Making First Hobo and Billy Can

[Ferrion]

Having been inspired by several stoves i've seen here (Wayland/Addo/SteveSteve/Lostagain) I decided to have a crack at making one myself

Small SS Tin from Morrisons for the Billy £2.99 (I Believe this is what Wayland uses for his stove)
Cuttlery Container/Drainer from TX Maxx for the stove £1.99
2 Packs of SS Skewers from Wilkos £1.20
1 Meter of Chrome Chain from B&Q £2.48
4 Brass Hooks £1.54 B&Q
30cm 3/32 Brass Rod £1 Local Model Shop

Total Cost so far £11.20

Tools Used (So Far)
Dremel (+ Drill Bits)
Leatherman Wave

Things I've come to realise...

Drilling Stainless Steel is a time consuming process in which I've snapped a 0.8mm Drill Bit and the rest (1.2mm-3.2mm) have varying degrees of heating and probably blunting! (most of them have some degree of Straw coloration at the tip, with the smaller ones also having some blue). But the Billy has now been drilled to accept a handle of some sort I plan to have the Chain for hanging it and the brass rod will be bent into a more solid handle for use on a stove. They can then be removed for packing the stove set away (I love modularity)

I'm about to make a start on the stove itself, which is pretty much just cutting the feed port out and bending some skewers for pot stands and risers for the stove.

Anyone got any tips to help me? I'll be posting Pics of the finished article when it's all done.

 

[Wayland]

Yep. Drilling the stuff is a pain.

I find giving it a good belt with a dot punch and a hammer is a good way to start your drilling.

 

[Shewie]

I wacked a 3" screw in to the base with a hammer to pierce a hole for the drill bit to catch on, gets you through in no time I found. The base gets a few dents but they can soon be knocked back out again.

For cutting the feed holes out I used a cheapy Dremmel copy with a cutting disc on it. It still took a while but I got there in the end.


Rich

 

[Wayland]

Once I've got a decent hole through, a pair of aviation snips or even tin snips will cut the stuff with ease.

 

[MartiniDave]

For drilling stainless steel its worth buying cobalt drills rather than high speed steel. They cost a bit more but cut harder materials much better and last longer without sharpening (provided you don't snap them )

Dave

 

[addo]

Look forward to seeing it. If your drilling the stove part, have a fire in it first. Drills a bit easyer then and as the others have said a centre punch, screw, or nail is a good way to start a hole.

 

[Mesquite]

This is what I used to cut the opening in my stove http://http://Thin-Metal-Cutting-Discs. Cut through it no trouble at all.

 

[grebo247365]

I used the metal file on my SAK to cut the fuel port on my SS cutlery drainer stove, took two and a half hours of sawing away to complete.

 

[Joonsy]

i had a bash at a hobo as well, purely for use with natural fuel like wood/pine cones etc:, being a lover of simplicity i couldn't help thinking some of the modifications i've seen on these stoves seems unneccessary work, i got one of those ''Ikea'' drainers and as it was already full of holes couldn't see any reason to cut a hole in the side to feed fuel/wood as it is easy enough to slide cooking pot over for a second and feed wood down through the top, cutting a side hole just seemed unneccessary, for supporting cooking pot i just got an old bicycle wheel spoke and bent it into a V shape and placed it over the top, couldn't see any point in drilling holes for skewers when it's easier to place a support over the top and my support is short in length so i put it in stove or pot when packing away, my stove works great, no drilling or cutting whatsoever, i have to confess i made it out of curiosity as to it's merits however i have found due to the restricted flame and funnelling effect it brings water to the boil very quick with only a small amount of fuel.

 

[stevesteve]

Hi Joonsy,
The hole in the side of mine is just to have somewhere to feed it without taking the pot off.

You are right about the lots-of-heat-from-little-fuel efficiency. My small billy fits just inside the top with a narrow gap all the way round. All the heat hits the bottom then up the sides.

When I started using these I was considering buying a folding firebox when I spotted the drainer in Woolies. I bought one as an experiment and have used it ever since.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Ferrion]

Thanks for the tips and advice, wish i'd known some before i started the Billy but should help with the stove, looks like the main ingredient is patience! that a saying i love "think twice, act once"

heres a couple of pics of the Billy

Drilled
Billy with Chain
Billy with Brass Handle