Greenheat and BCB crusader stove

[Paulm]

I think you are right Dave, the greenheat is primarily marketed for firelighting but seems to have been adopted for stove cooking and sold for that purpose too, but not really effective unless you use a couple or more and then not very cost effective.

Steve, that's a great offer, really kind of you thanks, I'll check the measurement later and post it up

Peaks, good thinking, I'm not very inventive so didn't think of ways to make it work, will have a look around the shed and see if I can make up something similar, as well as checking out your idea Monkey Boy, thanks both !

In the meantime I picked up some hexi this morning, 24 small tablets for £2.69 gooutdoors, and am just enjoying my first actually successfully brew from the crusader Put in a couple of the small tablets and got close to a proper boil after about 8 minutes, think I probably need to use three to get it to a rolling boil. Stinks a lot and the stove looks a bit of a mess but hey, it's a stove !

So at least I can manage on the upcoming trip with the hexi, and in the meantime I can experiment with the other ideas but at least have a working option to fall back on.

Really appreciate the ideas from everybody on the thread.

Cheers, Paul

 

[British Red]

Glad it worked out with the hexy. Its simple and smelly - but its light, reliable and it does work - which makes it okay by me for brews.

 

[Paulm]

Paul, I could send you a version of a Monkey Boys stove if you want? I have loads of surplus bit's and bobs to make one up but would need the size of the Crusader hole?

Steve.

Steve, many thanks for the kind offer I've measured it and the internal diameter of the crusader circular bit is 70mm.

Having looked at Monkey Boy's link above (many thanks for that MB ) I hadn't realised how straightforwards they are and how effective, and one of these may well be the best answer by the look of them, definitely well worth a try.

I've managed to find an old shoe polish tin that's a perfect fit, and may be able to sacrifice a bit of old plumbers mat if I can still find it in the garage, and I've got some 1cm wire mesh somewhere in the shed so I think I can probably knock one up for myself this afternoon rather than putting you to any trouble.

Will give it a go and see, quite excited at the idea, I really ought to get out more, haha !

Cheers, Paul

 

[peaks]

Paul,
glad you got a brew......
I've used fibreglass fire rope (the sort of stuff used for sealing wood burners) and personally found it better than loft insulation in a Monkey boy. I did try plumbers mat too but thought it wasn't as good as loft insulation or firerope. I made a coil of rope and filled the tin 1 strand thick. If you use firerope there is no real need for the mesh. Shoe polish tins are good. Ultimately its all down to personal preferences + whats to hand!
HTH

 

[Paulm]

That's worth knowing peaks, haven't cut the mat up yet, but don't actually have anything else to hand, unless I get the steps out and go up into the loft for a handful of insulation, might do that then actually !

Cheers, Paul

 

[Paulm]

Woohoo, sorted !

Monkey Boy stove made up in ten minutes, soaked with meths, popped in the crusader stove, 500ml of cold water, no lid, and rolling boil in 10 minutes in slightly breezy conditions

Went on for another 5 minutes until I got bored and manouvered the shoe polish lid on with a twig to snuff it out, looks like it would have gone on for quite a time yet.

Only question now is whether I should have let it burn dry to avoid any leakage of residual meths from the tin as it is a press fit lid, albeit very tight fit. Hmm, just thought of that, will let it cool down and see, might burn it dry after and then use less meths next time.

So I think this method as first choice (I already have a couple of bottles of meths in my wood finishiing stores, and got one of the storage bottles when I picked up the trangia a couple of days ago), so nothing else needed, and a pack of hexi blocks as back up if needed

Cheers, Paul

 

[ateallthepies]

Glad you got it sorted!

I have these tins off Ebay, seem decent and is what I would have used for this burner as I think storing unused fuel would be easier with a screw cap?

These are 70mm so may be tight?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-x-60ml-...ails_Manicure_Pedicure_CA&hash=item2a29ff0b89

These are 55mm and would be ample for a 500ml boil..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-x-30ml-...ails_Manicure_Pedicure_CA&hash=item27d18de454

Also if a hole was cut out of another lid you could make a simmer ring! The extra lid fits snug on the bottom of the tin for storage.

Steve.

 

[peaks]

Crosman .22 or .177 pellet tins also work well........they have the screw lid too.

Glad you are sorted Paulm. You could cut the plumbers mat to fit the well on the crusader and use it as insulation for the burner for when on cold ground?