[Stoves] "Stealth fires" and Wendelbo and TLUD history

[neiltm at uwclub.net]

On 27 May 2017 at 8:49, Paul Anderson wrote:

> 2.  But he never mentioned that there was an initial tall-ish pile of 
> fuel, sufficiently tall to say "light the top, not the bottom." Instead,
> a small amount of fuel is likely to be rather flat and only maybe 10 cm 
> (4 inches) in diameter, and maybe only 2 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) thick, 
> which is not packed tightly and could be only 2 o3 "fuel pieces" in 
> thickness.   Such a "pile" hardly has a top versus a bottom.   Bring in 
> the match under the upper-most twigs or leaves and ignite this small 
> amount of fuel.   That can be translated a being "top lit."   But the 
> important thing is to have some tiny fire that can be nursed with the 
> addition of small amounts of fuel, which are being places on top.   This
> is "top-BURNING".

Now I'm confused about what Paal did, because your original account seems 
to contradict what you have just written?:

http://www.drtlud.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/WendelboTLUDExperiences20
09.pdf

"Their meals were prepared with the smallest of fires and minimal smoke. 
The men showed Paal how to lay a small pile of very dry small sticks 
horizontally parallel and with the smallest wood on top. They would light 
the fires at the top. There were no stove structures or fire containers, 
just the sticks. The fires did produce a little smoke, but most of the 
smoke was wonderfully consumed in the steady flames at the top of the 
fuel pile. The pot was a one -  litre tin hanging on a stick extended 
over the fire"

AND quoting Paal:

"I began my serious work with stoves back in Norway in 1988 before my 
next employment started. I began utilizing the fire technology I learned 
during the war . The stove was tested at The Technical High School in 
Norway and Denmark. I made the stove first and the best way to ignite it 
was from the top using some kerosene, but also with straw there was no 
problem to  ignite on top."  

I note though that you describe sticks laid horizontally in parrallel, 
with smaller ones at the top.  I had perhaps not remembered the account 
accurately since I made a 'log cabin', with progressively smaller fuel to 
wards the top, in other words, placing parrallel levels of sticks at 
alternate right angles.  The height limitations are essentially no 
different to building any stack of wood to light, better if anything with 
lighter material at the top, but since the structure degrades from the 
top, it should remain intact lower down making the structure much less 
likely to collapse.

Neil Taylor