Ammo Can Campfire

[flightcancled]

So this is a thing in the Grand Canyon and rafting overnighter community, but I figured Expo would enjoy this as well.




With a little bit of care these things last for years and years. Perfect small flame to keep warm on a chilly evening without needing firewood, and complies with fire bans.

 

[Florida Native]

Or you could build this instead...

DIY Propane Firepit

I was looking at propane fire pits, but they were all huge! I have a 4runner and with kids and dogs its packed to the gills already. I wanted one with a lid to keep the lava rock in. Then I had a brain wave one night while thinking about it. A 50cal ammo can! I had made a wood stove before so I...

www.expeditionportal.com

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

Surprised thats ’legal’ during campfire bans.
I expect some idiot thinks its perfectly safe until its tipped over and all its liquid fuel pours out.

It's wax, not fuel. The only thing that is burning is the cardboard, and that's easy enough to extinguish.

 

[ZMagic97]

This is pretty cool. It certainly takes time to make, but is great for taking with you in case you run into rains and no wood is available, or for emergency uses.

 

[Herbie]

Since only the cardboard burns, why add wax ? Perhaps make it heavy so it wont tip over ?

Pretty sure he has that backwards. The wax is the fuel - this is basically a larger version of the "survival candles" - the wax is melted, drawn up by capillary action, then vaporized and burned at the surface. The corrugated cardboard serves as a multi-thread "wick".

Despite any assertions by the video, I wouldn't risk the ticket to use this during a fire ban, but I have a propane firepit for those trips.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Despite any assertions by the video, I wouldn't risk the ticket to use this during a fire ban, but I have a propane firepit for those trips.

I wonder what the various land managers would classify it. Is it an open fire, candle or stove?

The fire restrictions in the Colorado BLM districts read as follows.

Stage 1:
"Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire except within agency-provided fire grates at developed recreation sites. Devices using gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel are permitted."

Stage 2:
"Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, charcoal barbecue, or grills are prohibited on federal lands. The use of portable stoves, lanterns using gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel are allowed."

Paraffin wax is petroleum wax, so wonder if it would fall under "jellied petroleum." And speaking of which, isn't Napalm technically jellied petroleum? So you can't have a charcoal BBQ but you could run a flamethrower?

I think being wax in a box and having a lid probably is alright.

 

[krick3tt]

Must be rough on the rubber seals.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Like alot of things legal or not. Likely its up to whatever the AHJ has to say about it at the moment.
Obviously when melted, its just an open tub of liquid fuel what does not fall into the permitted fuels shown above.

Hmmm, how could one "close" the ammo can candle system? The rules only say pressurized liquid fuel (presuming white gas appliances) but it doesn't say how much pressure is necessary. I mean, after all, even 1" water column is technically pressurized.

Even so knocking over a lit Coleman lantern or camp stove is a spill risk for a wildfire start, too.

It does seem the question of when exactly a solid fuel becomes liquid or gas is further splitting hairs. Must the fuel remain solid through the whole combustion?

 

[WOODY2]

Although appearing murky I'd venture the authorities would tend to error on the side of caution and go thumbs down at least here in Ca.. Where the incident would go from there would be highly predictable I venture. That being said it has it's place I'm sure and I like the concept.

 

[MCX]

Thanks for sharing...great idea! So, if you keep the wax replenished, there's no concern of the cardboard burning off and having to redo the whole thing?

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

Pretty sure he has that backwards. The wax is the fuel - this is basically a larger version of the "survival candles" - the wax is melted, drawn up by capillary action, then vaporized and burned at the surface. The corrugated cardboard serves as a multi-thread "wick".

Despite any assertions by the video, I wouldn't risk the ticket to use this during a fire ban, but I have a propane firepit for those trips.

I disagree.. the fuel is the cardboard. The melted wax retards the burning of the fuel. Wax in and of itself does not burn. Though I do agree with you that I'm not sure it's worth the risk of a ticket.

 

[towee]

As I regular gravel bar overnight float trip camper this is pretty awesome. When I can handle the weight and the space I’ll take my snowpeak medium and a Wolfpack full of pre cut heat treated wood I can usually make it stretch 2/3 nights. When I’m in a smaller boat one of the smaller fire pits with tent style legs and Mesh plates works just have to gather wood on site. Either requires me to bury or dump ash so if this doesn’t weight a gazillion pounds, smell terrible or leak wax and puts off some heat might be a great leave no trace option.

 

[Mobryan71]

Built mine last night:








The cardboard I had laying around was some HD triple wall from a recent tool purchase, so I had to tweak the spacing a bit to get it to work out. Didn't use any fancy-pants smelly soy wax pellets, either. Just a bunch of candle ends and some bricks of good old fashioned Gulf Wax. It burns well, the flame just looks low because of the wind here today.


Matt

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

Ha !
So when a candle is burnt away, where does its wax go ?
The Government takes it as tax ?? dunno...
It works much like a kerosene wick lamp or stove. Regardless of replenishing its fuel, gradually the wick/cardboard is consumed, eventually needs replacement.

LOL... maybe . I suppose my understanding of the vaporization of wax was inaccurate, and the oxidization of the paraffin around the wick is in fact combustion. My point was that it will not continue to burn when you have removed the ignition source the way a petroleum fuel and other biofuels would. My bad.

PS> Congrats on winning an argument on the internet! And they say it can't be done...

 

[WOODY2]

Surprised thats ’legal’ during campfire bans.
I expect some idiot thinks its perfectly safe until its tipped over and all its liquid fuel pours out.

This post would've been better using another descriptor instead of idiot. No I don't wear flannel and sip cocoa.