Making a tin-can billy?

[lewismansell]

I'm going wild-camping next week and taking my gas-stove for cooking food and my little coke-can stove for just making up a brew. Any suggestions on making a billy-can for making tea, that I can make out of a food tin can? I've been trying to use a pineapple tin which has worked well when testing it, but I can't find a solution to pick it up off the stove and pull back the lid.

 

[soulstar1963]

put two holes in it opposite sides of the tin and make a handle out of something like fence wire or an old coathanger.......for a lid handle basically the same ......maybe just one hole and a piece of wire could do it bent so that it cant pull out

 

[bhofmann]

Is it safe to boil or cook in cans? Do they have any protective "lining" to be concerned about? What about rust; will they rust, and does that not make them unsafe? Just wondering. Seems to good for tins that we might recycle to have potential lives as billy cans.

 

[Asa Samuel]

A lot of cans do have plastic linings which when heated will then leach chemicals into whatever you are cooking/heating.

Rust your right is another factor, I would say if it is just once or twice then go ahead but any more than that you would want a proper pot.

 

[lewismansell]

I've got a coat hangar, but it's got a slight plasticcy film on it, would this be okay or not?

The can doens't seem to have anything on the inside, compared to baked bean cans that I've seen.

 

[sasquatch]

This might be bad advice but if it doesn't seem lined heat it up a few times before you use it for food and water, that'll hopefully burn off any greeblies. For a few uses you should be alright but don't quote me on that if you do it and mutate! I've done it before and I'm fine as far as I know(I could be full of bad stuff and not know it though!). You can burn off or cut the coating on the coat hanger too but it shouldn't matter for a bail arm...

 

[Neumo]

You are probably better off with a Stainless Steel biscuit tin or other pot & then put bail arms on that. You can pick them up for a pound or two if you look round

 

[John Fenna]

I will have a few SS cans that make great hobo stove pots (fit inside drainers) for sale or swap at the Moot! Too cheap to bother posting them as the postage would be about the same price as the can!

 

[bushcraftbob]

I've just made a stainless one using an old stainless tea bag tin! I used a bike whell spoke as a little handle. I drilled a couple of small holes in to either side to accept the spoke. Its very satisfying making your own stuff isnt it??

 

[John Fenna]

Oh - it certainly is!
See my DIY book for more ideas