Wood Stove Thing

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Love your idea biddlesby. We have a fire similar made from an old paint tin.It is called a comet. This was an idea from a book i read more than 30 years ago. The best one is 5 litre size but i'm sure that it can be scaled down to go in a backpack. Holes are made in the sides at the very bottom of the tin. Experiment with the amount and the results improve the fire inside. The tin must have a metal handle, and to this handle is attatched a 3' piece if wire (you may get away with line but i've never tried). This is where the name comes from and the bit i really like. Once the fire is lit in the bottom whirr the tin around your head and hey presto a lovely cooking flame! If you add a handle to your cooker you have a combicomet!! :D My original kept me very warm for a winter in the footwell of a morris van but that's another story.
 
swyn said:
Love your idea biddlesby. We have a fire similar made from an old paint tin.It is called a comet. This was an idea from a book i read more than 30 years ago. The best one is 5 litre size but i'm sure that it can be scaled down to go in a backpack. Holes are made in the sides at the very bottom of the tin. Experiment with the amount and the results improve the fire inside. The tin must have a metal handle, and to this handle is attatched a 3' piece if wire (you may get away with line but i've never tried). This is where the name comes from and the bit i really like. Once the fire is lit in the bottom whirr the tin around your head and hey presto a lovely cooking flame! If you add a handle to your cooker you have a combicomet!! :D My original kept me very warm for a winter in the footwell of a morris van but that's another story.
Oh go on, I'd love to know why you spent the winter in the footwell of a Morris van :D
 
The footwell seemed like the best place! Found a piece of vacume cleaner pipe (the metal sort) and made a hole in the lid of the paint tin into which the pipe fitted and poked the other end out of the quaterlight (fitted to cars of that age and very useful too!) the fire stood on a paving slab so it didn't melt the floor. With a little coal or lumpwood it went all night and kept me very warm. Someone advised a tarp or blanket draped over the roof to stop condensation drips also paint your roof black in winter and white in summer,I seem to be rambling now ...... :eek: love the pic fenlander!!
 
Mine works well, but it perhaps burns too fast. Fewer holes on the bottom would solve this. This would also mean I could shorten the height of the stove (it's 17.5cm) but the extra height also helps with the "chimney" effect.

Still, it's a great success in my opinion, although I'm sure Fenlander's will put mine to shame.

I made it by drilling the holes with a conical drill bit around the bottom, and numerous holes in the lid of the tin. Four smaller holes accomodated tent pegs to go below the lid (grate) and two above those means I can wrap wire around to hold the grate in place firmly. I drilled three holes using the same drill bit for the points of the triangle, then, after finding all of our hacksaws are broken or useless, used a jigsaw (ahem) to cut out the triangle. There are four slots in the top - three holes per each slot then. All filed down.

Pictures when I find my PDA ;).

[edit] Just ordered a Swedish Mess Kit - but this will do great in areas where there is woodland.
 

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