Homemade Volcano Stove
Volcano, or hobo, stoves have their origins in America's Great Depression. The new migratory class needed a simple and lightweight tool with which to cook on the road, and so was born the volcano stove, which can also be used to carry essentials. Homemade volcano stoves are very quick and simple to make, use almost any fuel and provide a fun project when camping.
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Instructions
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Take any tin can, such as a coffee can or paint tin, and clean it as well as you can. The larger the tin, the larger your stove.
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Use a multi-function pocket knife to carefully punch four or five small holes around the rim at the top and bottom of the tin.
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Fill your can with some kind of fuel. Almost anything dry and organic will work, but twigs are best.
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Place your can, or volcano stove, on a secure, firm base, open end up. A flat rock makes a good base.
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Light your twigs. Air flows through the holes in the bottom of the can and out of the holes at the top to create a powerful through-draught.
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Place your pot or pan on top of the can.
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Top up the stove with more twigs as necessary.
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Tips & Warnings
Cut a door in the side of your can near the bottom, instead of punching holes around the bottom rim, for a more advanced model. Open and close this door carefully with a piece of wood to adjust air flow and hence the intensity of the fire and heat.
Replace the lid of the tin can to reduce carbon deposits on your pots or pans and to bake.
Use a No. 10 tin can for authenticity. This was the favored can of the hobos during the Great Depression.
Never use a volcano stove inside your tent.
Never touch the stove with your bare hands after lighting, as the fire can burn white hot in strong winds.
References
- Photo Credit tin image by Aleksandr Ugorenkov from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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careful if you have anything heavy on top of this kind of stove. If the can gets too hot, the sides get soft and the can might collapse.
