DIY Flat packable fire box

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mousey

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 15, 2010
2,210
254
42
NE Scotland
Hi Hi,

Well quite a while a go I was thinking of making a fire box. The idea was to be light, flat packable, completely enclosed, big enough to burn for a while without re-fueling, with a large enough cooking surface for a couple of tins/ a large frying pan.

It was one of the reasons I joined this forum - I was looking for inspiration and ideas :). Anyway after tinkering around with various ideas and making various prototypes [some which worked, some....... not so much] I've gotten to this:-

2011-12-25135906-33_zpsbfbe9019.jpg


Above is looking at the forward right side, the hinge is the door hinge. The front back and sides are titanium plate with the edges flanged in by 15mm. They are all held together by hinges which have tent pegs poked through - remove tent peg and it comes apart. The top plate is from an old computer case, the bottom is galvanised [yes I know] cable tray and can be seen better here:-

2011-12-25135906-38_zps2f644a58.jpg


I was thinking of having a grate for the bottom to allow air in and also so I can poke ash through the bottom to stop it gettin gtoo clogged up. The whole lot is raised by bolts through the holes of cable tray. Eventually I'll get some thinner [lighter] perforated plate - but this is the best I could get at the time [i.e. from the skip]

I haven't sorted the exhaust yet been thinking of a piece of shim to roll up - but I haven't even got round to cutting a hole in the top plate yet....

Below with the sides, front and back flat packed:-

2011-12-25135906-45_zps418862cd.jpg


The whole lot weight just under 3kg - I can reduce that quite a bit as the bottom cable tray plate is almost a third of the total weight. measures 13" square and 10" tall.

2011-12-25135906-41_zps3800078f.jpg


This is my small billy sitting on top it's about 12cm diameter.

Any comments/ suggestions etc are most welcome.

The tools used were pliers, hammer [there's got to be a hammer involved somewhere:)] wrench, tin snips and a hacksaw so it is a bit rough round the edges. I could have got some one to bend it all nicely for me on machines but where is the fun in that? - maybe for the final version I might but at the moment I'm just playing.
 

Shewie

Mod
Mod
Dec 15, 2005
24,259
24
48
Yorkshire
Nicely done, that's come out well. I had fun hacking a PC up for tent stove a while ago, just kind of bodged it as I went along but it works a treat.

Mind if I ask where you source your titanium plate from?
 

Jared

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 8, 2005
3,408
649
51
Wales
Looks pretty neat.

Metal bending brakes can be had pretty cheap (< £40).
 

mousey

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 15, 2010
2,210
254
42
NE Scotland
Shewie - it was from ebid the user was called irondwarf a sheet 355mm x 510mm was & 17.00. I bought 2 with p&p @ £10 but they guy refunded me some p&p costs! This was back in 2011 - it is grade 2.

//edit

I seem to remember looking that thread for ideas...

//

Jared - £40! is expensive to me :) seriously I couldn't justify it for a 'one off' use - as I wouldn't really be doing that much - I also [as a challenge] wanted to used 'simple' tools as they are the only ones I have. I do live next door to a shipyard so I could get it bent professionally - unfortunatley they only deal with heavier stuff - I'm not sure they'd know what to do with 1mm and thinner!, I'm lucky to get 3mm off cuts of stuff but that tends to make things a bit heavy:) - good for prototypes though.

Thanks for the comments - I've not actually used it yet, waiting / thinking about the flue bit...
 

Whittler Kev

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 8, 2009
4,314
12
65
March, UK
bushcraftinfo.blogspot.com
Galvanised?

From Ask.com

Metal fume fever, also known as brass founders' ague, brass shakes,[SUP][1][/SUP] zinc shakes, galvie flu, metal dust fever, or Monday morning fever,[SUP][2][/SUP] is an illness caused primarily by exposure to certain fumes. Workers breathe in fumes from chemicals such as zinc oxide (ZnO) or magnesium oxide (MgO), which are themselves created by heating or welding certain metals, particularly galvanized steel.[SUP][3][/SUP] Chromium[SUP][4][/SUP] is also a hazard, from stainless steel. Cadmium,[SUP][5][/SUP] present in some older silver solder alloys can, in extreme cases, cause loss of consciousness within a matter of minutes. Iron itself, and so most simple steels, does not give rise to it

From http://www.digitalfire.ab.ca/cermat/education/291.html

Basically what zinc does is, it causes the bodies natural defenses to go into overdrive. Thus the same as other heavy metal poisoning. This has been called in the past "Monday Morning Fever", "Brass Fever", "The Brass Shakes", "Foundry Flu", ect. . .

The flu-like symptoms do not generally cause alarm. But if you experience any flu-like symptoms after welding a plated material. "SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY!!" You may have been welding something that can only make you sick, or you may be dying and not even know it. Such platings can include things like cadmium. Cadmium when welded is extremely dangerous. Breathing the fumes WILL KILL YOU.


And because of this guy's death I NEVER weld galvanised, even outside

http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/tutor.php?lesson=safety3/demo
 

mousey

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 15, 2010
2,210
254
42
NE Scotland
Yep well aware of the dangers of galvanised metals. The tray at the bottom was more for a trial to see how it would go together - I'm looking for a nice bit of perforated or woven mesh for the finished usable item. I'm sure people who have thought to make something similar are aware of dangers invoved with setting fire to stuff and heating certian materials. Then again it is always nice to have the dangers flagged for folks who may not know... Strangley I have seen metal buckets being sold as bbq/ smoking buckets which have been galvanised!!
 

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