[at-l] Deck Journal, 6/6/02

[shane@theplacewithnoname.com (Shane Steinkamp)]

> Among several items was a Zip Stove.

Cool.

> Petzl Tikka headlamp,

Send it back and get the PT Aurora.  Really.  Send it back.

> Upon receiving the package, I opened the carton for the
> stove, read the friendly manual

Are you lying?  The 'manual' is two pages that aren't very
good...

> The stove isn't all that stable on its little
> base -- it wobbles a bit.

There is a nice fix for this that I'll try to make pictures
of in the next few weeks...

> Plus, that flimsy wire from the
> battery compartment to the motor makes me nervous.

No fears.  It is flimsy, but you just have to be careful.
At least if you break it, you can strip the wires, twist
them together and you're back in business.  Very field
fixable.

> Using book matches and a few small shreds of news-
> paper under the twigs, I was not able to get any twigs
> to catch fire.

As you have learned, paper does not work well in a Zip
stove...  Dry leaves and pine needles work in a pinch, but I
try to avoid them.

> I whittled a handful of slivers from a stick.

Now you're close...  I've been meaning to work on a users
manual for the ZIP since one doesn't seem to exist.  Here's
the short version:

The biggest fear, of course, is wet wood.  Most wet wood,
except of course driftwood, has a dry center.  You just need
to get to it.  A tomahawk, small hatchet, or real knife
often comes in handy here.  A SAK will work too, it'll just
be more work...  Get to the dry part then shave off some
toothpic/matchstic size shavings 3-6 inches long.  You want
a nice little pile of these.  After practice, you can make
such a pile in 30 seconds.  Once you get a good dry stick
that makes nice shavings, simply carry that shaving stick
with you.  Tiny ends of fallen branches work just fine too.

Pine and pine cones burn hot - too hot, sort of like
gasoline - and will soot your pots badly.  Using hardwoods
will not cake your pots with pine tar, but they will still
get sooty.  This is manageable by putting the pot and stove
into a Ziploc bag.

Put little shavings in stove.  Light from underneath.  Once
well lit, put very small twigs in, turn the fan on low, and
then add some twigs the size of your thumb.  I find that
breaking them into 3-4 inch pieces with my Leatherman tool
works wonderfully.  Once the little twigs seem to have
caught, turn the fan on high.  It should go like crazy.

Place pot on the posts. (Do NOT use the cross grate.  It
sucks.)  Lift pot and toss 1 or 2 twigs in as needed.  The
biggest mistake most people make is to have too much wood in
the stove.  After a little practice, you will figure out
what's right.

> How the heck do you turn this beastie down??

Turn the fan on low, or turn the fan off.

In practice, I have found that I can boil 3 cups of water in
4 minutes flat.  6 minutes if you count lighting time.
Whenever I camp with people using other types of stoves, I
usually have my dinner ready first.  During my dinner I am
(in no-burn, no fire zones) the only one who has a little
fire going for warmth, comfort, and something to stare at.
(Fire is like TV, only better. Fire shows are more
entertaining than any TV program.)

All the people who laugh at you and your 'contraption' wind
up very jealous in the end.  After your dinner you put on
another pot of water for your tea or coffee.  The fuel
carrying people can't spare any more fuel for such a luxury,
and they wind up making their tea and coffee on your stove,
since fuel is everywhere.  While you drink your tea, your
little fire brightens the night and keeps bugs off you to
boot.  There ARE disadvantages to the ZIP stove - all of
them associated with cooking.  There are many more
advantages - not all of them associated with cooking.  Not
to mention that you can actually COOK on a ZIP stove and not
just heat water for some pre-mashed goo.

The smallest bits of wood will do.  It helps sometimes to
have a few dry twigs in a Ziplocs bag to start it on really
wet days.  Some people use various fire starters, and ZIP
even makes their own version.  They work fine, but I have
never needed them.  NEVER POUR ANY LIQUID FUEL INTO THE
STOVE TO LIGHT IT.  You will end up cooking the motor.

Leave the fan on until the fire dies, then dump the cold
ashes on the ground or in a suitable cat hole.  The hardcore
LNT people can pack the half ounce of ashes out, which will
wind up in the trash, then in some land fill somewhere, the
point of which I do not understand.  Just dump the ashes and
scatter them with your foot.  The carbon is GOOD for the
forest.  MAKE SURE THEY ARE DEAD.  I stir mine with my
finger to make sure.  The stove cools quickly if the fan is
left on.

BTW, the fan, dismounted from the stove, can be used to
generate a personal breeze for your face in the dead heat of
summer.

When you get the stove home, you should rinse the fire pot
very thoroughly to keep it from rusting out.  You can coat
the inside of the firepot with olive oil, which will help it
last even longer, but the first time you fire up the stove
all the oil will cook off smokily for a minute or two.

That's the short version. There is a LOT more, but that
should help for now.

Shane