[Stoves] VERY small cooking: How to do it. / fire-starting

[Boll, Martin Dr.]

Dear Paul,
Naturally I think of burning in the same stove, at first alcohol (or
whatever ignites directly) and then secondly burning small wood.
- If you start the TLUD quickly by a good amount of alcohol that _is_ a
hybrid-burner. 
I thought about a U-Channel outside of the "burning-chamber" just under the
secondary-air-holes; to suck the vapour/flame into the burning chamber.
Therefore the holes have to be big enough to encourage the flame to transit
the hole, or the vapours must penetrate enough to the burning chamber, to be
ignited. And that is even important: The secondary-air holes must be so low
-or the burning-chamber so high loaded with fuel(woodchips/sticks) that the
flames ignite quickly. Possibly the wood-sticks there have to be "mounted"
to the centre. But Tom's proposal for soaked charcoal is simpler, but I
fear, the flames are more above the charcoal, then igniting them, and
therefore needs a lot of alcohol; but never the less: An exciting simple
idea, I tried already to ignite my Barbeque some years ago. The amount of
alcohol was too much for my taste. I preferred some paper and small kindling
(Had used smallest birch-branches if I have had!!). The oily grill-starters
make too much sooth. 
The other simpler way I think: 
A small sausage of cotton or kitchen-paper, soaked with alcohol, positioned
in the burning-chamber just under the secondary-air holes. So the
in-streaming air blows the flames to the centre, against the "mounted"
wood-sticks.
- In former times there was ("Holzwolle") woodwool; In bushels or ropes.
It was used as packing-material to prevent goods from damaging. 
I have found a website about that stuff:
http://www.europack24.de/wbc.php?sid=261f0fc0&tpl=produktdetail.html&pid=2&r
id=9&recno=1
That burnt pretty quick, and I guess not bad for the ignition of a TLUD as
well. This has a very different structure compared by shavings, because of
small (about 2mm) but long stripes. There is much air in between.
I think it is worth to experiment with.

Some of the upper chips could be blended with the under parts of
"Wood-wool". 
 
Interested to hear about your thoughts or possibly already done tests.

Regards

Martin






> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Paul S. Anderson [mailto:psanders at ilstu.edu]
> Gesendet: Freitag, 2. März 2007 06:08
> An: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves; Boll,Martin Dr.
> Cc: 'Discussion of biomass cooking stoves'
> Betreff: Re: [Stoves] VERY small cooking: How to do it.
> 
> Quoting "Boll, Martin Dr." <boll.bn at t-online.de>:
> 
> > Dear Paul,
> > Lighting quickliy and smokefree is important.
> > How about using a hybrid-technic: Beginning alcohol, followed by small
> wood?
> 
> If hybred refers to using one, and then separately another, that does not
> work
> because the first one (alcohol) needs to actually ignite the second one
> (wood).
> 
> But if hybred is a combination where the first one ignites the second,
> that is
> actually how we ignite the TLUD, which is the OTHER combustion technology
> that
> I wrote can be started quickly, be intense, and extinquish quickly or
> remove
> conveniently.  TLUD ignition is typically with a "starter" fuel that
> ignites
> right away (the vapors from alcohol are good, but almost too volatile) AND
> ignites the woodchips in the TLUD.
> 
> I am surprised at how little discussion there was about the topic of
> VERY small
> cooking.  Some great comments from one reader whose interest in in the
> backpacking activities, not in the Developing Societies context.  (I
> learned
> some things from him and the references he provided.  For example, at
> least two
> other people were making the alcohol burners out of tincans (not aluminum)
> before I did my work.  But our construction methods and sizes are
> different.  I
> have some more experiments to conduct!!)
> 
> And almost NO comments about whether or not the people who need improved
> cookstoves (ICS) actually do much of the VERY small cooking.
> 
> Paul
> 
> > Regards
> >
> > Martin
> >
> --
> Paul S. Anderson, Ph.D., Geography professor - Emeritus
> Telephone:  USA-309-452-7072 (residence and office)
> Internet site:  www.ilstu.edu/~psanders
> For my gasifier stoves info, go to:
> http://bioenergylists.org/contributors#Paul_Anderson
> 
> 
> 
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