Aluminum specs for heat/wind screen

My current solo alcohol stove set-up is as follows: I use a mo-go-gear burner. I scraped their included stand because of weight, instability and inconvenience. Instead I use a piece of steel hardware mesh(sometimes called hardware cloth or masonry cloth although it is really a large hole mesh made of heavy-gauge steel.) I cut it down to a small rectangular size with wire clippers and shaped/rolled it just like I would for a windscreen. Just like a standard home-made windscreen it opens flat and has folded edges to hold its shape as a circle when in use. I use this for an inner potstand close to the alcohol stove and use a aluminum oven-liner for my windscreen.

It has worked great so far(weighs .3oz/10g.) When the stove gets going the mesh glows red near the jets but doesn’t deform in the heat. It remains stable with a full vargo titanium mug on top. Also I theorize that it helps to direct heat to the bottom of the mug rather than to the sides of the mug.

I got the roll of mesh at Lowe’s in the building supply section, I think the masonry section. Cheap.

PS let it heat up red hot once before actual use, this will allow for any noxious fumes to dissipate.

Hi Dwight,

I’ve seen on the web various windscreen/potstand combinations (generally using stakes through the windscreen for the potstand) and have attempted to make similar designs but it has not worked very well for me.

I’ve had the same problem, with the windscreen distorting with the heat and the weight of a pot full of water. I have not had good results with lighter windscreen materials, like disposable oven baking sheets, which are my preferred material for windscreens. To get good results, I’ve found that you have to use a thicker material for the windscreen, but this then negates the weight savings of using a lighter windscreen with a separate potstand. I’ve come to the conclusion that for me I prefer to use a separate pot stand and a light windscreen.

Dan

Hey Dwight, Have you seen the windscreen/potholder Jharura Wachsman built featured on the MYYG forum 07/14/2006? Using roof flashing (0.010″) and (stripped) braided stainless fishing wire, I copied this design (lower potholder for Esbit tabs resting on “X’s” made from strips of flashing) and was delighted with it for over two weeks out. Mine is probably overbuilt as the cookpot protects it during transit, but it proved incredibly stable.

I’ll look it up. Thanks.

I can only find galvanized hardware cloth so far, and you don’t want to be heating that and breathining anywhere near it. I can’t remember if its the cadmium or the zinc, but its nasty stuff. Very toxic. I used to weld years ago, and it was a very very strong industrial warning not to try to weld galvanized pipe without stripping the coating off first.

I’m looking for some welded wire, maybe stainless steel.

I also used a windscreen / stand for a while and didn’t like it… not strong enough and just a pain to set up and use. I now use a hardware cloth stand… and to make up for the added weight of loosing my dual purpose item… I now use a Ti foil windscreen… since my windscreen no longer has to support any weight. I LOVE my current setup.

Check it out if you’re interested

David – That looks really good. I notice you changed the page title from “50 gram Kitchen” to “48 gram Kitchen” since I looked at it last.

Hi David,

I made a nearly exact setup to yours, using a hardware cloth potstand and the bottom of a tomato juice can for the ESBIT holder. I sized the hardware cloth to tightly fit inside the depression of the bottom of the heineken can (when you lift the can up the hardware cloth stays with the can).

I have not tested it in the field yet, and am wondering how stable it is, being that the diameter of the hardware cloth is pretty small.

Do you find the setup stable in use, especially on uneven surfaces?

Thanks

Daniel… I have used it on trips and I LOVE it!!!! Mostly I really really love how easy it is to remove the pot contents when I’m using the can to get water. Watch the video to see what I mean. It’s really slick how all the components pack up into once neat package with a handle. As for stability… I just find or make a flat spot to use it… and I’m good.

Dwight,

The hardware cloth I found doesn’t seem to be galvanized. I’m no expert on metal, but this mesh is rather shiny without the normal galvanized finish. It looks quite different from the material in David’s pictures. This mesh is almost like oversized windowscreen with trapezoidal holes that are approx. 1/4cm per side. (sorry, no picture)

Doesn’t seem to give of much in the way of fumes when in use.

Where did you find this stuff?

I may end up going that route. Nice idea. Tonight I took some aluminum flashing and just did the round wind screen. Just a few steps more. Unless the aluminum doesn’t hold up.

I found the roll at Lowe’s hardware. the exact section I don’t recall but it was in the contractor’s/building supplies section. Maybe it was the masonry section, drywall or heating?? It was a small roll about 4-5 inches wide. I don’t have the label anymore so can’t give more details.