Kelly Kettle first burn.....

[bobnewboy]

My good lady bought me a Kelly Kettle, basecamp s/steel version, for my recent birthday. Since she is away on rehab, I thought I'd have a little back garden man cave time

So tonight I fired it up for the first time. I filled it to the brim (first but minor mistake) with fresh tap water, and made a little fire in the base, starting it with birch bark and firesteel. Following the instructions I put the water holder on top, and then dropped some split dry pine in, about 3 maybe 4 ounces, via the chimney. The chimney effect is very marked and within 4 minutes I had a full kettle of water at a rolling boil. Just as well, because the overflow then put the fire out D'oh!

Made myself a big pinta tea and sat back to smile

So a good lesson learnt - dont overfill. The kettle doesnt cause any taint, unlike some I have used, so the tea was good as well.

A question for you guys - should the inner chimney ever be cleaned? I'm guessing not, and being the lazy type I probably wont...

 

[tracker1972]

No expert but if the one I use (not actually mine) has ever been cleaned it was with bitumen! I am just going with black absorbs heat, so cleaning would make it inefficient, therefore environmentally bad... (Don't worry, I am aware that the science behind my assumption ignores everything that may encourage the application of elbow grease).

 

[sunndog]

Cleaning?...nah

 

[Toddy]

Nope, never cleaned mine

M

 

[Chiseller]

Me neither.....drop a small porcelain ball inside and it will let you know that the watta is coming to a boil....or find an old kettle whistle

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[Goatboy]

Yes a small Victorian urchin should be forced to clean the chimney while singing with a rather bad Cockney accent.


Nah, like the others say I wouldn't bother. It's short and efficient enough that it wont clog up with soot and it'll be more efficient when darkened by use.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[Alan 13~7]

I've never used one or seen one in the flesh but I do love the idea of the Kelly Kettle,
Will your good lady be expecting the grass cutting in front of your man cave before her return???
Being a keen gardener, I have to keep mine short.
Your long grass does make for a perfect backdrop for your Kelly though!

 

[redneck]

cleaning it would be a Kelly kettle crime!

 

[bobnewboy]

I've never used one or seen one in the flesh but I do love the idea of the Kelly Kettle,
Will your good lady be expecting the grass cutting in front of your man cave before her return???
Being a keen gardener, I have to keep mine short.
Your long grass does make for a perfect backdrop for your Kelly though!

Heh heh. I'm afraid that general gardening is the work of the devil as far as I'm concerned The man cave area is my small part of the back garden. Hand made shed, yellow raspberry stand in a raised bed, and unkempt grass. What you cant see are the raised beds full of various veg etc. only small but productive. Those and the tidy parts of the garden, with the exception of most of the woodwork, are created and tended by my good
Lady. She is the keener gardener of the two of us.

Thanks all, sounds like I have the right approach re: cleaning

 

[Alan 13~7]

pretty much my wife's approach to gardening is Mums garden Dads weeds, My approach is more if you can't eat it its a weed, Tracy does the pretty flowers, but keeping the grass short is pretty much down to me, man cave time is mandatory straight after the grass cutting is done... my 14' by 14' shed made from old pallets is my man cave, I have to admit due to spending too much man cave time my vegies patch has failed to make an appearance for the past 2 years so it's just strawberries & the odd cherry & a few forgotten wild potatos, elderberries & next doors wild bramble weeds...

 

[mrcharly]

I have the aluminium version, never bothered cleaning it. Gets stored in a cotton leg from a ragged pair of trousers. Usually keep a plastic bag containing lighter, box of matches and couple of sticks of dry wood (in case there isn't anything to burn where I stop).

Mostly it has been used on overnight group cycling rides, when we knew there were no cafes open late. If I go on a ride, the leader asks "Are you bringing your stove? If so, we won't bother with taking another one, will make sure someone brings marshmallows.". One boil does hot water for 5-6 drinks and is faster than any other stove.
Have done a very late night ride with little kids; they love toasting marshmallows over the kelly kettle and it is quite safe with the flame so contained. Just keep an eye on people bumping it.

 

[Modchop]

I've so nearly bought one of these so many times over the last few years, super efficient quick boilers and good fun to boot.
I'd go for the stainless version myself but my one reservation is that they use ally rivets to fix the handle to the body of the flask and I've heard several reports of leaks due to the reaction and corrosion of the aluminium and the stainless steel, not sure if KK have yet addressed this.

 

[Native Nathan]

Yes KK have fixed the issue with their new Kettles.

I have the ALU Base camp (Large) Model.

I used to clean mine religiously in the sink with a brillo pad, then one day I was ill and couldn't be bothered to clean it, I used it a few times (but I felt kind of disgusted with myself, because of how dirty it was) I was taking it inside to clean it, when my father in law asked if i cleaned the fire pit with brillo pads after each use.
Puzzled by his question.. I said no.
Then he asked why I was cleaning the KK, and he made a comment that was my lightbulb moment , He said "Isn't the inside of the KK just a fire pit anyway?

I've never cleaned it since and I've never had any issues with it.

I do occasionally rub the inside down with sand from the river bottom, before I put it away, this gets off any of the loose particles that would otherwise fall off in my bag.

on a side note, I keep a BIC Lighter, a ferro rod, a pot grip, some 3 in 1 coffee sachets and some home-made fire disks in my pan, I found it wasn't very good as a pan on top
I also fill my KK with Silver Birch Bark and dry twigs when I'm finished so its always ready to go.

I've just obtained the Hobo stove attachment and this makes it much more useful, I found the grill wasn't much good for anything other than keeping my cup warm.
so now when the water has boiled and im left with a fire that i can use and cook on.

 

[bobnewboy]

I've so nearly bought one of these so many times over the last few years, super efficient quick boilers and good fun to boot.
I'd go for the stainless version myself but my one reservation is that they use ally rivets to fix the handle to the body of the flask and I've heard several reports of leaks due to the reaction and corrosion of the aluminium and the stainless steel, not sure if KK have yet addressed this.

No rivets on mine. The handle and stopper chain are attached by stainless pieces welded on. In any case replacing pop rivets is quite a simple task.....

 

[sunndog]

I've so nearly bought one of these so many times over the last few years, super efficient quick boilers and good fun to boot.
I'd go for the stainless version myself but my one reservation is that they use ally rivets to fix the handle to the body of the flask and I've heard several reports of leaks due to the reaction and corrosion of the aluminium and the stainless steel, not sure if KK have yet addressed this.

The ally ones are pretty tough though dude, mine survived a camel trophy expedition before i bought it

 

[riggers]

Mate I've had mine for years and I have never cleaned it the only thing I do is make sure I don't use resinous woods all the time like pines ect I like to burn ash and oak and beech so to give it a good heat clean xxxxx

 

[dewi]

That's settled it for me... I'm off to Military Mart in the next couple of days to buy one. I'd been toying with the idea of a camp fire kettle, but I have other plans for above the camp fire, so a Kelly Kettle it is for brewing up.

Out of interest, how long does it take them to cool down after use? I know it will vary by local conditions, but a sort of average cool down time before you can pop them back in your bag and be on your way.

 

[Toddy]

Once it's emptied and away from any heat source my aluminium one is cool in a couple of minutes.
They are thin walled. It works to allow them to heat up very quickly, reduce weight, and yet cool down safely too.

Put it this way, by the time you've had your tea, rinsed out the mug and put it by, then the KK will be stone cold.

M

 

[Hammock_man]

Ghille kettle comes with whistle, Dewi. Confirm cooled down way before you are ready to move on.

 

[bobnewboy]

Once it's emptied and away from any heat source my aluminium one is cool in a couple of minutes.
They are thin walled. It works to allow them to heat up very quickly, reduce weight, and yet cool down safely too.

Put it this way, by the time you've had your tea, rinsed out the mug and put it by, then the KK will be stone cold.

M

That is quite correct I think that a little practice will ensure the correct water level and amount of wood to burn to get it to a rolling boil. More tea for me!