Fire Irons

[Seeker]

If I've got the extra room on a simple trip, I like what I've grown up calling "fire pipes". Buy one 3/4"x 8' conduit and one 1/2" x 8' conduit. Saw into 2' lengths. Pinch about 1.5" of one end of each in a vise, leaving the other end alone. To assemble, put all the 1/2" pieces into the 3/4" ones. You now have a set for you and one for a friend. The cool thing about the round pipe is that that flattened part will be able to turn to fit whatever uneven surface you stick under it. If you end up using galvanized pipe, you need to burn that off first, but most folks know about that and how to do it. And if not, there's been plenty of discussion elsewhere.

 

[Carp]

A couple of 24” titanium fire irons take up little space and weigh around 8 oz. (0.5” OD, ~0.4” ID, Grade Whatever)

 

[deerfly]

for cooking on ground fires i have back pack able ss and titanium grates, a small titanium firebox and recently been using these ss grates with folding legs, super simple and pack easily, esp canoe or truck camping. They come in 3 sizes, I have the middle one. Works really well, been leaving the other stuff at home lately.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MHV5V9...colid=O03S8P9QT5TZ&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
.

 

[Alan Gage]

Like Robin I sometimes use rocks to support my pots/pans but more often I just use pieces of wood. It adds an extra layer of drama and excitement to cooking over a fire.

Alan

 

[RickR]

Alan, I like your style!

 

[goonstroke]

If I've got the extra room on a simple trip, I like what I've grown up calling "fire pipes". Buy one 3/4"x 8' conduit and one 1/2" x 8' conduit. Saw into 2' lengths. Pinch about 1.5" of one end of each in a vise, leaving the other end alone. To assemble, put all the 1/2" pieces into the 3/4" ones. You now have a set for you and one for a friend. The cool thing about the round pipe is that that flattened part will be able to turn to fit whatever uneven surface you stick under it. If you end up using galvanized pipe, you need to burn that off first, but most folks know about that and how to do it. And if not, there's been plenty of discussion elsewhere.

I never bring anything and cook on rocks or logs (or a whitegas stove), but your telescoping pinched tube fire pipes sound intriguingly like a footbrace. It would be way cool to have a footbrace you could pull out for fire irons if need be. I guess it would have to be titanium, aluminum would be too soft and steel to heavy/rusty.

 

[Odyssey]

Large heavy irons, as was tradition, won't work well for me, but I do appreciate their history. I wish we'd tripped this way with the kids when they were young trippers. Spacious cooking on large fires would've been most welcome and friendly. Now I prefer smaller fires with just me or the two of us. I have a variety of choices from white gas, propane, alcohol and wood burners. I'm usually choosy about the condition of the campsite. I believe "less is more" in campsite living. No bric a brac frick a frack homemade furniture cluttering up the site, no bonfire clusterfeck rock piles mounded in the middle. I really only need 3 rocks, preferably smooth and angular. One for each side and one larger for the back, hopefully facing the onshore breezes at dawn and dusk. That's all. I often build my own always on a bare piece of granite shield, sometimes down by the water. My twig stove works well this way but I also have a small bakers cooling rack that serves as a lightweight grill spanning the rocks. I scorch the pots straight on burning logs without shame just as well. Whichever I'm in the mood for. But as I say I'm pondering taking up a bit of tradition by including a pair of smaller lighter irons in my kitchen fire kit. The propane stove has been retired for years, as has been the white gas stove. The tiny alcohol stove is mostly for emergencies (it boils water in under 5 minutes). I pretty much cook on fire these days. Where we go I'm never short of tinder, branch and bark. And I love small simple fires, enjoying more with less.

 

[Carp]

I'm pondering taking up a bit of tradition by including a pair of smaller lighter irons in my kitchen fire kit.

Your lightest, but not cheapest option, would probably be to get a couple of 24” sections of titanium tubing and cut a half round on each end to make your own. Titanium Joe’s has some in stock for what passes as a discount, and they do ship in Canada.
https://www.titaniumjoe.com/index.c...etails/?code=TU:3Al-2.5V:0.500:0.400:0.050:SA

 

[Odyssey]

Thanks Carp. Good link. I will save that.
What started this whole thought thread of mine, and a whole bunch others, was reading about some traditional methods and gear. Seeing the Temagami fire rings etc caused me to tuck this idea in the back of my mind for later ruminating. It's getting crowded back there, and likely the fire iron idea might've stayed nothing more than a forgotten plan, but for my wife. I thought out loud one day about sourcing some stainless and she said "I'm sure where I work there's some stock down in the industrial shop . Betcha one of the guys would cut you some."
I replied "Oh, well. Um, ahh, that would be too much to ask. I wonder if they've got some titanium kicking around?"
We will see how this goes.
I am liking the idea of tripping with a small grate and 2 irons. No more stoves. I'm letting my mind wander some more.

 

[Odyssey]

I have to admit I got frustrated internet searching for fire irons. It seems they're not a common thing, especially the 2 bar setup I was trying to investigate. But I did come across a fire iron arrangement I'd never heard of before. Likely some of you use this yourselves on trips. Apparently some people drive iron stakes in the ground which support (swinging?) pot supports. Interesting. Do any of you camp with this type of setup? What other types are there?

 

[Canotrouge]

I am liking the idea of tripping with a small grate and 2 irons. No more stoves. I'm letting my mind wander some more.

We don't bring stove anymore, we've been tripping with only a fire box! I like the idea of the open fire, a small grate and fire irons, but the fire box is so efficient at keeping the fire under the pots/pans, and uses way less wood that we opted for it! Plus you don't leave a trace, don't have to gather rock, try to balance rods and grate on rocks, and don't have to clean up afterward.... Also up here we are allowed to use fire box during fire bans! So for us it is fire box all the way! I would love to have one out of Titanium though cause the steel one I have ain't a light one!!

 

[Boatman53]

Canot is your firebox an actual box or is it built like Bill Mason describes in his book where the pieces slip apart and the whole thing packs flat. I like that design and have some titanium sheet so I might try it. Just not sure how much heat the thickness of the Ti I have can handle.
Jim

 

[Canotrouge]

Canot is your firebox an actual box or is it built like Bill Mason describes in his book where the pieces slip apart and the whole thing packs flat. I like that design and have some titanium sheet so I might try it. Just not sure how much heat the thickness of the Ti I have can handle.
Jim

Jim, it is like the bill mason box, fold flat! I got it from here and that is the model we have the Med Long( the top isn't like that anymore... but that is the one we have) http://www.canoemapscanada.com/custom-gear/the-environmental-fireplace.html

 

[Boatman53]

So I finally built my fire box. Not in titanium yet, I started in steel just to try it out. I posted about it in the current diy tread from this winter, but tried it out cooking today so I decided to resurrect this thread. I’m just in the backyard and I used a cement block so I could see how hot it gets under the box after burning a while.

First I put some dirt in what is the void between the box bottoms.

Then assembled the box and got the fire started.

First the tea water was heated. I didn’t time anything, I was just having fun.


Once the tea was poured I made the bannock with raisins.

Then while eating my snack I just monitored the embers.


This thing is awesome. I love it. Just before the bannock was done I slid the box to the side and felt the concrete, it was just warm to the touch. As you can see the handle of the pot or pan can hang outside the box so it stays in place and doesn’t get hot.
As the wind shifted I was able to swivel the stove into the wind for a constant draft. I never had smoke in my face.
Eventually everything was burned to ash no charcoal left.
Two things still do. I need to put a 1/3”~1” baffle or side to the box in the front. I had an ember roll out and that would have stopped it. And I need to make a little fire poker that will nest in the box to be able to adjust the wood as it burns. Sticks much larger than would be used in a twig stove can go in this thing.
This will get a lot of use if only for the ambience of a wood fire just about anywhere. Next use might be down at the shore in front of our house to cook hotdogs.
Jim

 

[tomo]

I've always been intrigued by the Mason firebox. Here's a lighter weight version: https://hofmanoutdoorgearsupply.ca/30-fire-box

 

[Boatman53]

It is an alternative, but different construction as it doesn’t have a double bottom. That makes a big difference in my mind. Plus after using this (only one time) it really doesn’t need all those air holes in the side that the Nomad has. Also comparing the box I made is a bit longer but almost twice as wide. I can’t wait to remake this in titanium to see the weight difference. I am fortunate in that I have the tools and equipment and time to experiment.
Jim

 

[Boatman53]

I just did some looking around and found this, it is very close in size to the one I made but it is more than an inch taller when collapsed and weighs in at over 9 pounds and cost a lot more money.

Firebox - Small

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Jim

 

[Bothwell Voyageur]

It is an alternative, but different construction as it doesn’t have a double bottom. That makes a big difference in my mind. Plus after using this (only one time) it really doesn’t need all those air holes in the side that the Nomad has. Also comparing the box I made is a bit longer but almost twice as wide. I can’t wait to remake this in titanium to see the weight difference. I am fortunate in that I have the tools and equipment and time to experiment.
Jim

Yes, the full sized Yukon does have a double bottom. The air holes do help when burning sticks of a dubious quality. When I first started making these I was based in the UK and most of what we could find along the rivers there was willow and alder. Holes at the back also help to pull the fire toward the back, otherwise you end up with unturned sticks back there as you load wood from the front.

 

[Bothwell Voyageur]

And I do make them larger to order.

 

[Boatman53]

Good to know. Thanks.
Jim