Emberlit Stoves... discussion only!

Codger_64

Codger_64

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Having tried the Coghlans fire starters for the first fire in my Emberlit wood burning stove, I naturally gave the Coleman brand a look-see when I was in Wal-Mart today. For basicly the same price ($2.50 +/-), the Coleman package contains sticks that are much larger than the Coghlans, about 1" x 1" as compared to 1/2" x 1/2". I'll try a pair in the stove today to see how they compare in both heat and burn time.

Also on the agenda today is a burn using only seasoned hickory wood. On the firewood BTU scale, Shagbark Hickory is listed as 25.3 MBTU per cord, near the top of the ratings, beaten only by persimmon, hop hornbeam and osage orange. Common white oak is slightly less at 24.3 MBTU per cord. Oak is on my list to try, but not today.

I looked at various bags and cases while I was there also, but nothing set off alarms as being a good fit and also a good price. I'll keep looking. The heavy zip-loc bag packaging in which the stove is shipped is good enough for the time being.
 
Let us know how it goes. Yea I am still using my heavy zip lock too lol. I am thinking about making me up a nice thin leather sack for mine. I burned dried mullberry in mine so far and some maple. I am not going to put any osage in mine that stuff pops something terrible.
I think the next wood I am going to try is walnut, Oh my I just love the way that wood smells as it is burning lol.

Bryan
 
It was interesting to note how low on the BTU scale willow is. I knew that it wasn't a very dense wood, and I have burned it for years on river trips, but have noted how quickly it burns. Maple and walnut are up there in BTU values.
 
Hey guys, currently working things out with the mods. I thought the Gold Membership would cover me. Oh well. If there are any questions please feel free to pm me.
 
I am going out during the week to try mine out.
I have some Ti MSR tent stakes I will use
to support my smaller Snopeak Pot.
(until the pot supports are released)
Got new boots today too,so the hiking
will be multipurpose :)
(Danner Acadia)
 
Neat stuff on the BTU's Codger. There is a trade off though. Those dense woods are usually a bit harder to get going and its rare that you can get a full round of oak fully burn't unless you have a really established fire. I totally understand the BTU/density argument. But there is also a practicality to fire that transcends this. For example, there are times when you want to burn unsplit rounds as a way of efficieny of wood processing balanced against longevity of your burn and heat thrown out. Sometimes, going to less dense wood but using larger rounds helps you achieve that. The larger rounds burn longer, can be burnt even thought they might throw less heat than a denser round of the same size but which needs a far better base of coals to combust it. Willow and popular spark like the dickens but I think they have their uses as fuelwood in certain circumstances!
 
There are more differences in the Coleman and Coghlans sticks than I imagined. The Colemans sticks are not twelve to the package, but four huge ones, each weighing four ounces (a pound per pack). The Coghlans, packed twelve to a package, weigh only 1/2 ounce each (so 6 oz. total per pack). I broke one Coleman stick lengthwise to make a two ounce stick. Ignition to boil time of two cups of water was slightly less, eight minutes, but total burn time was much more, about twenty minutes. Volume for volume the two products heat and burn time seem about the same since I would have to burn four of the Coghlans sticks at once to equal the 1/2 Colemans stick.

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Both stink and put off black soot... in the air, on the stainless pot and on the titanium stove. Both seem like they would make a good alternative backup fuel to carry for the stove though.

Up next: Seasoned hickory.
 
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Oh my! The hickory burn was impressive! I'm not sure exactly what time the boil began, but the lid was trying to bounce off the pot at five minutes! It is now fifteen minutes with only the initial load and it looks like it might burn for another ten before needing more fuel, but provide coal heat longer without additional fuel.

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I loaded the stove pretty much like I build a campfire, not fine tender, then matchsticks, then pencils, then fingers then thumbs, but rather all at once with plenty of air space inbetween, layer upon layer. I had to back away at one point from the flames. And the smoke was both lighter and sweeter than the firesticks. I'll wait until it burns completely out before checking the sooting, but I suspect that with the higher heat, a lot of the soot from the Coleman stick burn will be gone.
 
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kgd said:
Neat stuff on the BTU's Codger. There is a trade off though. Those dense woods are usually a bit harder to get going and its rare that you can get a full round of oak fully burn't unless you have a really established fire. I totally understand the BTU/density argument. But there is also a practicality to fire that transcends this. For example, there are times when you want to burn unsplit rounds as a way of efficieny of wood processing balanced against longevity of your burn and heat thrown out. Sometimes, going to less dense wood but using larger rounds helps you achieve that. The larger rounds burn longer, can be burnt even thought they might throw less heat than a denser round of the same size but which needs a far better base of coals to combust it. Willow and popular spark like the dickens but I think they have their uses as fuelwood in certain circumstances!
Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying, but unsplit rounds of hickory that fit this small stove are twigs, young growth, not older, denser woods with years of growth. In this burn I used the mystery camp knife to shave and split chunks from older growth hickory. A few of the chunks fed were 2" x 3" or so, mostly put in preburn. But I can do a hickory twig fire also if you like.

Hickory twig burn:

The twigs were from dead branches that had fallen in my yard and were damp from several days' light rain. Nonetheless, I did get a rolling boil in four minutes from the initial loading, plus feeding the three thicker twigs (finger-thumb sized) thru the door as they burned. It is still burning well and I guess has another five minutes left at full heat.

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Hey Codger, I think my comments pertained more to a campfire than a twig stove. My apologies....Sometimes I think all my white hair is affecting my memory! Good stuff on the wood stove. Glad that hickory works so well, we have a tonne of it around my parts and its about time to dust off that little twig stove that I have!
 
One cavaet about the firesticks, both brands... if you detest thick black soot on your stove, cook pot and hands as much as I do, just skip using them except as an emercency fuel. I just finished my cleanup from today's burns and it took a while to scour away all the soot using Dawn and a scotchbrite pad. And when finished, my hands were covered in soot. Not being the brightest bulb on the porch, I waited until then to reach for my bottle of Fast Orange mechanics' hand cleaner. Zoom! Right off my hands and down the drain! So... I seem to remember Autozone selling trial squeeze packets of the stuff when I bought my bottle. Might be somethng to add to my Emberlit kit. Now my stainless billycan is spotless and the stove is sootless. But the titanium panels have taken on the most beautiful hues of blue like case-hardened gun reciever.
 
Codger,

In the first pic of your Hickory burn, is your stove glowing orange hot???

I have the original SS stove, and have only burnt pine and some oak, and while my fire/stove has been hot, enough to discolor, it has never been that hot!

Dave
 
No, it isn't glowing. It is just the color of the titanium after a few burns. You may be seeing the yellow of escaping flames juxtiposed in front ot the stove. But the hickory burn is muy hot! Buy some BBQ grille hickory chips/chunks if you don't have hickory locally. I'll try seasoned white oak tomorrow, possibly Cajun blackening some flounder.

If you can't tell, I am having a ball with this little stove. I am burning it on my back porch on a formica countertop with a thick flagstone sitting on top of it. Bottom heat doesn't seem too bad, but I intend to put some combustables under it just to see how hot it does get underneath.
 
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Interesting thoughts guys. I have been using all natural woods, white oak, birch, and maple so far, with excellent results. I have a Home Depot pouch that works well for storage. I keep a scotchbrite pad in the 4mil bag and wipe down the interior stove walls before packing. The Ti stove cools down fast and is tons of fun to use.

 
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