PDA

View Full Version : My New Alcohol Stove!



RagingHampster
12-23-2002, 11:09
I just ordered a Trangia Westwind from Moosineer.

http://nt1.adventuresports.com/shops/moose/moosedetail.asp?ID=225

I'm going to ditch the stand, and make a lighterweight version (steel cloth), along with an ovenliner windscreen. I can't wait.

I've debated endless hours while sleeping/hiking/working on what to use for a solo-long distance stove, and this is it (with mods). It is slow to boil, but I like this because it simmers great (from what I've heard). You can also do just about antything short of pounding your tent stakes in with it as well without busting it. I was nervous about making a soda-can stove due to it's durability problems. Next is building my custom tent after the new year!

SGT Rock
12-23-2002, 11:25
Good call. I think you will be happy with the combo you are proposing. As for soda can durability, I think after a couple of months seeing them on the trail you may change your mind.

LBJ
12-24-2002, 22:10
I use a Trangia stove. I like my gear to be as bombproof as possible and the Trangia compared to a soda can stove is like comparing an Abrams to one of the tanks the Iraqis used in the Gulf war! No disrespect intended to makers and users of soda can stoves.

Moose2001
12-24-2002, 23:23
RH - I would suggest not ditching the stand on your westwind. I picked up my stove in Hot Springs. One thing I noticed is a lot of the pepsi can stove users were either borrowing my stand or trying to figure out how to make something equally as good. If your concerned about the weight, here's a tip I learned from Dungeon Master. Clamp the three pieces of the stand together. Take your trusty drill with about a 1/2" bit and turn the stand into swiss cheese. Just make sure you leave enough material around the edges and make sure none of the holes connect. You'll significantly lighten the stand but still leave plenty of strength.

MedicineMan
12-25-2002, 00:11
I tout the alcohol stoves for the inevitable spill we all have with fuel and it is just plain old better for the ground we all live on, so kudos for you for switching....and again let me plug Aaron's Brasslite stove-a work of art, not to slam the Trangia's , just helping out a garage business.

PushingDaisies
12-25-2002, 00:51
The Soul Hiker alcohol stove is another good one from a "garage business." The stove with the pot stand comes in at about 1.7 oz. The pot stand is built right into the center of the stove, but can be removed if needed. Add a light weight windscreen, and you have a cooking set-up of just a couple of ounces. I was able to boil water in about 4-5 minutes.

You can get them at Neel's Gap. I'm sure that you could call the store there and buy one over the phone. I believe it is under $20.

If you want the ability to simmer, go to www.trailquest.net and check out the set up that Brawny and Rainmaker came up with for a homemade simmer attachment.

RagingHampster
01-01-2003, 00:41
I should be receiving my Trangia westwind stove by the end of the week. I've already decided on the big mod I'll be making. After searching around about a stand replacement, I now understand the stand is an excellent design. I'm going to replace it with an exact replica in titanium, with holes drilled amongst the body of it. This will only be about $15-$20 as http://www.thru-hiker.com sells titanium sheets. The windscreen will be ovenliner (a Sgt Rock tip). This should be very lightweight for a trangia setup. I'll use my MSR Titanium 1L Pot w/lid-frypan (I leave the .7L pot home), and my MSR Titanium fork & spoon. I'd use just the spoon, but I love a fork for linguine/angel hair, and a spoon or spork just doesnt cut it (no pun intended). I'm thinkning of getting a MSR Titanium mug for hot chocolate/tea. Fuel bottle(s) are obviously pepsi bottles.

RagingHampster
01-02-2003, 12:34
Well I just ordered the titanium sheets. Stove and sheets should arrive around the same time. The guy i talked to at Thru-Hiker.com was very pleasent and helpful. I did some math, and I figure the rigid titanium pot support/stove stand should weigh in around .7oz. The trangia stove itself weighs around 3.8oz with a simmer ring, and the windscreen I'm figuring less than an ounce. So total weight will be around 5 to 5.5oz.

I've also decided not to purchase the 1.8oz 0.4L MSR titanium mug, and simply bring my 2oz 0.7L titanium pot that came with the titan cookset. But with no handle, I'll have to either design one, or use a bandana.

DebW
01-02-2003, 14:13
Originally posted by RagingHampster
...MSR Titanium fork & spoon. I'd use just the spoon, but I love a fork for linguine/angel hair, and a spoon or spork just doesnt cut it (no pun intended).

I find that the Snow Peak Titanium Spork does work well for angel hair pasta, and soups and just about anything else. Not so good for scraping the bottom of the pot though.

RagingHampster
01-02-2003, 14:57
Not so good for scraping the bottom of the pot though.

Yet another reason I don't want the spork. I could make just a spoon work, but we're talking about 0.4oz here for "Lugging" that fork. Long pasta (linguine, angel hair, udon, yummmmm...) dressed with various sauces are some of my favorite foods even off the trail (and the reason why I have a bear gut lol). Chopping up long pasta should be a crime. I guess the 0.4oz Fork is yet another one of my luxury items :)

brown bess
01-02-2003, 18:33
you can purchase one of these trangia stoves off ebay for $6.50--that is just for the stove and a plastic fuel bottle....
or you can get the stove, and a couple aluminum pots+windscreen for under $10...but you wouldn't use the pots and windscreen for hiking(a little too heavy).
they are brass--swedish military surplus--mine was made by svea, weighs 4.5 oz with the cover.
if i remember right shipping was $3.
not as light as some of the homemade stoves but sturdy. i think they label them as "military mountain stoves" or something like that....

brown bess

peter2003
01-03-2003, 12:29
From talking to folks who have done a lot of long distance hiking there favorite alcohol stove is the cat food stove. SGT Rock has information on his web site on how to make one, and if you have a cat, the cost is cheep for the hardware cloth and wind break. I think SGT Rock charges about $12.00 for the stove plus shipping. I tried to make one but did not have any help and it did not turn out well. So I bought mine from SGT Rock for my 2003 thru hike. I not sure SGT Rock wants to retire from the ARMY and make stoves full time, however, for now he is still filing stove orders. My cat food stove and titan pot weigh in at about 8 ounces. I think this stove is the only way to go.
Lastly, SGT Rock has clear instructions on how many soda bottle caps of alcohol you need to cook various itmes. A great stove.

RagingHampster
01-03-2003, 14:31
Just got my Trangia in. Checked it out and stuff. I'm going to cook some Lipton Noodles in Chicken Sauce tonight at work for supper. I didn't have time to grab denatured alcohol today, so I'm going to use some Methanol (I know, don't get it on your skin) via DryGas. I'm not even going to try using Isopropanol. Burning Everclear is a shame, so this will be a denatured alcohol/methanol stove (unless there are extrenuating circumstances). I've yet to get the titanium stock for building a custom stand, so I'll post on that later. Definetlty a well built Item!

Forgot to add, everything nests nicely within the MSR Titanium Titan set I use (except for the stand which folds flat). This consists of...

1.0 Liter Pot
0.7 Liter Pot (Also used as Mug, can be left out to save ~2.0oz)
Lid/Frypan w/Foldout Handles
Aluminum Pot Gripper (Can be left home to save 1.0oz)
Mesh Stuff Sack w/Drawcord (Which Doubles as Pot Scrubber)

Total cookset weight (nothing left out) is 9.5oz

I also use the MSR Titanium Fork & Spoon which together weigh 1oz. I hate washing grease off plastic lexan, and it's not the greatest for scraping the bottom of hot pans with...

---Thanksgiving Dinner All Year!---

-Cook Stove-Top Stuffing in Big Pot (now your eating bowl).
-Cook Instant Potatoes in litte Pot (Transfer into Big pot next to stuffing when done).
-Cook packet of turkey gravy with a can of chicken in small pot (no need to rinse), pour over potatoes & stuffing.
-Rinse Small Pot & Make water for hot beverage (use small pot as a mug).

(Eat Walnuts, Hazelnuts, & Dried Cranberries while cooking. Pack a good desert for after like a mini "tabletop" apple-pie!)

I can assure you that you will feel like a million bucks after this trail-feast, and feel like you just ate out at a restaurant!

Sunday I had this meal on the Metacomet-Monadnock trail after 6 hours of snow-shoeing. I made orange-gatorade snow-slush for desert!

I turn 21 in 2 months, then i can make slushy rum drinks :D

RagingHampster
01-03-2003, 14:31
Oops, Double-Post, Sorry...

RagingHampster
01-04-2003, 11:09
I'm very impressed with the Trangia Westwind. Used about 1.5fl oz of Methanol to boil two cups of 60*F water, and simmer my Lipton Noodles to perfect consistency. It takes a little while (about 20 minutes total boil & cook time), but subtract the time it would take to set up a whisperlite, and it's not so bad. These results were also achieved without a wind/heat screen. I imagine the efficiency would improve even more once I build one from my oven-liner.

The other things I like are the durability, and the fact that you can store a little over 3fl oz of fuel in the stove. This would allow you to bring it on a dayhike for tea/coffee, or even a full meal on the summit (which I intend to do tomorrow at Mt. Grace on the Metacomet-Monadnock) without bringing a seperate fuel bottle (saving some bulk). Can't wait for the titanium stock, the new stand should cut atleat 2oz off the total stove weight.

Overall I'm very Impressed. If they would ditch the brass construction and make it from titanium, It would go on my ultra-list with the Petzl Tikka, Black Diamond Power-Stretch Gloves, and Platypus bottles. Gets an "A" from me.

Footslogger
01-04-2003, 12:48
Hey RagingHamster ...just read your post about storing fuel in your Trangia. Been there, done that and it works fine. Just one word of caution (from personal experience). Make sure that the Trangia is totally cooled down before screwing on the top cover. It doesn't take too much heat to break down that O-ring and once it gets out of shape all bets are off. First thing I do after cooking a meal is drop the outer cap over the stove. Then I eat my meal. After eating my meal I take the stove out of the stand. Then and only then do I apply the threaded cover to contain any residual fuel. Another thought (since you're talking about hiking with fuel in the stove) is to pick up an extra one of those O-rings and throw it in your miscellaneous bag for the hike.
Just my .02

RagingHampster
01-04-2003, 13:38
Yeah, I did the same thing last night at work when testing it. When finished cooking, I put the simmer cap on it (closed all the way) to stop the burning, and then let it sit like that until I was done eating. After which I screwed on the fuel cap. An extra O-Ring would definetly be a good idea. It must weigh about 1/10 of an ounce. I'm sure they eventually crack due to the drying effects of the alcohol. I don't intend on storing fuel in it on multi-day trips, just when I want 1 meal and a hot chocolate, such as on a day hike, or summer overnighter.

The slow (but efficient) burn time creates such precise simmering, that you could probably make some real nice trail cuisine. 3oz of fuel burning wide open lasts about a half hour. With the simmer ring choking it, even longer, I'd say upwards of 45 minutes (just a guess). I'll have to test it's exact burn-time per fluid ounce of methanol.

My whisperlite will only accompany me on multi-person, or extended winter camping trips (to melt snow) from now on.

LBJ
01-05-2003, 10:17
Raging Hampster,
If you make a pot cozy out of an old sleeping pad(or a new one for $5), and let your noodles cook in it, you will save a ton of fuel and weight. Mine weighs about an ounce and fits right over my Ti pot so very little additional pack space is taken up.

Footslogger
01-05-2003, 11:24
Hey LBJ
Tell me more about your coosy. I'v heard about these before and I acually have an old closed cell foam mat that I could use to make one. First thought that comes to mind though is ...how do you keep the coosy from melting onto the pot, or am I missing something in the concept ??

LBJ
01-05-2003, 11:51
Hey Toot(MJ?),
You need the closed cell foam pad, a tube of Shoe-Goo, and scissors.
Cut a rectangle of foam that will fit around the pot that you will use with a little room to spare. Glue this together into a cylinder. I taped the joint with duct tape to hold it together until the glue(Shoe-Goo) dries. Cut two circles to fit the top and bottom of the cylinder. Glue one to the cylinder. For the other circle, I glued velcro to the sides of the cylinder and the the circle to hold it in place. Cut a circle of oven liner to put in the bottom(I don't know if this is really needed, but I did it.) To use, boil your water put in noodles, rice, oatmeal, whatever, put lid on pot, put in cozy, velcro lid in place and wait whatever amount of time to required consistency of product you want. In my experience, no longer a wait than when I "simmered". No worry about melting the pad, it doesn't happen. Another benefit of cozy is that it gives pot and contents protection in pack. If these directions aren't clear enough, go to AT-L and ask. There is where I got my instructions. I think from maybe OrangeBug or Chainsaw.

SGT Rock
01-05-2003, 11:54
Put the cozy on after it comes off the fire. I've never had one melt.

1. Use your pot lid and outline two cicles on some old mat. This is the top and bottom.

2. Wrap a string or cloth measuring tape around your pot to measure out the circumference. Cut a strip the length of your put, and the height of your pot plus about 1".

3. Put the strip around your put with some overhang, use a rubberband to hold it in place. The circle for the bottom will be held in by tension using a lip created by the ring on the bottom. Use the second circle as a top. Trimm off any excess.

4. If you want to get slick, use some superglue to make the ring permanent and to permanently attach the bottom.

LBJ
01-05-2003, 12:00
I forgot to mention, when using the cozy, place the pot on the unglued circle and put the cozy down over the pot and velcro together, don't put pot down in the cozy as it is hard to get out!

RagingHampster
01-05-2003, 19:44
This seems like it would only work with thin/small pastas like angelhair and orzo. What about pastas that have some bulk to them, like linguine, fettuccini, elbows, rotini, shells, penne, on and on.

If letting the pasta soak in warm water within a cozy does work for large pastas, how much does a pot cozy weigh (I have a 1L Pot)? My trangia will use about 3/4-1oz (weight not volume) of fuel for simmering (excluding fuel to boil) per day. I'm wondering if the weight of the cozy makes up for itself over 6 days between refueling.

I also would like to find out how fast the pot will lose heat while inside the cozy. For liptons you need to simmer to rehydrate the noodles, and reduce the sauce/cook the gluten to a thick consistency, or you get runny sauce (yuck). I'm also wondering how Rice-a-Roni and Zattarans would come out (another two of my trail favs).

SGT Rock
01-05-2003, 19:58
Any re-hydrated food can be done using a combination of techniques. Pre-soak helps, but I find it takes a long time for pre-soak to do anything usefull. On the back side, it takes about as long to simmer using a cozy as it normally would to cook pastas for thinner pastas, but up to twice as long for some really hearty meals.

A cozy for a 1L pot should weigh about 1-1.5 ounces on the outside depending on how you construct it. I made one using duct tape and it came out at about 4 ounces for a .72L pot.

Heat loss is an interesting thing, it will depend on what you make your cozy out of and how you use it. My aramid cloth cozy maintained my pot at over 190 degrees for an hour on the only test I ever did of it.

So if your looking for speed cooking a cozy won't work for you; but who is in a hurry? I normally eat stuff that doesn't need to simmer more than about 10 minutes. So the technique on a clear day is to start dinner coking on my stove, then start setting up camp. Take a break when the stove burns out and put the meal in a cozy, then go back to camp chores like getting water or cleaning something. In rainy days, obviously I have to put up a shelter first or stop at a shelter for dinner. While the food is cooking or simmering I can take time to catch up on journal writing or other chores that can be done under my tarp or in the shelter. I can either stay in the shelter, or hike down the trail after dinner and stealth camp.

RagingHampster
01-05-2003, 20:21
Cool, I may try it out.

RagingHampster
01-06-2003, 14:26
Just got the Titanium stock in from Thru-Hiker.com! I'll be making the super lightweight Trangia Westwind Stand tonight at work. I'll also measure it on our 0.0000g calibrated scale, and convert to ounces. I can already tell this is going to be real light, as I'm holding a 4.5"x5.5" piece of stock in one hand, and it's definetly lighter than the machined steel piece im holding in the other that came with the westwind. And I havent even machined it yet!

Footslogger
01-06-2003, 14:32
RagingHamster ...would be very interested in learning about the final product and its weight. You mentioned a "steel" stand coming with the Trangia. Mine is made from aluminium and after drilling full of 1/2" holes (per Moose's suggestion) I've got it down to 2.5 oz.

RagingHampster
01-06-2003, 15:04
Your right, it is aluminum, I don't know why i said steel (lol). The stock is about half as thick as the aluminum stock, but the strength it has over aluminum allows it to be thinner. I will post all info and pictures of it tomorrow. I believe I can get the entire stand down to less than an ounce with trimming and drilling applied on top of the super-light/strong material.

RagingHampster
01-09-2003, 10:31
Well guys, i finished the stand.

Using 0.016" 6Al4V Titanium stock I purchased at Thru-Hiker.com, I made a duplicate version of the Westwind stand, and drilled holes in the body of it. Original stand weighed 2.82oz, and the new stand weighs just 1.25oz while still maintaining full functionality. Cost was about $22. My Stove setup has now dropped from 7.32oz to 5.75oz. The new stand also flexes some, and fits nicely into my MSR Titan Cookset. I still want to modify the Trangia Stove itself. I would love one constructed of titanium...

A photo is posted in the site's album.

SGT Rock
01-09-2003, 13:12
That looks sexy.

RagingHampster
01-09-2003, 16:45
When I purchased the titanium stock from Thru-Hiker, I ordered four 4.5" x 5.5" sheets. I purposely ordered a fourth sheet to experiment with. Tonight I am going to play around with annealing (if practical) and shaping the titanium stock (If I have some extra time at work that is). Maybe a titanium Trangia will come along in a few months or so...

I'm also experimenting with some "Soda-Can" type stoves. I'm trying to design a solid bodied stove (no tape or glue) that has a threaded top to secure excess fuel, there-by conserving it, and providing a day-hike storage means as well.

Aluminum may actually be the victor over titanium in this quest for a lightweight Trangia. Perhaps a 1.5-2oz Trangia stove isn't that far off.

***EDIT***

Hey Sgt. Rock, I like the simmering idea for the soda-can stove of halving another can-base and overlapping them to cut holes/slots off.

That would solve the simmer problem I have with the soda-can stove i think.

I still have to come up with a solid body stove though, and one which can be closed to save excess fuel.

RagingHampster
01-10-2003, 10:17
Well Aluminum is going to be the lightweight material here, as far as stoves are concerned. Strength is not an issue, and aluminum is lighter when strength isn't needed.

So I just bought a case of Pepsi One, and a big roll of 3M foil tape. I'm going to build the simmer-stove, and then try and build one without tape (somehow). And then finally try to develop some type of cap system which allows you to store fuel in the stove itself. I really likke the westwind stand, as it supports a pot well, and holds the stove off the ground to boot. This reduces fire risk, and allows you to cook on a countertop indoors with it. I'll probably mod mine to fit a soda-stove when I finally design one that suits my tastes.

Until then the Titanium Modded Westwind Trangia is my stove/stand of choice.

I've also decided to leave the 0.7L Ti pot from my titan cookset at home, and use the Sgt Rock method of a lemonade cozy jar. I'll be able to use the cap and body as two seperate bowls, but be limited to one cookpot when cooking monster meals. I'll be like the oriental guy who only has one wok, and cooks fast so that the previous food item doesnt get cold when he finally goes to eat it.

I feel like I'm turning to the Sgt. Rock Dark Side (lol).

***EDIT***
I also played with some titanium stock. I made a cylinder like the one for the center of a soda-stove. Aluminum is going to be lighter so I abandoned this route.

Streamweaver
01-10-2003, 13:31
I made a pot stand like the one Raginghamster made out of an old sterno stove. It weighs 3ozs and I could drill it full of holes to make it lighter but so far I havnt needed a windscreen with it. I posted a pic of it in the photo section in gear photos. Streamweaver

RagingHampster
01-10-2003, 14:25
I believe my sodacan stove will sit on a tab that I fold out on each section of my 1.25oz Titanium stand. It will sit at roughly the same height as the Trangia, and reduce my stove weight to under 2oz lol!

I'm currently looking into ways to meld the top and bottom together so that tape is not required. I'm going to experiment with various heats at work tonight. A solid body would make durability much better.

I'm also going to scrounge around at the grocery store on monday looking at capped cans. I really want a screw on top (But may settle for burning away my excess fuel if I have to...).

RagingHampster
01-11-2003, 12:30
Well I found a way to make a tapeless soda-can stove via JB Weld. Instructions are on PCTHiker.

Now I need a way to recover the unused fuel.

I'm making the JB Welded Soda Can Stove tomorrow night at work. I'll let you know how it came out Monday...

***EDIT***

I also bought the blue foam pad at walmart for $5. Lemonade jar is coming monday when I grocery shop (I'll be drinking lots of lemonade!).

RagingHampster
01-13-2003, 10:11
Well I just finished putting together the "tapeless" alcohol pepsi-can stove. Don't follow the measurements for the internal wall off from the PCTHiker tutorial though. They suck. I had exact measurement via a sheetmetal cutbox at work, and PCTHiker is off. This stove uses steel reinforced epoxy putty rather than tape. It certainly is a much stronger construction. I have to wait 15 hours for this crap to dry though before I can test it out. The places which were sealed were the union of the top and bottom (along the sides of the stove) and the inner lip at the top, where the inner wall meets the top can. I also sealed the inner wall ends, rather than make the interlocking slits. I'll have pics up tomorrow morning, as I must make it look pretty first...

RagingHampster
01-14-2003, 11:54
Tested out the JB-Welded "Tapeless" Pepsi can stove. Works great, and everything about it is solid metal (well, aluminum and steel reinforced epoxy).

JB-Weld is used to repair cracked engine blocks, so it can definetly handle holding a soda can stove together. No tape to worry about, or leaks at various seams on the stove. The junction between the upper portion of the stove and the center wall is completely sealed. No leaking ever possible. Likewise with the junction of the the upper and lower parts of the exterior wall (where tape is usally wrapped around). It certainly doesn't look as nice with little "weld" beads running along the seams, but with some sanding and high-temperature paint it could look professionally manufactured.

I also modified the Titanium Westwind Trangia Stand to support this stove. You do have to anneal the portion of the stand where you want to bend or it breaks off. I just used a simple propane torch. I bent three tabs (one on each part of the stand) inwards into the center of the stand which the stove sits on. It's also backwards compatible with the Trangia stove still as well.

I'd post a picture, but apparently uploads are not allowed right now.

BTW, total weight of stand and stove together is about 1.75oz. add half an ounce for a windscreen, and it's 2.25oz.

Skittles
01-15-2003, 22:16
Hi guys,

I've been playing with the alcohol stoves some also, and have a way to make them without tape or glue. To be perfectly honest, I didn't do really thorough testing, but they don't appear to leak at all when made well (not enough of a leak to light with a match anyhow.) For instructions, check out the article on better beercan stoves at middleofthenet.com (http://middleofthenet.com) I'll try to get some better pictures up sometime, been busy with school lately...

-Ian-

Peaks
01-16-2003, 09:08
I have been fooling around with beverage can stoves this winter. However, it seems that every time I try to assemble the stove, the outer can (top can) splits. I'm using an irish beer can for the bottom, as suggested. Any bright ideas?

RagingHampster
01-16-2003, 09:39
I used two pepsi cans. The top one pust have eight slits in it which allow it to slip over the bottom can. You must then seal these. The popular way is with heat-resistant metallic tape. I used JB-Weld Steel reinforced epoxy, which is a much more durable solution in my opinion, and costs about the same (but takes much longer to apply) as the tape.

See PCT Hiker's website.

David S.
05-16-2003, 19:52
I have a good friend that has an interesting alternative to the pot cozy. Its a kind of a hybrid MRE/Cozy combo. He uses a 2 liter Platypus to cook in. He puts his noodles, rice or whatever into the Platy, gets his water boiling in a titanium cup and poors it in. Next he seals it off and rolls it up into his sleeping bag...a serious cozy! After about ten minutes, his meal is done....with the added benefit of a warm bag on a cold evening. He says that since the food is sealed into the Platy, it is very easy to clean because the food can't dry on the inside and of course you'll never burn anything. To clean, add just a little water, shake vigorously then poor out and its clean. The downside? You can't cook will inside your sleeping bag...at least I wouldn't. Ouch. The other thing is the plastic has a tendancy to retain the odor of the food, not serious enough to effect taste though. David S.

icemanat95
05-20-2003, 22:46
Originally posted by RagingHampster
Just got the Titanium stock in from Thru-Hiker.com! I'll be making the super lightweight Trangia Westwind Stand tonight at work. I'll also measure it on our 0.0000g calibrated scale, and convert to ounces. I can already tell this is going to be real light, as I'm holding a 4.5"x5.5" piece of stock in one hand, and it's definetly lighter than the machined steel piece im holding in the other that came with the westwind. And I havent even machined it yet!

It should be noted that titanium while lighter than steel for the same strength and stronger than steel for the same weight is not the perfect material. A piece of titanium of similar gauge to a piece of steel is likely NOT as strong as that piece of steel because titanium is FAR less DENSE than steel. Generally speaking when you go from an article made out of steel to a similar or duplicate article made out of most consumer available titanium alloys, you give up strength for weight. It won't be as light as aluminum, nor as strong as steel, but it'll be stronger than aluminum and lighter than steel.

I'd love to be able to put exact figures on it, but I'm not that smart. But I discussed the issue at some length with a metallurgist when considering having a high stress article made from titanium to save some weight. Turns out to duplicate the part in question in terms of strength, rigidity, and other performance characteristics, it would have ended up significantly LARGER, wider and thicker than the original model and the weight wouldn't have been significantly lower. Also considering the difficulty of milling titanium, the costs and downsides overwhelmed the benefits.

So, consider the possibility that the stand you make from titanium will not be as strong as the steel stand it replaces, though it may be far lighter. You may need to manipulate the structure to increase rigidity by either ribbing the sheet stock, rolling edges or otherwise shaping it for greater rigidity. You'll gain some weight doing this, but it may be the difference between a functional lightweight stand or something that fails under the weight of a water filled pot.

RagingHampster
05-20-2003, 23:09
Not sure if you finished reading the posts after that one, but I mentioned those same facts. I ended up making a titanium stand for an aluminum soda-can stove, and have been using it ever since. You can see a picture of it in the photo section of this webforum within my personal gallery.

It's been working great, and I designed it to fit snugly within the MSR 1L titanium pot (so no clankning/banging while walking).

icemanat95
05-21-2003, 19:30
Yup, I failed to read the thread through and just shot off my fingers so to speak.

I take it you work in a metals fab shop.

RagingHampster
05-21-2003, 19:54
Nah, I work at a wastewater treatment plant and we have a pretty big shop that I take advantage of :)

icemanat95
05-29-2003, 18:16
Hamster, Any chance I could get you to whip me up a Westwind style stand for my Trangia. The stand that came with mine is that awful white steel POS.

RagingHampster
05-30-2003, 13:40
Well I'm really busy working 70hrs/week & getting a van ready for Baha Mexico, so I can't build it for you myself.

They are actually quite easy to make, and I'd be happy to guide you through the process.

icemanat95
06-02-2003, 11:40
Actually, a template would probably be sufficient.