Faggots solve the energy crisis!

[jamesraykenney]

I got tired of lugging fuel in my pack for my backpacking stove and got a Sierra Zip Stove. It has a little battery powered blower and burns little sticks. Once you get the hang of feeding it it actually cooks way better than regular backpacking stoves.

There's a lot to be said for waste wood.

I have been wanting to try one of those for some time...

Do you have the Ti version or the standard?
I have heard that what people want is one like the standard but made of Ti.
They say the Ti one is too short.

Do you have the 'D' cell adaptor... Given the burn time, I would think it would be worth the weight...

 

[jamesraykenney]

Since I don't have to worry about keeping the house warm all night, I think I will do quick, hot burns during the day. The wood stove is more efficient and there is less creosote build up in the stove and liner when the wood is burned with sufficient air. We will get more energy from the available wood that way, and the heat will be delivered during the day, when we like the house warmer anyway. The programmable thermostat turns down the temperature at night, so the furnace works less then anyway.



There is a neat system of pipes in the stove that brings fresh, preheated air in at the top to burn the smoke. This works really well with a hot burn, but not so well if the stove is starved for air. Sometimes I like to lie on the floor and look up at the smoke combustion at the top of the chamber. I'm kind of strange that way.



I will be burning lumber too. Except pressure treated wood. I had heard warnings about burning pressure treated wood and was prepared to ignore them, but I did a little research first. Some treatments involve significant quantities of arsenic. There have been instances of people poisoning their families by burning this type of wood, so I am going to carefully avoid that. I'll also avoid painted wood. But if I can get clean lumber I'll take it.



I've had one of those for a few years. Here's a pick of roasting a trout over one.

You can actually make a functional little wood burner for backpacking without the blower. Search the net for "hobo stove" to find discussions.

Is that a leather kilt you are wearing??? For shame!!!
Have you tried one of the Utilikilts??? The Survival Kilt looks nice...

 

[jamesraykenney]

Howard, what did you catch the trout with?

If that was a kilt joke then I am ROTFLMAO!!!

 

[hollowdweller]

I have been wanting to try one of those for some time...

Do you have the Ti version or the standard?
I have heard that what people want is one like the standard but made of Ti.
They say the Ti one is too short.

Do you have the 'D' cell adaptor... Given the burn time, I would think it would be worth the weight...

Mine is the standard. I thought about the Titanium one but the standard isn't really that heavy, a pound maybe. One thing though, the tongs are a good accessory, but the X shaped grate and the wind screen I don't really think much of. The grate holds the pan too high and you have to burn more wood for the same amount of heat. Same with the screen.

Start with real fine sticks, like ends of conifer branches, then use stuff maybe as big around as your thumb and say 2" long or less to keep it going. It won't boil water as quick as your standard backpacking stove, but if you like to actually cook on the trail, or simmer stuff, I find it way more controllable than my alcohol or Coleman Peak 1.

Another plus of this stove is it gives me another justification for bringing along my khukuri, or hatchet. :thumbup:

2 batteries will last for more than a 4 day trip so I never messed with the D cell thing.

I HAVE considered finding out how much a solar battery charger weighs and trying that rather than tossing batteries but haven't got that far yet

 

[Howard Wallace]

So where were those pics taken at Howard? Looks like an awesome place :thumbup:

Eagle Lake, Washington Cascades

If that was a kilt joke then I am ROTFLMAO!!!

Dang! Thinking about your jokes and that dragonfly, now I'm getting worried about goin' fishing.

 

[Edward Teach]

E-mail sent on the Sierra stove!

Seriously, I just ordered one for myself. Can't wait to get it and try it out.

 

[Howard Wallace]

Is that a leather kilt you are wearing??? For shame!!!
Have you tried one of the Utilikilts??? The Survival Kilt looks nice...

The kilt in the lake picture is made of heavy canvas, not leather. It is a Workman model Utilikilt.

Red Flower bought me a Survival model Utilikilt for my last birthday. It kept me cool in the Gobi,

and had a little fun with it crossing the Yellow River. (Huang He)

From stoves to backpacking stoves to trout to kilts, this thread has journeyed far. Soon Red Flower and I will have more to report on the chopping and use of small sticks.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

Ok, question:

Who wants to be Howard when they grow up? Show of hands?
Those are some fine pics there, Howard :thumbup: thank you. They make me want to go practice with my bullwhip. Who wants to be Shortround?...Bruise?

Jake

 

[Howard Wallace]

Later ... back to chopping the twigs ...



I chose a large blade forged by old Ganga Ram, and a Thai knife with some resemblance to a khukuri. Red Flower of course chose her BDC. The GR is a special blade. Of the two I own said to be forged by old Ganga himself, this one is by far the better. It's not as fancy looking as the other, no inlay, but the blade balance and handle ergonomics are superb.



Here are the knives we used.

Here are the various branches that were our targets. Most of them are plum, that I cut a couple of weeks ago and left the leaves on. My theory was that as the leaves dried out they would help remove water from the wood.

Chopping the odd shaped branches made for some unusual positions. We used rounds from an old apple tree to avoid chopping our knives into the dirt.

I found the GR cut through the largest of the branches easily, but it required more effort than was necessary for cutting the smaller pieces. The Thai blade and the BDC excelled for the smaller stuff.

This was Red Flower’s first experience chopping a lot of wood. She was a city girl from Beijing. Although we know a lot of people that got sent to the countryside during the cultural revolution in China, she is young enough to have escaped that experience. She says living with me is like an “American Cultural Revolution” for her. When she tried chopping some of the bigger pieces with her small BDC it was taking several chops and she said, “I’m not strong enough.” Then I got her to try one of the bigger blades. She lifted up the larger knife and easily chopped through a large branch. She said “oooh” and her eyes lit up. I think I’ve created a monster.



Here are the results of our labors. The twigs are bagged in paper and will go under cover for a couple of months to dry, before we bring them in to burn them.

It’s true, I could buy the wood for less than the value of the time we spent, but then, how could I have more fun with that time than playing in the October sunshine with big knives and a beautiful woman?

 

[Aardvark]

Ganga Ram sure made nice steel, didn't he? Looks like the whole side is one big fuller.

Hey, we don't chop wood to save money or time, right? It's good exercise and we get to play with sharp things. A beautiful woman can be distracting at the wrong time, Howard. Be careful.

That Thai knife is cool looking, too. Glad you had fun. Next time, give me a holler. I'm just down the street in Cal. Might even have a khuk I could bring.

 

[munk]

Wallace of Arabia.

Howard, you continue to amaze me.
Howard Wallace has lived one of those real lives, you know,where you actually go to distant lands, see different people, and understand life outside the society of your upbringing?

Dang, and I like to watch TV at home.



munk

 

[hollowdweller]

She was a city girl from Beijing. Although we know a lot of people that got sent to the countryside during the cultural revolution in China, she is young enough to have escaped that experience. She says living with me is like an “American Cultural Revolution” for her.

My friend Dave that I work with has a wife from China. Schezuan?(sp?), anyway, Dave buys eggs from me and was showing his wife a picture of my dairy goats and she said "David? Is your friend Jim a Peasant?" I guess that must kind of be like the American Cultural Revolution thing.

Great pics by the way!

 

[Howard Wallace]

My friend Dave that I work with has a wife from China. Schezuan?(sp?), anyway, Dave buys eggs from me and was showing his wife a picture of my dairy goats and she said "David? Is your friend Jim a Peasant?" I guess that must kind of be like the American Cultural Revolution thing.

Yes. For all the effort spent in China trying to get everyone to participate in manual labor, the gulf between farmers and laborers and the intelligentia in China seems to me to be much greater than it is here in the States.

 

[Ad Astra]

Since a bundle of sticks is also known as a "fasces" (laurum de fascibus) and they will burn, the thread also could have been called,

"Fascists Solve Energy Crisis"

or "Burning Fasces" but that reminds me of a Halloween prank from my youth. :foot:

This symbol of Rome was later picked up by Benito M., but the meaning of it is that an individual stick can be broken, but a bundle can't.

Fasces: set of rods bound in the form of a bundle which contained an axe. In Rome, the bodyguards of an authority carried fasces.

A bundle of rods (often accompanied by an axe, which symbolized power over one's existence) carried by Roman big shots as a symbol of authority. In Republic, the consul or praetor upon starting on an expedition, took his vows on Capitoline Hill; if acclaimed imperator by his soldiers, he decked his fasces with laurel, and upon return deposited the wreath upon the Capitoline Hill in the same place where he had made the vows as a symbol of his successful fulfillment of them. (paraphrased to avoid copyright :foot: )


Ad Astra, ex incendio fasces canis samhainium

 

[Sutcliffe]

That many posts without a locked or deleted topic got me wondering. Anyway, parts of Caulifornia don't allow woodburning for warmth Explain that one.
Nice kilt. I've got one in Olive. Looking for black so I can go formal.

 

[Aardvark]

You'll be all set for the annual Highland games, at the old high school.

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

Ok, question:
Who wants to be Howard when they grow up? Show of hands?
Jake

Excuse me Dr. Quest, Race Bannon, Johnny, and Hadji are waiting for you at the hovercraft...................

........coming to stores this Christmas, the Howard Wallace action figure.......complete with kilt and khukuri.....

Good stuff

Sarge

 

[jamesraykenney]

Excuse me Dr. Quest, Race Bannon, Johnny, and Hadji are waiting for you at the hovercraft...................

........coming to stores this Christmas, the Howard Wallace action figure.......complete with kilt and khukuri.....

Good stuff

Sarge

Hey, for people that have only seen the censored and cut version that they show on TV these days, they have a DVD of the first season(It may be the full original series) of the Johnny Quest series out!
It is so fun to see a cartoon series where people use guns and people actually get shot and killed!!!
This is also the only series I can think of were one of the characters is show putting his shoes on in a womans room after.......
How they got THAT past the censers, I will never know!!!

 

[cliff355]

---deleted---

 

[Howard Wallace]

Howard:

Are you planning to stuff those sticks into the stove brown-bag and all, or tie up fags with string? This idea is beginning to grow on me, since there is no shortage of brush in my area and alot of it is pre-dried.

The sacks won't fit into the stove when full. I suspect I'll just bring the sacks inside and load the sticks in the stove. When the sack is partway empty I can probably stuff bag and all into the stove. I don't think I'll take the trouble of binding the sticks. I don't see much advantage to that when using a stove.

I suspect these sticks will burn quickly. They will be useful for heating the stove when it is initially started. If I have more than I want to use for kindling I will regulate the burn rate by restricting air to the stove. Or, if I am around and feel like tending the fire, (as often I do) then I will just allow free air flow and add new sticks a bit at a time as the old ones are consumed.

There is a lot of available small wood, and sometimes larger stuff, around many communities. Sometimes if a tree goes down the owner does not want to cut it up and will be happy if someone will remove it. Lots of brush and prunings are hauled away, and are free for the asking.



A little about the dance of the khukuri. - When I was cutting these I found that I got into a rhythm of the khukuri hittting the block.

Whap ... whap ... whap ... whap ...

In between strikes I repositioned the branch I was holding to cut off the next 15" segment. The branch had to be flat on the block where the khukuri would strike, so that accounts for the funny body language as I twisted, turned, and bent to position the twisty branches flat for the next strike.

The motion of chopping the small sticks is reminiscent of the way the khukuris are made, with an apprentice or two smashing their hammers into the same spot in rhythm, and the master kami positioning and repositioning the red-hot metal under their blows.