Ammo Can Rocket Stove Link with Photo's http://www.bearridgetradingpost.com/2011/07/ammo-can-rocket-stove/
A rocket stove is an efficient cooking device that uses small twigs and branches as fuel to achieve high temperature cooking though an insulated combustion chamber and feed tube.
Here are the plans for a quick and easy rocket stove thatâs made out of an old ammo can, a piece of stove pipe and a used coffee can. I built this ammo can rocket stove in under an hour and it works great.
The burn chamber is made out of a 1 foot piece of 6 inch black stove pipe. 4 or 5 inch stove pipe would also work. Just make sure you have room for insulation between the stove pipe and ammo can wall. The feeder tube is an old 4 inch coffee can with both ends cut out.
Place the stove pipe and coffee can on a flat surface as shown in the picture to the left. Trace around the end of the coffee can where it butts up against the stove pipe. Using a pair of tin snips cut out most of the area leaving a strip that can be bent up to attach the coffee can to the stove pipe. You can see this strip along the top of the coffee can in the picture. Using a sheet metal screw attach the two pieces. This is the cooking stack.
The ammo can I used is roughly 8 inches wide by 18 inches long by 14 inches tall. I think it is a 20 mm ammo can.
The hole for the feed tube must be positioned carefully. The cooking stack cannot sit on the bottom and the top of the stack should not extend past the lip of the ammo can. Plan your hole accordingly.
To cut the hole in the end of the ammo can I took the coffee lid and traced around it using a marker, this is slightly over-sized. I then drilled small holes around the circle one right next to the other. Once the holes were drilled I hit the perforated section with a sledge hammer. The round metal center popped out leaving a nice hole to insert the feed tube through.
It would probably be easier to drill a hole then use a jigsaw to cut the center out. I didnât have a metal blade for my saw so I used the drill method. A cutting torch might be another option if you happen to have one. Ammo cans are fairly tough and not easy to cut, tin snips wonât do it.
Insert the burn chamber and feeder tube then fill the ammo can with an insulating material. Remember the goal is to keep the heat in the burn chamber. I used ashes for mine because thatâs what I happened to have available. Ashes work fairly well but some heat still leaks through to the outer wall of the ammo can. I will replace with either fiberglass insulation or vermiculite when I get a chance. Dirt and sand hold and conduct heat so shouldnât be used.
Your ammo can rocket stove is now ready to use. Take some news paper or other combustible material and put it in the bottom of the burn chamber. I use dried pine needles. Then fill the feeder tube with a bundle of small sticks and twigs. Light the combustible material and let it burn. Every 5 to 10 minutes push the sticks further into the feeder tube to keep the fire fed.
Two 7 inch pieces of re-bar placed over the top of the burn chamber (not pictured) work as a grate for the pans to sit on. It is important for air to flow around the bottom of the pot.
Some rocket stoves have a metal plate that separates the feeder tube into two chambers. Sticks are placed on the top of the plate and air is allowed to flow under to fuel the fire. My stove actually works better without the metal plate. Tweak your design to maximize the heat.
Using this particular ammo can you could easily adapt the plans to make a double burner rocket stove. This would be handy in situations where two burners were needed. For instance making pasta and pasta sauce.
Many survivalists have a large supply of pasta or other dried goods that require considerable boiling to prepare. With a double rocket stove you could cook your dried stocks while using the other burner to prepare sauces, meat or whatever.
Simply cut a hole in the other end of the ammo can and build a second stack assembly. Make sure there is enough insulation space between the two burn chambers.
When the stove is not in use the ammo can cover should be replaced for storage. Your coffee can lids can be used on the ends of the feeder tubes to keep mice and other critters out. Be sure the stove is cool before replacing the plastic lids.
It would be smart to build one of these rocket stoves and put it with your survival supplies. In a disaster situation you really donât want the family meal to wait while you run around frantically trying to build a stove. If you really want to be prepared keep a couple of bundles of sticks stored in the burn chamber. Your rocket stove is ready whenever you need it
A rocket stove is an efficient cooking device that uses small twigs and branches as fuel to achieve high temperature cooking though an insulated combustion chamber and feed tube.
Here are the plans for a quick and easy rocket stove thatâs made out of an old ammo can, a piece of stove pipe and a used coffee can. I built this ammo can rocket stove in under an hour and it works great.
The burn chamber is made out of a 1 foot piece of 6 inch black stove pipe. 4 or 5 inch stove pipe would also work. Just make sure you have room for insulation between the stove pipe and ammo can wall. The feeder tube is an old 4 inch coffee can with both ends cut out.
Place the stove pipe and coffee can on a flat surface as shown in the picture to the left. Trace around the end of the coffee can where it butts up against the stove pipe. Using a pair of tin snips cut out most of the area leaving a strip that can be bent up to attach the coffee can to the stove pipe. You can see this strip along the top of the coffee can in the picture. Using a sheet metal screw attach the two pieces. This is the cooking stack.
The ammo can I used is roughly 8 inches wide by 18 inches long by 14 inches tall. I think it is a 20 mm ammo can.
The hole for the feed tube must be positioned carefully. The cooking stack cannot sit on the bottom and the top of the stack should not extend past the lip of the ammo can. Plan your hole accordingly.
To cut the hole in the end of the ammo can I took the coffee lid and traced around it using a marker, this is slightly over-sized. I then drilled small holes around the circle one right next to the other. Once the holes were drilled I hit the perforated section with a sledge hammer. The round metal center popped out leaving a nice hole to insert the feed tube through.
It would probably be easier to drill a hole then use a jigsaw to cut the center out. I didnât have a metal blade for my saw so I used the drill method. A cutting torch might be another option if you happen to have one. Ammo cans are fairly tough and not easy to cut, tin snips wonât do it.
Insert the burn chamber and feeder tube then fill the ammo can with an insulating material. Remember the goal is to keep the heat in the burn chamber. I used ashes for mine because thatâs what I happened to have available. Ashes work fairly well but some heat still leaks through to the outer wall of the ammo can. I will replace with either fiberglass insulation or vermiculite when I get a chance. Dirt and sand hold and conduct heat so shouldnât be used.
Your ammo can rocket stove is now ready to use. Take some news paper or other combustible material and put it in the bottom of the burn chamber. I use dried pine needles. Then fill the feeder tube with a bundle of small sticks and twigs. Light the combustible material and let it burn. Every 5 to 10 minutes push the sticks further into the feeder tube to keep the fire fed.
Two 7 inch pieces of re-bar placed over the top of the burn chamber (not pictured) work as a grate for the pans to sit on. It is important for air to flow around the bottom of the pot.
Some rocket stoves have a metal plate that separates the feeder tube into two chambers. Sticks are placed on the top of the plate and air is allowed to flow under to fuel the fire. My stove actually works better without the metal plate. Tweak your design to maximize the heat.
Using this particular ammo can you could easily adapt the plans to make a double burner rocket stove. This would be handy in situations where two burners were needed. For instance making pasta and pasta sauce.
Many survivalists have a large supply of pasta or other dried goods that require considerable boiling to prepare. With a double rocket stove you could cook your dried stocks while using the other burner to prepare sauces, meat or whatever.
Simply cut a hole in the other end of the ammo can and build a second stack assembly. Make sure there is enough insulation space between the two burn chambers.
When the stove is not in use the ammo can cover should be replaced for storage. Your coffee can lids can be used on the ends of the feeder tubes to keep mice and other critters out. Be sure the stove is cool before replacing the plastic lids.
It would be smart to build one of these rocket stoves and put it with your survival supplies. In a disaster situation you really donât want the family meal to wait while you run around frantically trying to build a stove. If you really want to be prepared keep a couple of bundles of sticks stored in the burn chamber. Your rocket stove is ready whenever you need it
