"Wood Fires" Top Lighting Technique

[Ridgerunner]

Rehydrate some marshmallows

[zelph]

I deleted some short videos from a previous post. I combined them into one video and now list it here:

[zelph]

I designed a smaller wood burner today that fits into a 600ml ti mug. 3-3/4 dia x 4 high. and weighs 2.2 ounces. Tomorrow is test day to see if it will boil 2 cups using a batch load with top lighting. I'm having fun!!!!

This weekend I'll be burning up the MK1 and the mini Woodgaz stove. Ahhhh!!!!! the smell of campfire smoke fills the air

[zelph]

I did a maiden fire test in the MK1 wood burner today and here is the result in some photos and a video. I virtical stacked the large pieces on the bottom and the smaller pieces horizontal and then the magic paper with small pieces of oak on top of that. Not fat wood or chemical used, just paper.

[Ridgerunner]

The MKI did it's job as usual. It is one nicely designed and fabricated stove. Zelph, you really had the vertical pieces jammed in there so most of the oxygen needed to come from the top. It worked rather well once it got going good. Thanks for the test.

[zelph]

The MKI did it's job as usual. It is one nicely designed and fabricated stove. Zelph, you really had the vertical pieces jammed in there so most of the oxygen needed to come from the top. It worked rather well once it got going good. Thanks for the test.

Yes it did indeedy!!!!

There is a lot of room in between the pieces for air to rise and will burn great if the pot support is raised for ME and my technique. I'm the type of guy that likes the K.I.S.S systems Most folks out there are twiggy feeders or bottom lit batch burners. My recent experience with top lighting stoves leads me to push to the max the abilities of a stove. I'm pushin the MK1 On my second test burn it went out after I put the pot on and had to add 2 more sheets of paper to get it lit again and then I added a cross bar assembly to raise the pot support. I always say "nevery deny your stove oxygen"

Here is a video of the second test:

[DarenN]

well, thank you, Zelph.
i'm pleased with your test results.
the fact of the matter is that i designed the stove to be bottom lit. but your testing shows that it will do quite well with your top-lit technique. with the benefit of a bit less smoke. the minus would be a bit slower to boil; but who's in a rush?
just for the fun of it, Zelph, build a fire the right way round (tinder on the bottom ) light it from below by sticking your lighter wand under it . and let us know what you think.
when i use the Mark One, i load it, and pick it up, and light it from below. i'm ready to put it down right quick! it flames up like yesterday when bottom lit.
i really like pine cones as fuel. they burn hot and long. also, i save the branches i trim from the cherry tree out front. they make great twig fires that smell nice.
Daren.....
(thinking about hot dogs for dinner )

[zelph]

I'm going to be going camping again with my wife on Wednesday. I'll get some time to do the bottom up lighting method. Going to use some charcoal in it also to have my wife do hot dogs I'll take the stove apart tomorrow and see if any warping has occurred.....doubt it.

Pine cones, I'll go get some tomorrow and fire it up with some of those. those will put another protective layer on my pot

[zelph]

I picked up some cones and pine twigs but it's too windy to do a test, maybe this evening if it calms down.

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks for the wind and rain! It was not supposed to be here till this evening. Left work to hot humid weather with some dark cloulds over yonder. They found me and a Harley rider. I stopped for the rain gear as it started coming down in buckets and then eased off the road to some private land that always has picnics under a big shelter. It was cabled off but I got the bike thru and rode right under the shelter. Ten minutes later, it let up enough to head on down the road and a few miles north sat the Harley rider working on his bike. I hate riding in the rain!