stove to simmer by simply removing the air jacket.
Evaluation:
I have not been able to precisely test the stove yet because I do not have my scales or thermocouple. For a pot I used an aluminum non-stick 1.5L pot without lid (I have a lid but I must observe to see the waters actions) and a windscreen constructed from soda cans.
To simmer two cups of water for 15 minutes – 12ml alcohol.
Maximum fuel capacity is 30ml denatured alcohol.
I also have not been able to precisely weigh the stove, but the stove and stand should weigh about ½ ounce.