I’m a newer member here and also tweaking gear to suit my needs. I’ve used the Kovea Spider for a past year and it’s been a great stove. The stove is great for summer/winter use, wind screen use and baking, etc. But the weight was always something I thought was a little high and wanted to trial a few things.
I picked up some Grade 4 1/8″ Titanium Rod and spend a few hours machining, bending and prototyping. I liked the functionality, and versatility of the OEM stove so I didn’t want to loose this features or permanently modify.
Went from 172 grams to 121 grams, (30% weight reduction). Still folds a fits in a MSR Titan Kettle. And still will fit a various diameter of pots on the stand.
CHANGES:
– Removed Steel legs. Replaced with custom Titanium, legs cold formed to approximately the same same.
– Removed legs stamped assembly, lock springs and bottom brass cap. Replaced with a custom Aluminum bottom housing that supports the legs. Legs are pinned in placed with roll pins so they still rotate for storage, but they do not detent into place. Lower housing was Brass and was changed to Aluminum for weight and function. Heat transfer is better but function and long term effect will need to be monitored.
– Removed control valve. Identified that a older Fire Maple Valve was 7 grams lighter. It was modded to fit. Every gram counts.
PROS:
– 30% weight reduction
CONS:
– Legs are still stiff, but not quite the same as the steel legs. They have the typically Titanium Springy-ness to them. Still supports the pot fine but you just have to be aware.
– Legs do not lock in extended position, but they are reamed to fit the holes so they are ‘wiggle’ free.
NEXT STEPS:
– A slight additional weight reduction could be gained by customizing the legs for a particular pot sized being used. You would loose pot versatility.
– Roll pins riding in grooves on the legs ends were used to hold the legs in place. This has to be custom fit. A change to snap rings or E-Clips would be easier but the leg rod grooves need to cut before bending of the legs.
Just some ideas and food for thought…… -b
