22 Gram Esbit Kit

[Dan Yeruski]

mikmik, I got an order to ship to Queensland 4128 is that you? I will make more 2 cup flat bottom pots tomorrow and then ship on Wednesday. I ordered 1 Ti potstand today and received a conformation that it was shipped today. I might receive it in 2 days and will test it with EsbitLyte siting on top of the esbit tray. We already know the esbit does not melt inside the Esbitlyte and is very efficient using the 4 gram tablets.

[mik matra]

Yeah that is my order :).

If that Ti stove/pot holder does not work out I'll give your stove a go :).

Thank you Dan.

[Dan Yeruski]

I sent a burner along with your order for you to test. The winters are long over there and you need something to keep you occupied :-)

Where do you purchase large flat blocks of esbit?

[mik matra]

Thanks heaps for sending the extras!!! :)

The Esbit I got from the local camping shop. I haven't been able to find the same ones on Ebay. Are you interested in the larger flatter ones for experimenting with?

[Matthew Black]

Mik,

That stove will most likely weigh 14 grams. That type is often listed at 11 grams but they all seem to weigh in at 14, regardless of whose brand is on the stove. It is a very utilitarian and I love mine.

[Dan Yeruski]

Hi Mik, the large flat blocks you have are probably the 4 gram tablets and I have been testing those. I purchased mine on ebay. I'll see if I can get a link for you 6 of them fit inside the esbitlyte burner.

Mathew is right about the weight. Mine weighs 14grams.

I received my "Esbit" brand stove yesterday and did one test this morning in my kitchen while my wife was out and about. I was able to boil 2 cups of 70 degree water under Ideal conditions in approx 6 min. and had esbit left over in the tray (I used the large cube). (see photo) After the water boiled I took the stove outside to blow out the flames. Most of you that use esbit know what a cloud of smoke that comes off the snuffed cube and what it smells like. You can see that cloud of smoke in Trail Designs demo video of the Sidewinder.

As the stove was cooling down I could see tiny droplets of chemical being given off by the remaining cube. The latent heat was enough to have the cube continue to off-gas. I was holding the stove with a hot pad and was able to get a close look of the process. As it cooled further I could see the formation of tiny pointed crystals forming at the top edge of the tray and on the esbit itself. They looked really cool glistening in the sun light. After the remaining cube had cooled I lightly, very lightly, was able to scrape the tiny crystals off and put them on a sheet to photograph them for you to see. That's a lot of crystal chemical to be handling if you are saving the remaining tablet by touching it to put it into a zip-lock bag. This is just a heads up infomercial on the use of esbit ;-) Wherever you put the remaining piece it's sure to be losing some of those tiny crystals. It would be interesting to get some input from users on how they handle their stove and remaining esbit. Eric has been using esbit for a long time so maybe he can give us some insight on how he manages his leftovers.

My recent tests with the 4 gram tablets 2 at a time in the Esbitlyte burner show no signs of the crystal formation and residue left on the pot bottom. Maybe they would form if I had blown out the fuel midway into the tests, dunno!.

In today's test we can see the amount of residue left after a 6 min. burn time.(see photo)

[Bob Gross]

I normally use this Esbit burner for my cooking in the field.

I put a tiny piece of aluminum foil, less than one square inch, into the fuel tray before I burn Esbit there. This allows me to easily remove any burned or unburned remainder. I always have some aluminum foil to use as a wind screen, and often I use a piece on the ground to avoid catching any grass. The remainder can be wrapped in foil if you need to transport it somewhere else.

The white crystals are convenient if you want to re-light the Esbit for a second burn. They seem to allow the lighter flame to catch it better.

–B.G.–

[Dan Yeruski]

Thanks Bob. The foil is a good tip. I find it hard to light used tablets even in calm conditions. I've been using the large kitchen matches but may have to get one of those "jet" butane torches like Rand at TD uses in his demo video of the Sidewinder Ti-Tri. Do you use matches or a lighter?

The esbit that remained from the first test was only able to get the water hot enough that I could only hold my finger in it for about 5 seconds max. I think I've seen it said by
Eric B. that he can get a second 2 cup boil out of his remaining esbit, is that correct?

[Rex Sanders]

"I think I've seen it said by Eric B. that he can get a second 2 cup boil out of his remaining esbit, is that correct?"

Ahh, the holy grail of two 2-cup boils from one 14 gram Esbit tablet. Like a shining light over a lonely nunnery. Guarded by insane knights. Seekers are taunted by nasty Frenchmen, and attacked by dangerous wildlife.

In my experience, your experience is about right. Boil 2 cups of water, heat up another cup or two for a hot drink, but not a boil.

— Rex

[Dan Yeruski]

Rex, that is quite the collection of tall tales as is the 4 cups on one 14 gram esbit.

I like the ultralight PVC pack frame in the Nasty Frenchman video. Stop it at minute 2:52.

[Bob Gross]

"Do you use matches or a lighter?"

The Mini-BIC lighter is standard equipment here at BPL.

I carry one book of paper matches, and it is wrapped up in plastic. That is just for backup.

–B.G.–

[mik matra]

"Hi Mik, the large flat blocks you have are probably the 4 gram tablets and I have been testing those. I purchased mine on ebay. I'll see if I can get a link for you 6 of them fit inside the esbitlyte burner."

The ones I am buying locally are 14g large flat block ones. They are not called Esbit but are the same thing still.

Hey did you say those cristal thingies are harmful to health?

[Dan Yeruski]

Bob, My hands are too large for the mini. I need to get one of those torch lighters. I use the large kitchen matches most of the time. Cold weather and bic lighters don't get a long very well. Cold hands can't spin the wheel very well.

MikMik, now I know what your using :-)

4 little cubes equals one big one:

[Bob Gross]

"Bob, My hands are too large for the mini."

You see, Dan, there is another place where you can shave off some weight.

"Cold weather and bic lighters don't get a long very well. Cold hands can't spin the wheel very well."

Understood. Sometimes I am a cross-country skier. When out in the snow country, it becomes vitally important to have a dependable source of fire or heat. So, early on I discovered that an ordinary butane lighter gets pretty bad when the air temperature drops below freezing. That's why I carry it in my pants pocket where it is warmed up to almost body temperature, and then it is extremely reliable.

Cold hands? That's why I use clothing pockets or else liner gloves for my hands.

–B.G.–

[Dan Yeruski]

A steel bottle cap makes a good Esbit holder

–B.G.–

Bob, my bottle caps are too small. what kind are you using?

[Bob Gross]

Ah-ha!

Think out of the box.

First of all, I use the standard size of Esbit tablets and I have never seen the small size in any store. Sometimes I am cutting them in half to boil a single cup of water. I stand the half-cube on its end, not flat. That slightly changes the distance from flame to pot.

Now, I suspect that leads to a faster boil time, but slightly less fuel efficiency. However, when I am in a situation where I am using a bottle cap, I am generally in a hurry.

Normally I use my Esbit fuel in an Esbit 3-wing burner. Again, I can burn it flat, or on its side, or on its end.

–B.G.–

[Gary Dunckel]

"4 little cubes equals one big one"

Actually, Dan, three of the 4 gm tabs = one 12 gm tab.

[Dan Yeruski]

Yeah, standing on end would surely make them burn faster. My recent purchase and testing of the 3 wing burner showed it was a fast burner, not too efficient. Do you use the alum foil to cover up the sides to slow it down? I've had success in slowing it down by leaving it in it's original plastic container. Just squish the plastic sides down a bit 1/2 way.

In cold weather I don't use gloves to set up my stove/kitchen and so when I'm ready to light the fire my hands are numb, old school type of stuff heh heh. I burn wood most of the time. No fire bans in the Midwest corn/soybean fields…..lucky to find a wooded area LOL

[Bob Gross]

"Do you use the alum foil to cover up the sides to slow it down?"

No, I'm too impatient for that.

Besides, where I backpack the altitude is normally around 10,000 feet, so the boiling temperature is depressed somewhat. If I am going to drink my tea hot, then I like to get it to a boil as fast as possible, not as efficiently as possible.

"No fire bans in the Midwest corn/soybean fields…..lucky to find a wooded area LOL"

Why do you think I moved out from the Midwest about 35 years ago?

–B.G.–

[Dan Yeruski]

Gary, I weighed them again. This time I took the big one out of the packaging.

Why do you think I moved out from the Midwest about 35 years ago?

–B.G.–

Haha, my daughter moved to Utah in January of this year, came home for a visit 4 weeks ago and quickly said "there is so much green here in IL. It smells green also :-)

Woodlands are on the increase do to habitat restorations. we be thinking "green" out here! Yousa guys are burning up your's Youse guys have to pay more taxes so the DNR/blm can do more controlled burns to get rid of the understory fuel. Just kidding!

[Gary Dunckel]

A-ha, Dan! So 3.5 of the little guys equals one of the 14 gm. big guys. So here's what you do–cut one of the 4 gm tabs in half, and send one half to the BLM to use in their controlled burns out here. That'll help reduce our taxes a wee bit, and you'll have 2 versions of a 14 gm Esbit load for your tests.

Edit–On second thought, send the extra half tabs to -B.G.-. They'll fit perfectly in his bottle caps. The BLM wouldn't know what to do with them anyway.

[Bob Gross]

"They'll fit perfectly in his bottle caps."

Naah. I'm busy with my Dremel tool. I'm trying to grind off the excess metal of a bottle cap. Maybe drill some air holes in it.

–B.G.–

[Dan Yeruski]

"Hey did you say those crystal thingies are harmful to health?"

I don't think I said that but……I will surely not blow out any more cubes in a burner such as the tri wing that I recently tested. From now on I'll let them burn up completely. I'm surprised the state of California allows them to be sold there. When they are blown out, the cloud of smoke can gag a maggot. Watch Trail Designs video on the demo of the Sidewinder and see the cloud of smoke.

Maybe I can modify the Tri-wing to burn alcohol in the Modified StarLyte burner. Come to think of it, the Esbitlyte might work well with the tri-wing as a simmer stove.

[mik matra]

Here is that Esbit burner I ordered…..though I modified it as my Ti windscreen's circumference was not big enough to slide all the way to the ground and so I trimmed the bits 'hanging out' on the Ti Pot Stand/Stove. It's now under 12grams

The Esbit tabs that I can get are actually 26grams and they are a large size. Here it is:

[Dan Yeruski]

I love it when we can "modify" to "make it work" :-) Nice trim!

That is one big esbit tablet. whoa! Bob would need a large bottle cap for that one. LOL

So, Are you satisfied with the results of your new esbit stove?

[Author]

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