Honey Stove

[Elen Sentier]

I bought myself a Honey Stove a couple of months back and have used it several times. It boils water for a brew fast and does a good frypan or billy can meal. I still have soem trouble putting it together, probably because I've got srthritic-deformed hands (a certain amount of swearing seems to help!). Taking it apart also seems to need me to wait until it's been cool for a while - makes sense about hot metal.

I like it and it's soooo easy to pack and carry. I do find I have trouble keeping on feeding it whih may mean I need to be even more aware of the woods I use. Always do small-to-mini twigs but (of course) some woods burn better than others.

Starting it - the most effective and lightweight way I've found in vaselined cotton wool balls, although charcloth and dropping a nest of burning dried grass in is good too.

Does anyone else use a Honey stove? Would like to hear how you find it and any tips. Have been reading other threads on stoves but couldn't find any specifically on the Honey.

 

[woodspirits]

hi Elen, yes i have one too, great little stove but like any twig burner they are always hungry for fuel and need a good stack prepared. if you carry a laplander type saw prepare some 25mm chunks ready to put on once it gets going, or pine cones, saves the constant feeding of twigs. i tend to take the top plate off and feed from the top too, and allows for a good feed of wood.

steve

 

[decorum]

It's a good little stove ~ but like all things it has pro's and con's as well as fans and non-fans. The Hive upgrade might suit you ~ it costs nothing to look .

Not so much a hints and tips thread, but you might find some useful bits and pieces in the 'Honey on Tour' thread ~ linky thing.

 

[Dave]

I got one recently. With the hive expansion. I may get an ultralight trivet, or make one myself. So I can put a few pots over it.
it's a bit of a sneaky way of almost being able to have a proper campfire, where you're not allowed to, with the hive expansion pack, but it does leave a scar, so Ive been putting stones under it.
I like it.

 

[Sleepy Weasel]

Ha! I'm not falling for that 'it doesnt hurt to take a look' thing again! Last time i did that I bought a pocket stove!
I love my Honey Stove, I usually run it with a Coke Can Meths burner and it works a treat. When I'm burning wood in it I've found that you do need to have a good supply of wood to hand as it is very efficient at getting rid of wood.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

I have just done three days cooking and brews on my honey and found that one of the bags of kindling you buy from the petrol station was just about right.
My method wasmto split it down to just under 1cm square then lay a small bed of them inside, next i squirted a small amount of greenheat gel (4 lights per sachet) lit this then fed more of the same size fuel. Once this was burning i could then feed 1inch square pieces to get a good burn and cook over.

The kindling cost £3 a bag and is quite light. Not bad for a cold damp weekend really.

 

[rik_uk3]

They are a pain in the bum to put together, have you tried using a Trangia burner in yours? Much easier for a quick brew than faffing about with twigs.

 

[Elen Sentier]

hi Elen, yes i have one too, great little stove but like any twig burner they are always hungry for fuel and need a good stack prepared. if you carry a laplander type saw prepare some 25mm chunks ready to put on once it gets going, or pine cones, saves the constant feeding of twigs. i tend to take the top plate off and feed from the top too, and allows for a good feed of wood.

steve

Yes, it's hungry little thing. I collect twigs as I'm walking and make a stash at home and/or when I stop. Top feeding is easier but not always when doing a brew. I've begun taking my old pruning saw with me, can't afford a Laplander.

 

[Elen Sentier]

They are a pain in the bum to put together, have you tried using a Trangia burner in yours? Much easier for a quick brew than faffing about with twigs.

Chuckle We're all different, I find the meths stoves a faff! Used a trangia, that's why I got the Honey

 

[Elen Sentier]

I have just done three days cooking and brews on my honey and found that one of the bags of kindling you buy from the petrol station was just about right.
My method wasmto split it down to just under 1cm square then lay a small bed of them inside, next i squirted a small amount of greenheat gel (4 lights per sachet) lit this then fed more of the same size fuel. Once this was burning i could then feed 1inch square pieces to get a good burn and cook over.

The kindling cost £3 a bag and is quite light. Not bad for a cold damp weekend really.

Hmm I don't know the greenheat gel, may try it when my vaseline-cotton wool balls run out. Garage kindling can be a lifesaver indeed. If I've got the car as a base-camp I take a load of home kindling with me in the boot. we have a woodburner, live in the back of beyond and near woods so there's always lots. I like cooking on it, better smells than the meths too

 

[Elen Sentier]

It's a good little stove ~ but like all things it has pro's and con's as well as fans and non-fans. The Hive upgrade might suit you ~ it costs nothing to look .

Not so much a hints and tips thread, but you might find some useful bits and pieces in the 'Honey on Tour' thread ~ linky thing.

Ta for the tip - will go look.

 

[Elen Sentier]

Ha! I'm not falling for that 'it doesnt hurt to take a look' thing again! Last time i did that I bought a pocket stove!
I love my Honey Stove, I usually run it with a Coke Can Meths burner and it works a treat. When I'm burning wood in it I've found that you do need to have a good supply of wood to hand as it is very efficient at getting rid of wood.

LOL - yay, I suffer from that too! But I have had a look at the Hive and hubby has it on my prezzie list ... here's hoping! The Poekt Stove leered at me when I went for the Honey but I gave it the cold shoulder

 

[lannyman8]

you could make some fire brick type things from post rubbish and old news papers, just rip them up soak them in water and mash hell out of them for a bit util like paper pulp, drain od the thickest of the water then squeeze them into a ball or use a mold of your choice, a shot glass or what ever size suits....

leave them some place warm to dry out totally, then spark then up in the stove and they should burn just like a fire log you get from the garage...they will cost nothing but time, be light to carry and dry ready to burn, i would think they would burn for some time too, i have never used this my self but its on my list of things to do when im home...

 

[rik_uk3]

Chuckle We're all different, I find the meths stoves a faff! Used a trangia, that's why I got the Honey

Your new...I'll turn you to the stove way as I have so many others here

 

[copper_head]

I use Hammaro Tinder Card for lighting my honey stove (and everything else for that matter). Great stuff; water resistant, takes a spark, you only need a little and burns like a fire lighter.

I do like it with the trangia meths burner too...

 

[Elen Sentier]

you could make some fire brick type things from post rubbish and old news papers, just rip them up soak them in water and mash hell out of them for a bit util like paper pulp, drain od the thickest of the water then squeeze them into a ball or use a mold of your choice, a shot glass or what ever size suits....

leave them some place warm to dry out totally, then spark then up in the stove and they should burn just like a fire log you get from the garage...they will cost nothing but time, be light to carry and dry ready to burn, i would think they would burn for some time too, i have never used this my self but its on my list of things to do when im home...

Nice one ... will do that. Soemhing (else) to do wile my feet have to be up. Ta for the tip.

 

[Elen Sentier]

Your new...I'll turn you to the stove way as I have so many others here

Looking fwd to the attempts ... makes a change from etchings

 

[Weiman]

Have purchased the Honey and Trangia 25, and took them to John Muir Country Park near Dunbar to try them out while walking my 2 Weimaraner dogs with my wife. used the Trangia with the meths burner for drinks it lit first time with a fire steel. the Honey stove was used in the hexagon config filled with small dry twigs a couple of feather sticks pine cones and some larger sticks battoned to size, it lit frst time using a firesteel with some vaselined cotton wool and vaselined paper (4 reciepts crunched up) only small prob was trying to build up enough embers to BBQ the Cumberland sauseges. This was achieved by building up a stock of wood pices that were large enough to produce enough embers to cook 1lb of sauseges. No not a glutton some were for the boys.
Weather was windy temp 3deg c the Honey which lit very easy lasted all day. the Trangia once the burner cooled down and the meths cooled down with the temp would not light with a fire steel had to warm burner on Honey or use lighter or 1 pice of vaselined cotton wool on a twig.
So all in all a good day out was had and will get the hive extension.