Kelly Kettle got bashed?

[haptalaon]

Hello all,

I just got a 2nd hand kelly kettle - it was fine as pictured - but I think it got bumped in transit & the stove base is now wedged inside the kettle, on a slight angle. Or possibly it has got cold, or warm, and the metals have expanded. It's an aluminium one.

Anyone experienced this before and got some insight into getting it unwedged?

Cheers all x

 

[Kepis]

wide stick down the chimney and tap away, see if you can go at a slight angle so you tap towards the edges of the base, lots of little light taps will eventually see it just pop out.

 

[slowworm]

If the base is wedged in the kettle you could try pouring boiling water into the kettle?

 

[Pattree]

Oh yes! It happens sometimes if you pack away too quick when striking camp.

You will indeed need to be careful with the aluminium one. Have you tried warming it in an oven set at about 120 - no more abs then tapping it gently with a wooden mallet. It is sometimes worth tapping it INWARDS on the pertuding side to level up.

 

[haptalaon]

Fabulous! Thank you all - with an OK from you all, i gave it a bit of a gentle bash & it's come out. Tapped it back into the kettle entirely, and then went down the chimney with a cane and bashed around the edge slightly, round in a circle until it got out. This is going to be a right nuisance XD but it'll do for the level of hiking i have planned for it

 

[haptalaon]

Next question for people who have a kettle:

The base of the stove is convex - is it designed like this, or is this because I gave it a bash/it got knocked, & do i need to tap it back into shape.


& is there anything I need to do to reduce the chance of this happening in future? Anything I can rig up? or is it just care & patience.

Ohhh and a third question now I'm asking new kettle owner questions: I don't have any of the accessories, they're on my xmas list. Do you think making a tripod over the kettle and very gently lowering a pot above it would work? Because I know the smallest kettle is supposed to be a bit precarious with the pot holder on it anyway. Ditto for holding a pot over the stove, as a substitute for the hobo stove? Or is there something about the way the heat needs to be funnelled.

 

[Pattree]

Well…… I’m biased because I was, to a small degree involved in the development of the Kelly Hobo stove.
The trouble with the chimney pot support is that the kettle boils too fast for proper cooking. You can’t use it without water. It can also destabilise, even the Base Camp (big one).
The grill bars that come with the cook set are sort of OK if you’ve got plenty of hardwood embers.
However:
The Hobo is light weight, packs almost imperceptibly and works like any other twig stove and can easily be refuelled while cooking. I use it every bit as much as I use the kettle.



This is the littlest hobo

(I have no connection with the Kelly Kettle company or it’s distributors)

pee ess - I have recently added the Zebra 14cm pot to my Trekker (smallest) kettle kit. The whole lot fits snugly inside the Zebra pot.
You will need to modify (or just remove) the plastic handle supports - there are loads of YouTube videos about that. I’ll do some photos later.

 

[nigelp]

Looks like a good accessory to the Kelly Kettle. I don’t use my KK as much as I used to but might take it more often if I could cook on top also after the water has boiled.

 

[Pattree]

Mine have never jammed that badly. Usually just a tap and a pull releases them if anything is needed at all. If you are really worried then pack it away standing on its base - I’ve worn out my original bag but it used to fit ok that way.



The Trekker OE cook set is just about OK for holding your meds!
This works very well. The zebra inner tray works as frying pan and the lid fits both pot and pan. It will all fit in the bag. You’ll also need a pot gripper.

This is the big Hobo:-



I’m an enthusiast, had you guessed?

 

[Laurentius]

Well…… I’m biased because I was, to a small degree involved in the development of the Kelly Hobo stove.
The trouble with the chimney pot support is that the kettle boils too fast for proper cooking. You can’t use it without water. It can also destabilise, even the Base Camp (big one).
The grill bars that come with the cook set are sort of OK if you’ve got plenty of hardwood embers.
However:
The Hobo is light weight, packs almost imperceptibly and works like any other twig stove and can easily be refuelled while cooking. I use it every bit as much as I use the kettle.

View attachment 83743

This is the littlest hobo

(I have no connection with the Kelly Kettle company or it’s distributors)

pee ess - I have recently added the Zebra 14cm pot to my Trekker (smallest) kettle kit. The whole lot fits snugly inside the Zebra pot.
You will need to modify (or just remove) the plastic handle supports - there are loads of YouTube videos about that. I’ll do some photos later.

View attachment 83747View attachment 83748

Does it also fit the smallest Ghillie kettle or are there slight differences in dimensions between ghillie and Kelly kettles?

 

[Pattree]

I don’t know. The only Ghillie Kettle that I’ve ever seen up close is the big one.
Hang on a minute……..

…… I’m back.
The internal diameter of the 14mm Zebra pot is 14.04cm.
The external diameter of the Trekker fire base is 13.8cm.
A perfect loose fit.

All you need now is a ruler

 

[Pattree]

Another KK tip that I discovered by accident.

With the bale loop on the spout side bend the wire hook fractionally higher than the loop itself - say just one diameter. Do this on both sides of the kettle.

The bale loop (handle) now folds flat against the kettle beneath the spout for packing but is held away from the kettle for pouring.

 

[Pattree]

Does it also fit the smallest Ghillie kettle or are there slight differences in dimensions between ghillie and Kelly kettles?

……. or are you asking whether the small Hobo would fit the Ghillie?
Again I don’t know but the little hobo stove flange (max) diameter is 12.03cm.
The big one is 14.98cm.

 

[Brizzlebush]

Just curious about Kelly vs Ghillie. If anyone has experience of both/ either?

The stainless kelly is pretty robust and seems as though it'll last for yonks.

In comparison the hard-anodised ghillie seems v robust as well. But I've a few concerns about the longevity of the coating/aluminium.

Kelly claim their whistle is better, being rubbery (they would), and the metal whistle on the ghillie can get stuck with heat expansion (again, a kelly claim). Also I've heard the ghillie whistle can fall apart.
The kelly hobo stove looks to be a better design, and cheaper (made in China). But I don't think the ghillie hobo stove nests inside, which would be annoying.

Honestly I don't think either is a bad choice and the differences seem minor, and I'm almost certainly over-thinking this!

But, the ghillie is made in the UK, the kelly is not.
The weight difference is negligible to me. As is the price.

So, you pays your money, you takes your chances huh?

 

[Pattree]

Well I am totally biased here. I was, to a small degree, part of the development of the Kelly Hobo. Indeed that is the name that I used for it in a series of conversations with Patrick Kelly.

During those early experiments I was using the fire base from an aluminium 1.7 litre KK now called “Base Camp”. Kelly had introduced the stainless steel option just a year or so before this. Patrick sent me a stainless steel fire base because (in his words) “if you are using it for out and out cooking it’s going to distort or melt the aluminium.” I don’t want to make any exaggerated claim here - What started out as a complaint about the old cooking system turned into a conversation from which after some time the Hobo went onto the market. We exchanged experiments, dimensions and recommendations. I still have my crude prototypes.

So, for practical reasons and from an emotional bias I would recommend the stainless steel KK. For boiling water I don’t think it makes any difference at all. However boiling water is now only a small part of my KK use. Cooking and a coffee maker have become far more important and water is relegated to my little KK Trekker (0.5L). It’s worth saying that you can do a lot of work with the smallest kettle and it uses tiny amounts of fuel.

Referring to the OP. If your kettle gets a significant ding, you could try rattling some 20mm ball bearings inside it.
Me? I like using battered kit.

 

[Wayne]

Mine got crushed by the baggage handlers at Gatwick I watched them drop my kit bag off the side of the airplane when unloading. I was pleasantly surprised that the base was the only thing damaged. the kettle still works it just sits at a jaunty angle.

 

[Dan00001]

I bought the Kelly Kettle Scout last week. I did consider the Ghillie but went with the KK because I prefer the extra durability of the stainless steel and also I found it for £40 online which was a great deal. I believe the Aluminium versions of the Kelly Kettle are still made in the UK but the Stainless Steel versions are made in China, obviously to keep costs reasonable because S/S is more expensive than Aluminium.


I have only used the KK twice, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience as did my son and my girlfriend.

The only concern I have is with the spot welds on the handle brackets, I just don't trust them. So much so that I'm considering drilling and riveting them for peace of mind.

 

[Pattree]

Do whatever makes you feel secure but those welds are not going to give way. They are not soldered. Spot welding works at extremely high temperatures and fuses the two pieces of steel together.

In the old days aluminium Kettles did occasionally leak around the rivets

I’ve been using my Stainless Steel Trekker for about ten years.

I am not connected with Kelly Kettle but I am a huge fan and have been so for nearly twenty years. The company is extremely safety conditions. In the days when the spout was closed with a cork the instructions to remove the cork when using the kettle appeared twice on the kettle, on all four faces of the cardboard packaging and at the top of each page of the accompanying leaflet.

The spot welds on my M40 stainless steel Swedish Army Svea cook set have taken a hammering since 1944 at the latest. I use it wherever I am not allowed or it is not expedient to use the Kelly. I use the M40 cook set on the Kelly Hobo.

 

[Dan00001]

Do whatever makes you feel secure but those welds are not going to give way. They are not soldered. Spot welding works at extremely high temperatures and fuses the two pieces together.

I think they're more likely to hold than fail, but if you dig around various forums/facebook groups, there have been a small number of instances and KK even mention the possibility of it happening on their website.

But it's the thought of one failing whilst lifting boiled water off of the burner and potentially splashing boiling water over myself/people around me, it's just not worth the risk.

 

[Pattree]

I hadn’t heard about defective kettles, but then I don’t do social media either. I am in the middle of an exchange with Patrick Kelly at the moment but had no idea.

I shall not concern myself regarding the welds but as I said: you must do whenever makes you feel secure.
I would suggest a single rivet in each side just to keep things in place should the weld fail. That way you also minimise risk of leakage.
Enjoy your kettle, they are fun and effective. I’m putting together a small show and tell about the Kelly Hobo for another website. Were I allowed I’d never use anything other than the system.