Buckshots Voice of Reason Blog Talk Radio

Don's Simple Camping or Backpack Cook Stove To Make For Free

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WARNING!!!!! NOW LISTEN TO THIS - THE CAN IS HOT! VERY HOT SO DON’T TOUCH IT OR TRY TO MOVE IT WITH YOUR HANDS. YOU WILL BURN YOURSELF BADLY! MAKE THIS CAN AT YOUR OWN RISK. SNARE TRAP SURVIVE OR BUCKSHOTS SURVIVAL HOUR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU GET HURT IN ANY WAY MAKING OR USING THIS STOVE.

	1.) Start with a 34.5 oz tin coffee can.
	2.) Strip off the label.
	3.) Drill eight ¼ inch holes or larger 3/16 around the bottom equal distantly and around the top. About ¾ of an inch from the bottom and the same on top. This allows for airflow to keep the fire going.
	4.) Some cans have rings or ridges around them which makes it easier to drill or you can measure down from the top 1½ inches on both sides and drill 6 3/32 holes on both sides opposite of each other about ½ to ¾ inches apart. Or you can drill 8 holes each side to make the grill which ever you prefer.
	5.) Your going to make a feeding hole and Oxygen port on one side about 2 inches high and 3 inches long 1½ inches from the bottom. You can use a tin snips or hack saw. I used an abrasive disk since I had one on a drill. It is used for cutting steel or pipe but a hack saw will work just fine or you can use a nail and keep scoring it until your hands bleed and form large blisters.
	6.) Get a couple of old wire coat hangers and measure 6 or 8 depending on how many holes you drilled for the grill. Measure out 8½ to 9 inches long and using a wire cutter cut them to length. With a pair of pliers bend at a 90 degree angle one inch on one end of each wire. When you put the wires through the 3/32 holes line them up with the other side and you will have a very stable grill top to set a cup or can on.
	7.) The holes around the top allow you to put a fry pan or pot on with out putting out the fire and you can stoke the fire as much as needed from the feeding hole or add more fuel to really get a blaze going.

Starting The Fire

There are all kinds of ways to start a fire I like to use cotton balls or lint from the drier and soak them with 91% rubbing alcohol. The alcohol burns hot and will get most twigs going. Get the twigs going and start loading up the stove with thicker and thicker limbs until you get a roaring fire. Some wind and I mean some wind not 20 or 30 mile an hour wind will help the stove act like a blast furnace. It has a chimney effect. Once you have nice hot red coals build up at the bottom throw some thicker short limbs in and put your grill in place by sliding the wire into the small holes. NOW LISTEN TO THIS THE CAN IS HOT! VERY HOT SO DON’T TOUCH IT OR TRY TO MOVE IT WITH YOUR HANDS. YOU WILL BURN YOURSELF BADLY!

Attached are some pictures of building and using the stove. Have fun making it. It is very simple and the cost is right.

Last Minute Thoughts

Ok, it took one match, three balls of cotton and 91% rubbing alcohol to start the fire. It was cold about 36 degrees out and windy. Trying to find some dry twigs and sticks around the house wasn’t easy since we had just had a snow storm two days ago but the fire was hot enough to dry out any moisture on some of the sticks. I cut and broke them into about 4 to 5 inch pieces and found some bark as well.

When the fire got going pretty well I put the coat hanger grill in place by sliding them into the 3/16 inch holes.

I filled the can with 19 oz’s of cold water and placed it on top of the grill. It took 9 minuets to bring the can to a full rolling boil.

So, it is that easy and costs about 20 minuets of time to make ok, maybe 30 minuets give or take.

Have fun making it. It burns very well and I had to keep the back of it to the wind because it was gusty today. The wind will make it roar if it isn’t too windy.

Don