Stove came in

That oven certainly caught my eye previously, can you please give information on it ? I wanted to start my first Emberlit fire with a fire steel, simply out of a sense of tradition, or personal challenge. And indeed it WAS a challenge. Now that I'm past that (But I'll still practice as I need it) it's lighter time. I need more practical experience with the stove. I was a little worried about not keeping a decent fire running in the Em. so I kept feeding it pencil sized fuel for the most part. I gradually moved up to a slightly larger diameter toward the end. I was actually quite surprised to see your pics above were you are feeding the Em. with a big honkin' stick\limb. I have much to learn and it will be quite fun.
:) :thumbup:
 
The oven was the result of my search for a partner for the Emberlit. It cost about the same in fact, but only available in aluminum. It does have a steel deflector plate though. I had to add the legs you see in order to make it work with the Emberlit and also my Coleman Max Micro stove. It was designed to work with remote cannister stoves or coals from a fire. It takes some fiddling to get the heat just right with the Emberlit (thus my mention of the overheat incident). Once I got the heat control down pat, it baked like a champ. They are hand made in a one-guy shop/cottage industry. Search "Bemco Backpacker Oven". It folds flat and only weighs 24 oz., but I question it's usefulness to a backpacker. For my canoe camping it is the bee's knees. Still, I like to tinker so I am going to design my own about the same size but better adapted to the Emberlit and cannister stoves.
2aahekn.jpg


As for starting and feeding the Emberlit, I've done it several different ways. The Coleman fire starter stick is a "cheat", but works quite well as it will sustain a fire until you have established a hot coal bed. This keeps the venturi effect going and helps combust the bigger sticks like you saw. Several times I have fed three larger sticks in at this point, completely filling the feed opening. The updraft keeps the air moving in through the vents. IMHO, it is really easier to start, feed and control the burn than with an open fire on the ground where the heat goes every which way and air comes to the fire willy-nilly from every direction. I think of it like a carburator. For playing at home or in a local park, pick up a sack of BBQ grille hickory chips meant for smoking. They are very hot burning and quite dry. You can pick out the smallet pieces or baton the larger ones into slivers if you wish.

By the way, two of the Coleman starters will boil water. But some of the wax/parrifin in them may melt and drain onto whatever surface is below the stove. I guess you could buy fireplace starter fatwood instead (at the same big box stores), but I haven't. I've done the traditional methods for many years so I don't get off on the novelty anymore. I know I can do them six ways or so, but I have an everpresent Bic, so I don't bother with birdsnests, lint, charcloth, flints and strikers or even my bison rib bone fire bow unless I am just in the mood to play.
 
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Codger_64 said:
The oven was the result of my search for a partner for the Emberlit. It cost about the same in fact, but only available in aluminum. It does have a steel deflector plate though. I had to add the legs you see in order to make it work with the Emberlit and also my Coleman Max Micro stove. It was designed to work with remote cannister stoves or coals from a fire. It takes some fiddling to get the heat just right with the Emberlit (thus my mention of the overheat incident). Once I got the heat control down pat, it baked like a champ. They are hand made in a one-guy shop/cottage industry. Search "Bemco Backpacker Oven". It folds flat and only weighs 24 oz., but I question it's usefulness to a backpacker. For my canoe camping it is the bee's knees. Still, I like to tinker so I am going to design my own about the same size but better adapted to the Emberlit and cannister stoves.
2aahekn.jpg


As for starting and feeding the Emberlit, I've done it several different ways. The Coleman fire starter stick is a "cheat", but works quite well as it will sustain a fire until you have established a hot coal bed. This keeps the venturi effect going and helps combust the bigger sticks like you saw. Several times I have fed three larger sticks in at this point, completely filling the feed opening. The updraft keeps the air moving in through the vents. IMHO, it is really easier to start, feed and control the burn than with an open fire on the ground where the heat goes every which way and air comes to the fire willy-nilly from every direction. I think of it like a carburator. For playing at home or in a local park, pick up a sack of BBQ grille hickory chips meant for smoking. They are very hot burning and quite dry. You can pick out the smallet pieces or baton the larger ones into slivers if you wish.

By the way, two of the Coleman starters will boil water. But some of the wax/parrifin in them may melt and drain onto whatever surface is below the stove. I guess you could buy fireplace starter fatwood instead (at the same big box stores), but I haven't. I've done the traditional methods for many years so I don't get off on the novelty anymore. I know I can do them six ways or so, but I have an everpresent Bic, so I don't bother with birdsnests, lint, charcloth, flints and strikers or even my bison rib bone fire bow unless I am just in the mood to play.
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I hear you. Thanks for the stove info b.t.w. One of the main attractions of the Emberlit is the use of local materials. I am not a fan of bringing extra combustible fluids, other than a lighter.
 
On not bringing preprepared tenders, just picking up a pocket or baggie full of dry stuff all day as you come across it will usually suffice with the Emberlit. Some twigs here, some bark there, a bit of dried grass and some pencil sized sticks. Even most picked over campsites have this stuff in abundence since it isn't attractive to the bonfire crowd. And once you have a decent coal bed of the pencil sized stuff, larger damp wood can be used. I sometimes pile it around or even under the Emberlit to dry out while establishing the first coals. But... in using found materials, the stove is quite versitile. I don't think I have done any two burns in exactly the same way. I am still having fun experimenting with it.
 
Glad to see you're enjoying the emberlit. Another option for a "natural materials" cooking option - the Canteen Grill Top Stove:

grill2om.jpg


grill3x.jpg


Works with a twig fire, or you can put it over a Trangia. A few more pics and a little review here.
 
I sure like my two emberlits, have use an alcohol stove with mine on a trip and while I didn't seriously test and measure results I got hot water and dinner cooked so I was happy, that oven sure looks intersting, question if some of the baked goods would get a little too smokey flavored with the set up?? perhaps the modified legs help with that??
 
good stuff! hands down, the emberlit is one of my favorite pieces of gear...i get to practice my fire prep and have that camp-fire atmosphere without doing any kind of heavy wood processing.

@Codger_64: i believe that's the first time i've seen someone use a single piece of wood big enough to cover the whole feed port!
 
JV3 said:
good stuff! hands down, the emberlit is one of my favorite pieces of gear...i get to practice my fire prep and have that camp-fire atmosphere without doing any kind of heavy wood processing.

@Codger_64: i believe that's the first time i've seen someone use a single piece of wood big enough to cover the whole feed port!
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Well, as I said, it was a damp leftover from a previous campfire. It was pre-charred on the end and I had already established a decent coal bed so after a moment of drying, it readily took fire. Most often I wind up with three or so thumb-sized twigs poked in there and occasionally bumped in as they burn. Once the fire is established, the rising heat causes a venturi effect that blasts oxygen into the fire bed from the sides. I remember that some twig stoves use a small battery powered fan to accomplish this. Emberlit does this with vent hole size and placement. Partially plugging the large feed opening seems to help promote this venturi effect. Like restricting the lower air vents on a wood stove.

I might also suggest that as an experiment, aside from useing the aforementioned hickory chips for a fire, fuel it up with bbq grill charcoal briquettes. Either using traditional bbq lighter fluid or dropping them in on top of a wood twig fire. Scavaged campfire charcoal is another option and usually still has a lot of BTUs left to burn. I kinda like the idea of cooking a meal and making a hot drink with the dregs of a previous camper's fire and leaving behind only fine ash dust. The leavings in that one pictured fire pit would feed the Emberlit for several days worth of meals and drinks.

Readyme, I don't have the stainless version (bought the ti right off) but may get the mini version when it becomes available just to have a "two-burner stove" option. Then I can enjoy my coffee or tea while I cook.
 
I have a few ideas floating around for the Emberlit. I might snare some rabbits again this year and roast or stew them with the stove. That would be fun. Or, I might do some ice fishing this year and try a fry up of fresh perch on the ice. Looks like I have an excuse to play with my axe or hatchet and prep some wood into the trunk. Life/work can make it a little tough to indulge my interests at times.
 
Codger_64 said:
I might also suggest that as an experiment, aside from useing the aforementioned hickory chips for a fire, fuel it up with bbq grill charcoal briquettes. Either using traditional bbq lighter fluid or dropping them in on top of a wood twig fire. Scavaged campfire charcoal is another option and usually still has a lot of BTUs left to burn. I kinda like the idea of cooking a meal and making a hot drink with the dregs of a previous camper's fire and leaving behind only fine ash dust. The leavings in that one pictured fire pit would feed the Emberlit for several days worth of meals and drinks.
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The first time I fired mine up I was at home and used charcoal lit in a charcoal chimney. That thing burned hot and long on about 10 briquets. Boiled water pretty quickly but I never timed it.
 
Grubbster said:
The first time I fired mine up I was at home and used charcoal lit in a charcoal chimney. That thing burned hot and long on about 10 briquets. Boiled water pretty quickly but I never timed it.
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IMHO, timing from igntion to water boil is really only useful for comparing gas stoves, and for comparing alcohol stoves. Time to boil on twig stoves has so many variables in available fuel as to make that metric pretty useless. Knowing that it can quickly raise the temperature of my oven hot enough to nearly melt the aluminum tells me that it has more than enough capacity in btu output to boil my water in short order. And bake a potato, corn on the cob and cornbread.
 
mjhMN said:
I sure like my two emberlits, have use an alcohol stove with mine on a trip and while I didn't seriously test and measure results I got hot water and dinner cooked so I was happy, that oven sure looks intersting, question if some of the baked goods would get a little too smokey flavored with the set up?? perhaps the modified legs help with that??
Click to expand...

Well, I did take the smoke into consideration. The Emberlit has pretty complete combustion so if I wait until I have a good coal bed going (after the tender is consumed), smoke is pretty minimal. If it was a problem with whatever fuel you had available, you could wrap your food in foil as I did the corn on the cob. In that case though, it was more to steam it and preserve moisture. Smoke flavor wasn't apparent in the cornbread, biscuits, brownies, meat loaf or pizza I have baked in it. But I do have hardwoods available and a lot of locations don't. I suppose cedar, pine and other evergreens would be resinous and aromatic. As stated, the oven was designed for gas (like the old Coleman camp stove ovens) and hot coals. The legs were more to adjust it to the proper height of my two stoves and so as to not overheat the gas cannister. Oven bomb not fun. :)
 
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