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Making a Flat-Pack Stove |
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| This simple solid fuel stove was designed to be light weight and pack flat. It is a useful addition to a survival kit. The design is not original, the basic idea was around at least 35 years ago! The stove shown weighs about two ounces but lighter ones have been made using thinner gauge material. It is a trade off between weight and rigidity. |
| It is easy to make from aluminium sheet using simple hand tools. A dimensioned drawing is available but the exact sizes can be adapted to suit available metal and personal preferences. If thinner metal is used to make the stove lighter remember to change the width of the slots to suit the thickness. |
| The basic shapes can be sawn with a hacksaw or a scroll saw. The bottom of the wide 'U' section is best cut with a scroll or fret saw. If this is not possible you could drill a row of small holes along the line and the clean up the resulting jagged edge with a file. The narrow slots can be cut by drilling a small hole with the diameter equal to the slot width at the closed end of the slot. The sides of the slot can then be sawn to remove the waste. Drill a few small holes in the fuel plate to assist air flow when the fuel is burning. Finally remove all burrs and sharp edges with a fine file or emery cloth. |
| The stove can now be assembled and tested using suitable solid fuel. This is widely available from camping shops under a variety of trade names. |
| A re-sealable polythene bag is useful for storing the stove when it is disassembled (and cold!). The fuel needs to be wrapped and kept away from food, it has an unpleasant smell and it suffers from the damp. |
**** Please read the safety notes on the entrance page before attempting this project. **** |
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| © 2001 Merlin |
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Merlin's Pyramid April 2001 |
