Suspended fire

stuart f

Full Member
Jan 19, 2004
1,397
11
56
Hawick, Scottish Borders
Hi all, i had an idea due to this thread http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=12662&highlight=roasting+tray,but its taken till today to get my finger out and try it,so heres some photos of my efforts.









The idea was that all you would need to carry is the roasting tray and the four chains,and just rig up a tripod with branches when your out and about.

I bought a four metre length of chain from Homebase, which i cut into equal lengths added the s bend hooks,drilled the holes in the tray and that was that.

I thought that you could use it as a fire without scorching the ground,or maybe fill it with charcoal stick on a grill tray and use it as a BBQ.

Anyway it might not have a place in bushcraft but i just had to have a go at it,as i say the thread inspired me.
 

Longstrider

Settler
Sep 6, 2005
990
12
59
South Northants
Thats a really neat idea. I'll bet that if you got it close enough to the ground (or put a rock under it) you could cook a bannock in a pan beneath the fire-tray. There should be plenty of heat radiating down from it to brown your cooking with minimal risk of getting ash in your grub. :) All whilst cooking sausages above the fire. Bannock 'n' bangers anyone? Yum!
 

RAPPLEBY2000

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 2, 2003
3,195
14
51
England
amen to that!
very good idea, here some ideas if you want to improve/sell the idea!

use metal telescopic legs! (for carrying it around and metal won't burn)

get some sort of grill you can move up or down on the chains(BBQ market).

have an option of hanging it from a branch or rock with a long chain?

your hanging point is paracord? noooo! use something that will not melt or burn like a metal hook

just my 2p! ;)

a reusable safe BBQ, enviromentally friendly, no chemicals, minimised fire risk, heating options, it would work in a teepee!

one possible danger would be pushing a stick onto the fire, might swing the fire tray aroundor tip it causeing fire/burn risk.
solution? slack springs to each leg, or rigid arms across to the legs.

it's a great idea many would buy one, possibly overseas sales! get your copyrite in now!


:You_Rock_
 

AJB

Native
Oct 2, 2004
1,821
9
57
Lancashire
Hi,

It seems a bit silly at first glance, but then it turns into a cracking idea!

One thing about its suspension, I did this for my Colman lamp, I have about a metre of light chain, strong enough to take the weight, which I hook onto the lamp which is tied at the other end to paracord. The chain, obviously, is long enough to remove the paracord out of the range of the heat from the lamp; I then chuck it over a branch and suspend the lamp from it. It would be easy to do the same thing with your fire pan so there was no need for the tripod, just a couple of metres of a light chain and a hand full of cord.

(And of course, as you have such a long pendulum, you could use it for impromptu Catholic masses!)

AJB
 

stuart f

Full Member
Jan 19, 2004
1,397
11
56
Hawick, Scottish Borders
Hi guys thanks for the comments.

Longstrider, that is a cracking idea about the bannock,that thought never even entered my head.

Rappleby, the idea behind it was that there would be no need to carry a tripod, but just knock one up when you set up camp.
The paracord in the photo was for demonstration purposes only,the truth was i could'nt be ars*d to go through my rucksack and get the other chain that i normally use for making tripods up.
Another cracking idea about using it in a teepee, i think it would be slightly cheaper than some of the heaters for teepees.
I was also thinking about the burn risk if it was swaying about,so i came up with the idea that if you were to place four stakes, one for each side of the tray and hammer them into the ground,that would stop it from swaying around.

AJB,the catholic inpromptu masses cracked me up. mmm! now theres a thought i wonder if the Vatican might be interested in buying a few :D
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,890
2,142
Mercia
Stuart,

As a lightweight alterantive to chain, you might consider either wire rope (crimped into loops - easy to do) or even Pike fishing lead wire. I make snares out of this stuf - its thin, light and has a 75lb breaking strain. Oh - genius by the way!

Red
 

Greywolf

Forager
Jun 5, 2005
188
4
55
East Riding of Yorkshire
British Red said:
Stuart,

As a lightweight alterantive to chain, you might consider either wire rope (crimped into loops - easy to do)


Just read this then went outside and saw the perfect suspension cable... pushbike brake cable, lightweight, strong and reasonably long too.
They come ready terminated so no nead for the hooks, just drill the pan and thread through.
You could use metal 'chocklock' electical wire connectors to fasten the tops into loops.

:D

Greywolf
 

Nemisis

Settler
Nov 20, 2005
604
6
70
Staffordshire
You lot are heading for a whole pile of grief nicking the kids bike brake cables and your wifes best enamel roasting tin. Great idea though SF.
Dave.
 

nobby

Nomad
Jun 26, 2005
370
2
76
English Midlands
Greywolf said:
Just read this then went outside and saw the perfect suspension cable... pushbike brake cable, lightweight, strong and reasonably long too.
They come ready terminated so no nead for the hooks, just drill the pan and thread through.
You could use metal 'chocklock' electical wire connectors to fasten the tops into loops.

:D

Greywolf

Aren't bike cable nipples soldered on?
 

stuart f

Full Member
Jan 19, 2004
1,397
11
56
Hawick, Scottish Borders
Nice bit of tackle,but i guess it would be a tad heavy for my Sabre35,plus i don't think my knees would hold out with the weight. As i say nice looking,cheers for the photo.
 

Longstrider

Settler
Sep 6, 2005
990
12
59
South Northants
I would steer clear of the brake cable myself. I have used it for a few jobs in the past, including tethering traps, jerry rigging various "inventions" that got hot by the fire and all sorts. Every time I've got brake cable hot it has degenerated badly, becoming rusty at the drop of hat from that moment on and becoming encrusted with a white powdery substance I assume to be due to the breakdown of some chemical coating (galvanising?) on the wire.

I use cheap, lightweight, brass chain from my local ironmongers for suspending billy cans and the like so I would use it for this job too.
 

Kane

Forager
Aug 22, 2005
167
1
UK
Going to knock one of these up for our proposed garden campout in the summer hols - was wondering how I could sneak a fire in without damaging the lawn lol :D
 

Nicklas Odh

Forager
Mar 3, 2006
120
0
54
Ed, Sweden
A way of stopping the swaying/swinging about is to have the chains a bit longer and A: attach the with tent pegs in the ground or B: pull the chains sideways and attach them to the tripod. If the whole thing is attached to a tree it gives a new meaning to the term A-frame :)
 

Goose

Need to contact Admin...
Aug 5, 2004
1,797
21
57
Widnes
www.mpowerservices.co.uk
I have seen lightweight metal wire for sale in shops, Ikea and the like, it is sold for curtain wire and pull cords I think. It is bare braided wire, not the old style elasticated plastic coated stuff BTW.
 

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