Kelly Kettle

[Zodiak]

Help to anybody else with a Kelly Kettle

One the few occasions I have set it up properly it works really well, 1ltr of water boiled in under 2 minutes, but as this is normally preceded with 20 minutes faffing about.

I have tried thin bits of wood, thick sticks, thin sticks, short sticks but nine times out of ten it works for a few minutes and goes out.

I am going to take it camping with me in a few weeks, along with some old friends, and it would be nice if I could make it go at least half the time

 

[spamel]

I think the basic method is to put some thin dry twigs in, a few bits of paper or birch bark at the base and set it going, then stick thin pieces of wood down the chimney. You may need to give it a blow to get more oxygen in at the start.

 

[oops56]

Also hold up you wet finger see witch way the wind blowing. Then the fire pot got some air holes turn them into to wind

 

[Mang]

I was pondering getting one at some stage. Are they a must have piece of kit or more of an occassional thing? I guess it's not practical to take hiking because you've got to wait around whilst it cools?

 

[oops56]

Well i be dam whats the big hurry are the woods going to run away and you cant catch up.Also if you are in a big hurry just eat cold food forget the stove.

 

[Paganwolf]

Well i be dam whats the big hurry are the woods going to run away and you cant catch up.Also if you are in a big hurry just eat cold food forget the stove.

A man after my own heart oops, i like your style buddy

You build a fire in the base like any other fire you have to get the recipe right on a smaller scale, a nice size ball of tinder (birch bark peelings etc) and some matchstick thin say birch twigs increasing up to pencil thickness, tinder in the base with some matchstick thin twigs standinng up in the inside of the kettle and light the tinder as soon as that starts burning the thermal column starts to suck through and burn up the thin twigs inside the kettle body.
Once you have the matchstick thick ones going increase to pencil thickness and then thin splints of split wood or split sticks for example can then be added (or if you have it fat wood / resinous pine), once the fire starts to burn you can feed carefully long thin peices into the top just popped in taking care not to burn your self in the thermal column (some call them volcano kettles for good reason), and all the rest oops has said, its one of those bits of kit you sit and use in the woods once you have got it off pat its a fast method of boiling water Good luck, keep trying you said your self you have already done it a few times just follow the same procedure

 

[Tiley]

Are they a must have piece of kit or more of an occassional thing?

I would say an occasional thing. They take up a fair bit of space but they are quick to get a brew going (once it's up and running). I would opt for a Thermette rather than a Kelly. I've got both and find the Thermette quicker and easier to use and, being made of copper, you don't have the concerns of taking on board those aluminium bitties that might or might not do you harm. They are great if you're camping in one place for a few days or have many brews to make.

 

[Mang]

Well i be dam whats the big hurry are the woods going to run away and you cant catch up.Also if you are in a big hurry just eat cold food forget the stove.

You're right...Unless you have Cub Scouts everywhere!!

 

[Big Bad Stu]

Zodiak,

I use a Kelly Kettle nearly every day, it is in my car brew kit (I am a surveyor). Until you have the technique off pat they can be as frustrating as hell!

I find it best if you take a small bundle of prepared wood as your fuel as you cannot be sure of finding suitable fuel when you are out. I am currently burning some pine that part of a fence I demolished at home earlier this year. I have split it to sticks about 10cm long and less than 1cm square. I also carry a bit of old car inner tube that I cut chunks off to use as a initial fire starter (It is easy to light and burns for a good while on it's own, some people use tea lights for this).

I place the pan on a flat and level surface with the holes facing the wind. I prepare three or four feather sticks from the prepared fuel wood. Then I fill the kettle. Build a teepee shaped fire in the base of the pan using the feather sticks (it is important that you can place the kettle on the pan so the fire should not be too big). Light the inner tube and place it in the centre of the feather sticks and when it is going well put the kettle on.

At this point you should feed in fuel down the chimney, this should be almost continuous to keep the temperature up and boil the water fast. You cannot light a Kelly Kettle and leave it to look after itself. If it looks like it needs a hand on your hands and knees and blow into the holes. When the fire is well established I usually add some dry twigs etc. from the adjacent hedges.

The kettle works like any other chimney by convection so it relies on the heat of the fire to draw air through the fuel perpetuating the combustion.

When you have been using one for a while you will get to know when you have done enough to boil the water. Oh, soft woods are better as they burn at a higher temperature than hardwoods (Softwoods for boiling, hardwoods for broiling).

Hope this helps.

Stewey.

 

[Schwert]

I have never had any real difficulty keeping a Kelly going. The trick is to get a decent small fire going in the pan, point the holes towards any wind, add the chimney and then feed it small sticks.

I find 4-7" sticks work great as they lodge in the chimney and do not smother out the fire base.

Flames this high are not always the norm, but decent fuel and some attention should get you to a boil in just a few minutes.

 

[tombear]

I'm affraid if its wet I cheat and take along some firelighters, well not firelighters as such but you know those "logs" made from wax and sawdust that they sell in supermarkets for yuppies with open fires in their converted warehouse flats? One brands called "Firelog" I think, anyroad you can saw them into a vast number of little finger sized pieces, they don't smell or leave any nasty residue and I've had no trouble lighting them. You can buy them for camping already made up but they cost a silly amount that way.

I use a old PLCE bergan side pocket, padded out with karrimat to carry the stove (a Thermette) and if I have it strapped to the side of my day bag with the lid open and the stove upside down it makes a handy receptacle for dropping suitable hanging bits of dry dead wood into as I bimble along. Ok I drop some as its not exactly well placed but I'm usually with someone whos happy to fill it up with twigs so i can brew up.

ATB

Tom

 

[Zodiak]

Wow thanks for the encouragement, I will try again.

Looking back I probably didn't establish a decent enough fire in the pan first and it sounds as if my fuel was too small.

As for the firelighting "logs" then I am OK because my mother in law al;ways buys me some for christmas, to save me having to "mess about" when I go camping.

 

[Schwert]

The longer sticks really does seem to make a huge difference. Dropping in too many cones or wood chunks could smother out the fire or block the air holes.

I have though of making an accelerator....a short brass tube with some plastic tubing to really blast some air into the pan, but so far I have not done so.

I really just get the fire established in the pan with some small splits, shavings and a fuzz stick or two, then add the chimney and let it start drawing. Then in with a small number of longer sticks and before I know it I have boiling water.

I generally carry a couple of fatwood splits in case I cannot find any dry material to get it going. But once I have it drawing even moderately damp sticks and cones can be used as long as you limit the amount.

Good luck these really are exceptionally fun and useful boilers.

 

[Mang]

I have never had any real difficulty keeping a Kelly going.

I find 4-7" sticks work great as they lodge in the chimney and do not smother out the fire base.
.

That shot of the kelly kettle you've used really does show it off well.

"logs" made from wax and sawdust that they sell in supermarkets
Tom

A few of those seem a good idea, I guess with what you've both posted that you could pretty much take a kettle out pre loaded (if say, it's wet) and then just empty it out and start it up from scratch.

 

[spamel]

Where are people getting their thermettes from? The only place I found was in america na d was quite pricey, so import tax is gonna sting!

 

[Tiley]

I got mine from the U.S. which struck me a a little perverse since they're made in New Zealand. Now would be quite a good time to indulge in one, what with the dollar going through a steady decline. Alternatively, get a friend who's going to NZ to try and pick one up. I love mine; prefer it in almost every way to the ubiquitous Kelly.

 

[ganstey]

I'm still trying to buy a Kelly. I ordered the first one from a certain website that's now gone bust. The second I ordered on "Buy It Now" from EvilBay, and the seller claims they're out of stock, but expected any day now :tapedshut

 

[oetzi]

I'm affraid if its wet I cheat and take along some firelighters, well not firelighters as such but you know those "logs" made from wax and sawdust that they sell in supermarkets for yuppies with open fires in their converted warehouse flats? One brands called "Firelog" I think, anyroad you can saw them into a vast number of little finger sized pieces, they don't smell or leave any nasty residue and I've had no trouble lighting them. You can buy them for camping already made up but they cost a silly amount that way.

ITom

You can make them easily yourself:
Get an empty egg-crate and fill it tighly with sawdust, which you can get for free by the megaton from every carpenter etc.
Collect candle stumps from your family, friends etc.
melt them down and pour the wax into the egg-grate.

They make an excellent fire starter!

 

[Burnt Ash]

Help to anybody else with a Kelly Kettle

One the few occasions I have set it up properly it works really well, 1ltr of water boiled in under 2 minutes, but as this is normally preceded with 20 minutes faffing about.

I have tried thin bits of wood, thick sticks, thin sticks, short sticks but nine times out of ten it works for a few minutes and goes out.

I am going to take it camping with me in a few weeks, along with some old friends, and it would be nice if I could make it go at least half the time

Something that doesn't get mentioned often, but you have to be careful with volcano kettles. When they're going and drawing well, the chimney is like a blow-torch. Be very careful when feeding fuel into the top of the chimney: it's easy to get your fingers burned.

Bunt Ash

 

[tombear]

Excellent idea Oetzi! I'll have to try that although at the moment i'm fresh out of candle stubs from making one of those corrugated cardboard Hobo stoves.

Its just occured to me that a knife heated up (just left to stand in some boiling water should do it?) would cut the wax log thingies with less mess than a saw.

I much prefer the Thermette over the Kelly or the Eco Stove (Kelly clone). A mate in NZ who lives near the factory sent me mine in thanks for some info he needed from the old Pattern Room at Leeds I was able to get him. When I can find something else to trade I'm down for one of the giant thermettes that the NZ army issues.

The folding handle on the side of the Thermette is a real boon, the Kellys makes it awkward to pack and you have to take that little bit more care with it to avoid frying your hand or scorching it.

ATB

Tom