[Stoves] Rights about stove designs Re: [biochar-stoves]

[neiltm at uwclub.net]

Resending this as it came through in digest as gobledygook.

I'm glad my post was of interest. Thank you for your comments everyone, 
and I look forward to hearing other's impressions after trying it.

On 13 Sep 2015 at 12:00, Ronal W. Larson wrote:

> 	I?ve made many dozen TLUDs.  I value my time too highly to think I could
> come close to this price starting with two tin cans.  I?m anxious to see
> what can get for these prices - and what I would do differently.  The two
> photos I have seen don?t jibe.

The photos in the ebay ad are confusing I agree, but all will make sense 
when you receive the stove.  In the first picture with the four 
components displayed, the double skin piece at TR with the secondary air 
holes sits on top of the base ring at TL.  The piece at BL with the 
primary air holes/grate then drops inside the above assembly with its top
rolled edge rim resting on the ridge at the bottom of the top piece. This
then comprises the bottom half of the fuel chamber which overall is a 
good size at 4" diameter X 3" fuel depth, making fuelling less fiddly. 
This compares well with the the Reed woodgas campstove LE which 
equivalent dimensions are each a quarter of an inch smaller despite being
an overall larger stove. The in effect combined concentrator ring and pan
support is displayed upside down with the hinged pot supports folded in 
for storage.  Nested for storage/carriage it occupies a space 5" in 
diameter by a little over 2.5" high.  It fits nicely in its bag in a 
small billy can, and together with the small kelly kettle fitted well 
inside our cabin luggage comprising our cook set for a month. 

My lighting technique these days for all TLUDs is to grate candle wax 
over the top of the fuel which is then easily lit.  If the light off 
fails for any reason, a little more grated wax dropped in usually helps 
it turn the corner.

When not using it as a TLUD, and requiring a gentler heat I found it so 
easy to light a pine cone and place it in the bottom, adding one or two 
more or small pieces of wood.  Eventually the stove becomes sluggish and 
less responsive to further added wood.  Time to give the contents a good 
stir with a stick to riddle out the accumulating ash through the large 
primary air holes, and off it goes again.

Paul, Doc  /  Dr TLUD  /  Prof. Paul S. Anderson, PhD wrote:

> Please note that they fail to have any riser (pre-pot chimney
> effect), which should be explored. 

I suspect you would end up with a cleaner emissions stove, but at the 
price of a less pocketable stove, and one with potential stability 
problems on variable camp ground because of overall height, to which you 
then add the problem of taking a windshield so much higher.  The 
remarkeable thing to me was to discover in its overall height of only 
6.5" to top of pot support, or 4.5" to secondary air holes that it 
produced such a strong burn.  It only needs a chimney IMO if you wish to 
retain that performance with cleaner emissions which, correct me if I'm 
wrong, is where NDTLUD have traded one for the other in such formats 
unless fuel is optimal, both only being more easily achievable through 
the forcing of a chimney as in your Champion?  Different tools for 
different situations and priorities perhaps?  In TLUD mode, to be able to
cut back the primary air once up to heat would be wonderful, as it does 
become a bit of a towering inferno, but it is hard (for me) to see how it 
could be done without adding too much complexity to the existing design.

Intuitively I suspect the emissions are more comparable to the rocket 
stove than the much cleaner TLUDs worked on here with indoor air quality 
a primary concern, and pot blackening is certainly comparable to a 
rocket.  We found that dedicating one of those sponge backed scourers to 
just remove the soot, but leaving the pot black with more stable 
residues, and storing the pot in a plastic bag was all the civilising 
required to deal with the soot deposits.

We also added this windshield which is a good match for the stove:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Foldable-Outdoor-Camping-BBQ-Cookout-Windbreak-Sto
ve-Wind-Shield-Screen-8-Plates-/400786191281?hash=item5d50b7f3b1

At the end of the day it is designed as a camping stove, and it fulfills 
this function impressively IMO and is easy to use, so few will be 
disappointed with it in the field I imagine where a good cooking heat 
easily achieved even with less than optimal fuel is of primary 
importance, and clean emissions much less so.

Best wishes,   Neil Taylor