Snowpeak 900 Ti handle removal

[Diplomatic Mike]

I know folk on here have removed the handles from their 900 pot. Is it feasible to remove the handle bracket that is fixed to the pot?
I work in an engineering machine shop, so have access to any tools i need. I'm worried that the spot welds may come away from the pot, leaving holes in the pot. I have never worked with thin Titanium, so am unsure of the outcome, if i buff the bracket off.

[Greg Mihalik]

Mike,
Somewhere in the last month this has been shown on this site.

I searched a bit but could not find the thread. I think a Dremmel was used for the initial rough work and then it was hand filed. As I recall, it just took a little time and care.

[Elizabeth Camp]

Take a look @ this thread…..

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/3393/index.html?skip_to_post=24858#24858

I hope it works out

[Denis Hazlewood]

The job I did doesn't look as clean as that thread, but it worked OK. I used a Dremel Tool with a cutting wheel. Then I used a flat file and smoothed it up.

[Denis Hazlewood]

oops. posted to the wrong thread.

[Diplomatic Mike]

Thanks folks.
As long as i'm careful, the spot-welds shouldn't be a problem.

[Matthew Roberts]

I removed my Titan Kettle Handle.

This was done to fit inside a modified Caldera Cone stove design I had been working on. The stove design eliminated the hole in the caldera cone, adding to fuel efficiency. The design also would allow me to burn wood without melting my silicone ring handle. This means less fuel weight as I would not have to pack extra fuel. In the event I run out, I could use firewood.

This stove design later switched to a Heine keg and a remote fueled system. So in the end, I didn't end up using the fit my modified Titan Kettle provided.

The finish turned out perfectly smooth. Perfect for my holeless Caldera Cone stove design. Not much in terms of weight savings. I did however convince myself to buy a Dremel mid project, and by the time I was done I had a new toy *cough* tool.

Total Damage : Handles weighted 13 grams, the titanium plate holding the handles weighted 3 grams. Total titanium removed, 16 grams.

SO FOR ALL YOU OUT THERE THAT WANT TO REMOVE YOUR HANDLE, EITHER FOR FIT INTO A CALDERA CONE OR FOR YOU GRAM-COUNTERS …here's the steps involved in removing a handle.

Step 1: Protect yo Pot!
Using gorilla tape I layered 3-5 strips of tape to protect the Titan Kettle's thin titanium wall from myself. Later on in the process we will be ripping the handle off my leveraging the handle against the titanium pot wall using needle nose pliers.

Step 2: Grind spot welds
Easiest way I found to remove the handle, is to grind the spot welds through with an Emery wheel on a Dremel or Rotozip. Don't grind too far, you'll start removing titanium from the actual pot.

Step 3: Brute Muscle
Once you have the spot welds ground down, use a pair of needle nose pliers to force the remaining handle off. The left over nobs from the spot welds can be individually ground down once the handle is removed.
Using pliers, break the remaining handle free from the weakened spot welds.

Step 4: Using your Emery disc on your roto zip/dremel, grind the spot weld stubs down. For a smooth finish, switch out your dremel bit to sand paper, and then the polishing wheel.
***Running the Emery disc takes a delicate hand, so as to not grind too far into your titanium pot.

[Dan Cunningham]

For real? That's a lot of work for .1 oz. That's less than a sip of water from your water bottle. I can see if you needed to modify it to fit in something, but for weight, it seems silly to me.

[Matthew Roberts]

Yeah Dan:

Believe it or not, there are those people out there that would go through all this work just to save the 16 grams!!!

*wispering*
And probably, some of them are on this forum.

[Denis Hazlewood]

It's not just the weight (and I don't see the already removed handles) the pot now has a uniform diameter, which allows a more efficient "cone". I have removed all handles, and brackets, and have installed Ti spoke bails. Now I have saved the weight of a pot lifter too.

[Taylor Ginther]

Though they are double-walled. Better, IMHO, but a little heavier.

http://www.snowpeak.com/lux/kitchen/mugs/stacking.html

I like my snowpeak trek 700, I'm keeping the handle, it keeps me from burning my hand. The lid too, very useful.

[Boozer]

Don't go cooking in a double wall…

[Steven Evans]

Yep, people do crazy things to save weight. hehe.. ;)

Though they are double-walled. Better, IMHO, but a little heavier.

Heavy can never be better. :)

Plus, you can't boil water or cook in DW mugs. Well, I guess you physically CAN, but I wouldn't want to be there.

[Boozer]

If it wouldn't be so costly I'd love to see wgat it would do. Anybody know of a DW to flame vid? Dent or worse?

[Matthew Roberts]

Now I'm interested.

What happens when you cook on a double wall?

LET'S SEE A VIDEO PEOPLE!!!

[Taylor Ginther]

I never heard cooking in a DW is dangerous- I'm assuming the dead space is air, not water.

[Taylor Ginther]

I brew beer in a DW SS kettle. I cook pasta in a DW cast-iron-enameled pot. Is titanium too brittle?

[Boozer]

"Double-wall construction is not suitable for cooking; do not place on an open flame or hot burner."

Statement on REI.com in regards to the SP 450 DW mug.

Have you ever heard of someone cooking on a DW?

[Boozer]

Well I would guarantee that Ti thickness is DRASTICALLY different than your DW SS kettle.

[Taylor Ginther]

Glad you guys brought it up! I never noticed a warning. I looked real hard at the DW mugs on SP's site, but decided on the SW Trek 700; bought it from backcountry.com. I've been thinking of getting a DW, but if I can't cook on it, it's no use to me. I guess that's why the DW's are in SP's "Luxury Camping" area.

[Boozer]

Well I doubt it would be catastrophic failure, but it could be. I would assume a seam failure by seperation. I have no idea what level of thermal expansion it would take to create any real fun. One thing I am fairly sure of – you would not like your boil times ;)

[Tim Marshall]

some of those double wall cups are big enough to be of use, but of course heavier and have 2 walls.

Can i take 1 double wall cup and make it into 2 single wall cup? Or is it such a pain that i should just stick with the single wall mugs i have?

I am assuming that the wall thickness is thinner than the standard single wall cups/mugs/pots as there are 2 walls to hold these cups together, this could result in a very light single wall pot/mug/cup.

-Tim

[t.darrah]

Tim,
Instead of butchering a nice Snowpeak double wall mug I will just cut one of my single wall mugs in half with a horizontal cut. I will send you, FREE, the "lighter" top half and I will keep the heavy bottom half. :)

[Tim Marshall]

question still stands.

If the materials are thinner in a DW mug i want to cut it apart at the top and have 2 thinner single wall mugs. Any one know if the material is thinner?

-Tim

[Boozer]

I would say it is to no advantage. According to Snowpeak specs a DW 600 is 5.1oz, SW 600 2.8oz and the handle-less 600 is 4.4oz. Using these specs along with the 450 specs for the same mugs it appears the handle weighs in at .7 oz. So…SW 600 no handle would weigh 2.1 oz and if you split the handle-less 600, assuming inner and outer cups weighed the same, they would weigh in at 2.2oz each. Even if these specs are off by 10% – not worth it. MSRP $54 for the DW 600 and $29 for the SW. Snowpeak is on to you Tim. Maybe this makes sense.

Note: I personally verified weights on the SW 600, DW 450 and others. Snowpeak looks to be pretty close – close enough for this situation at least.

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