Zelph’s Fosters Pot and a MYOG Fancee Feest

[Bob Gross]

Newton, it is getting too difficult to find good freeze-dried crayfish.

–B.G.–

[John Donewar]

Bob,

Since we're on a bit of a thread drift, do you remember the bags of Bo Pic dried shrimp?

A little hot water, minute rice, olive oil, flour and Kitchen Bouquet, salt and pepper to taste and you have a rather crunchy trail version of Shrimp Stew.

Mmmmm

L O L

Party On,

Newton

[Bob Gross]

"bags of Bo Pic dried shrimp? "

I have no clue.

Was that a delicacy of Leesville?

The only freeze-dried shrimp that I used to purchase was Mountain House, in #2-1/2 size cans.

–B.G.–

[John Donewar]

Hi Bob,

The packages were usually stapled to a cardboard display. There might have been 4 or 5 vertical rows of 10 – 15 plastic / cellophane envelopes of dried shrimp in each row.

They were usually found by the checkout in the stores that carried them. They were meant to be a snack type food.

They were tiny and were dried shell on, hence the crunchiness.;-?

Party On,

Newton

[MFR]

Newton, I love the idea for the lid/ring. I am in the process of simplifying my cooking system, and I have gotten quite a few suggestions from your search.

I did some searching at the grocery store today too, and it turns out that the Blue Diamond almond tins have a lid that fits the Foster's pot if you cut the can off below the taper at the top (I use a cut-down tin can as a ring/reinforcement at the top). The Frito's dip cans' lids also fit. I'm excited to try your new idea out once I get everything to fit into my pot.

[John Donewar]

Hi Clayton,

Sounds like you've been watching the You Tube videos by IntenseAngler Outdoors.

I have also been researching eyelet kits for the wire bail modification. I found this one at overstock.com.

$15.49 with free shipping. It's the best price that I've found

http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewing/Dritz-Eyelet-Pliers-Kit/3127725/product.html?cid=202290&kid=9553000357392&track=pspla&adtype=pla&kw={keyword}

If you are interested in an aluminum Fosters can ring check out this link.

http://www.outdoortrailgear.com/cottage-industries/smokeeater908/beer-can-pot-aluminum-ring/

I've been all over the net on this project! L O L

Party On,

Newton

[John Donewar]

OK so I have 90 minutes before tonight's dinner guests arrive and I have a question.

Would Malin LC10, 131 pound test, .024 wire diameter, coated (coffee color), stainless steel wire leader material make suitable bail material for my Foster's pot bail project?

It is for sale at my local Academy Sports and Outdoors location for $2.49 plus tax for a 42 foot roll.

I'm looking for a lift up onto the shoulders of someone else with some experience in this area. ;-)

Party On,

Newton

[MFR]

I have indeed seen that video and aluminum ring. I like Zelph's pots, but I have this crazy MYOG itch and the ring is easier to reinforce a can than coming up with some kind of bead roller.

Now those eyelets—-I can see a multitude of uses for something like that! Not only will it work for a wire bail, but it could also be used for ULA Ohm style compression eyelets. It's funny how MYOG never ends up saving me money in the long run.

I did put a wire bail on my current Foster's pot. It's pretty unsophisticated (well–the whole pot is, thus the reason it sits on the shelf when I take a trip), but I just bought generic stainless steel wire at Wal-Mart. It seems to work fine, and I would assume that what you've found would do the job just as well.

[John Donewar]

Thanks Clayton.

What I found when I started to think about a MYOG, beaded / ridged and wide mouthed Foster's pot was that I couldn't tool up for as little as Zelph was charging including shipping.

I cut off the child safety part of the screw cap on my fuel bottle and saved a whopping 4 grams.

It is definitely lighter.

But I am not sure that I am really liking this modification. ;-?

Party On,

Newton

[Bob Gross]

You could use smaller letters for the FUEL label and save some ink weight. You could cut out the letters like a decal and save even more weight. You could drop more by shaving off the clear plastic rim below the cap.

Pretty soon we are going to discover the Higg's Boson.

–B.G.–

[John Donewar]

Hi Bob,

Not in the near future, my super collider is 14 years old and is difficult to get into 2nd gear. ;-)

I'm trying to reduce the mass of my whole hiking kit so that I create less friction on the fabric of space and be able to hike farther.

Now if I could do something meaningful in the area pictured below.

It's interesting that you mentioned Higg's. I just watched a program on NOVA about particle theory. I just hope that the super collider project doesn't get the zipper on the fly of the universe off track. L O L

Party On,

Newton

[Bob Gross]

My wire source says that he thinks the wire is 0.030" diameter.

–B.G.–

[John Donewar]

Thanks for the info on the wire Bob.

The stainless steel fishing leader material is .024 according to the package label. At $2.49 and a difference of .006" I'll be willing to give it a try. The "coffee" colored coating on the fishing leader might just add a rather stylish quality to my cook kit.

I got an email from Overstock.com telling me that my Dritz Eyelet Pliers Kit and eyelets have shipped via USPS. I'll swing by the Academy on the way home and keep an eye out for the Postman. ;-)

BTW I scratched the idea of removing the top portion of the child proof cap. It would only save me 4 grams total if I removed it from both of my fuel bottles. It was ugly and uncomfortable to the touch when tightening or loosening what was left of the cap. I'm on the lookout for another small travel size Listerene bottle.

During my latest stove tests I got a 1 cup boil from 10ml of alcohol. If I can get the same performance in the field 4 fl oz of alcohol would give me 12 boils. It looks like a may be keeping the dose cup in the kit.

Party On,

Newton

[Bob Gross]

"I'm on the lookout for another small travel size Listerene bottle."

Is that glass or plastic or what?

I have lots of ordinary white polyethylene bottles, 0.75 oz, 2 oz, 4 oz, 8 oz, etc., with hard caps and squirt caps. Then I have some clear plastic bottles that are tall cylinders with hard caps.

Then there are other bottles that are really tough. I think they held Louisiana hot sauce. Boy, you take that hot sauce along and you don't need any stove.

–B.G.–

[John Donewar]

"Then there are other bottles that are really tough. I think they held Louisiana hot sauce. Boy, you take that hot sauce along and you don't need any stove".

L O L literally! My wife even asked from two rooms away, "What is so funny?"

Louisiana Hot Sauce is tame compared to McIlhenny's Tabasco, Wasabi and Chile de Arbol (those little red peppers in your Chinese takeout) in ascending order on the Scoville scale.

"Is that glass or plastic or what"?

It is a clear plastic bottle with the label peeled off and a black and opaque child safety cap.

I'll be able to get another, full of Listerine mouthwash / antiseptic, on my next outing to WallyWorld. ;-)

Walgreen's usually has a "travel kit" of 3 oz plastic bottles in the tall cylindrical shapes that are TSA friendly.

Party On,

Newton

[John Donewar]

No joy at the mailbox on the eyelets and pliers from Ostock.com. :-(

I consoled myself by playing with some of the wire leader material to design my end "loop" for my wire bail.

The circular loop is meant to retain the bail end inside of the cook pot.

This profile view of the circular loop hopefully conveys the idea of how it will be retained inside of the cook pot and how it will be able to rotate after passing through the eyelet on each side

The hinge point or rotating axis of the bail end loop is that tight 180 degree bend on the right side in the picture above and centered in the circular loop in the picture below.

I have one end loop made as seen in the pictures. After I put the eyelets in the sides of the cook pot(s) I'll thread it through one eyelet from the inside. Next I plan to thread the unfinished end through the other eyelet and into the cook pot. The last part is the trickiest. I will make another end loop on the unfinished end just like the one in the pictures.

All this is done using tiny needle nose pliers and diagonal cutters.

When I am done I can put that ultra heavy pot lifter away in my gear closet.

While I'm waiting on my eyelet kit to get here I'm going to investigate a lighter windscreen like Bob suggested earlier. My material source for that will be a WhiteBox Solo Stove windscreen that I've had for a few years and never used.

The experiment continues. ;-)

Party On,

Newton

[James Marco]

Nice bail design. Bail handles have the advantage of not getting that hot over a stove if flipped up.

I would suggest a simpler idea, though. A couple small holes in the pot, just about 1/4" below the rim or so would eliminate the requirement for eyelets, then simply use a 1/8" aluminum pop rivit. With a tiny drill you can clear the center, or, drill a hole to accomodate the wire.If you are carfull, a notch can be filed into the pop rivet providing some way to make the bail "stand up."

[John Donewar]

Hi James,

Thanks for the kind words.

"…requirement for eyelets, then simply use a 1/8" aluminum pop rivet".

Wouldn't this be an "eyelet" by another name?;-?

"…a notch can be filed into the pop rivet providing some way to make the bail "stand up."

I like this suggestion a lot and will look into it while using the planned eyelet design. I'll probably file the notch into the eyelets prior to installing them and make sure the notch is at the top before I set them with the pliers.

At my age I don't think I want to try drilling out the center of a pop rivet. As it is I have enough scars on my fingers already. ;-)

FWIW the lightest solution would be no eyelets or rivets at all. The wire is .024" so I could simply drill two .025" holes 180 degrees apart below the rim just low enough to avoid interfering with the seating of the aluminum lid and plastic ring. The notch could be filed into the rim edge. I'd rather the eyelets though because IMO it will give it a more finished appearance and reinforce the holes.

I do appreciate your comments and input.

Party On,

Newton

[MFR]

I'm really excited to see the finished product. You have reawakened my MYOG urge (even though it hadn't really been asleep very long). I even broke the sewing machine out last night and was up way too late sewing reinforcements into the apices of my tarp.

[Bob Gross]

Newton, maybe my bail wire is thicker, but it stands up nicely on its own without any stinking eyelets.

–B.G.–

[John Donewar]

Thanks Clayton, so am I. But you are taxing my slowly dwindling brain cells. I had to google "apices" to make sure I understood your post. L O L

@Bob,

"…stinking eyelets".

I haven't received my eyelets as yet. According to the USPS tracking number they are in transit at Hebron, KY as we speak. If you can smell them all the way from California to Kentucky than I will certainly not use them on my cook pot. ;-)

As I said in an earlier post they are not the lightest option. But it is what I prefer to do in this particular case. I guess that it is just a question of personal preference and style.

I thank you for your input.

Party On,

Newton

[Bob Gross]

"But you are taxing my slowly dwindling brain cells."

Too many burn tests with the denatured alcohol stove, huh?

That's why I burn Esbit tablets. The fumes are different, so it hits different brain cells, so I really don't care after a while.

–B.G.–

[John Donewar]

Bob,

These days I am just a little slower in general. ;-)

;-)” height=”562″ src=”https://dpcr19kltm61a.cloudfront.net/backpackinglight/user_uploads/1342825791_65919.jpg” width=”400″ />

Unfortunately this is a pretty accurate depiction of the real me. L O L

Party On,

Newton

[John Donewar]

OK so according to the USPS tracking my eyelet and pliers kit are still idling in Hebron KY. ;-(

Today I fashioned a new lighter windscreen from the old unused windscreen that came with my WhiteBox Solo stove.

I believe that the material is what is known as tooling foil. It comes in various metals but this one is aluminum. It weighs in at 9 grams on my scale. My aluminum flashing windscreen weighed 11 grams so I've cut my weight by two more grams.

And look Ma no paper clip needed! Because the foil is much more malleable I can form it for use as a windscreen or roll it up for storage and it stays put. ;-)

While looking over some photos of Zelph's Fancee Feest stove I noticed what appeared to be some tiny notches at the top of the pot support. I added 4 of these using a paper punch to my clone stove and it now registers 11 grams instead of the 12 grams that it used to weigh. Apparently I was just close enough before the notches to register 12 grams and now I may be just a "heavy" 11 grams. ;-?

I did this as an experiment to see if it might lower the pressure that I believed was causing the flame to lick up the sides of the cook pot midway through the burn. It didn't do as I hoped but it did make it lighter. ;-)

That just means that I get to source some smaller can stock and build another somewhat smaller and perhaps lighter stove.

Since I am pursuing the bail on this project I will be able to remove the lightened MSR pot lifter and its weight from my kit. With the above changes and the removal of the pot lifter my kit will be 22 grams lighter or 3/4 of an ounce.

1 cup pot 15 grams
stove 11 grams
plastic ring 2 grams
aluminum lid 5 grams
dose cup 2 grams
mini Bic 11 grams
windscreen 9 grams

So my total now is 55 grams to which must be added whatever the eyelets and wire bail weigh plus my 106 gram full fuel bottle. My total today is 161 grams or 5.68 ounces for a cook kit that should hopefully give me 12 full boils in the field. Colder temperatures and colder water and I'd probably only get 9 or 10 boils.

I waiting on my eyelet kit to finish the bail portion of this project. This will probably add a gram or two to my total weight. We will see! ;-)

Party On,

Newton

[Bob Gross]

Newton, your dose cup weighs 2 grams. Is it possible to measure your denatured alcohol using the regular bottle cap? I use a 2 gram cup myself.

Also, I can't tell exactly from your photos. The walls of the windscreen, are they vertical or slanted?

"malleable" I think that means that it gets mashed easily.

–B.G.–

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