New Lixada arrived rather earlier than I expected, looks quite a bit different. 2 pots from the same cook set and a cheap frying pan, will lose the handle later, the stoves fit inside the pots. Removed and assembled, the newer on the left is considerably taller. Differences in the grate holes and the upper air outlets. First firing with the @Big Si slack handful of pellets. The difference in performance is very marked, although the grate will need a fine mesh to stop pellets falling through. A good rolling boil under 5 mins, but it had consumed the fuel far faster than the old one. Full flight, but the tar residue took some removing. I made another attempt a while later with small sticks prepared from the log bag. Vertically stacked and filling just the grate pot. I have a feeling that meths shouldn't be used for lighting these stoves. Beginner error there, the thing went into turbo mode and burnt everything in a little under 10 mins, sadly no pictures but was impressive to watch. Wood again too small, will I ever learn. So I've prepared for bacon cooking tomorrow and promise just to light the top bit and see how that goes. BLT roll pictures later. @presscall John I think a tripod stand might be handy with these, where did you find yours if you don't mind me asking.
Amazon: CFtrum 32-inch Height Portable Tripod Grilling Set - Outdoor Picnic Camping BBQ Cooking Hanger £16.99 plus £2.99 p&p from a UK seller. There are other sellers, Amazon or not, but the one I got has steel legs. Some are aluminium and although lighter, I wondered how durable they’d be or susceptible to heat. John
@presscall Thanks John I'll keep an eye out, the quick look I did do wasn't hugely productive hence the question. The additional descriptors will useful. I have some recovered aluminium tent poles from a wrecked tent at a festival, I'll see what I can fabricate for the purpose. The following will hopefully be the last of.Lixada for a while as I have come.to appreciate how these things function a lot better. I've lit a small piece of Zip firelighter on the top, which quickly gets things going and the fire quite quickly spreads down through wood. It quickly.becomes apparent that the stove will rapidly burn through the initial fuel. I'm not going to wait so pot of water onto boil, again about 5 mins. Quite impressive output. Get the bacon on, we now have a new butchers in the indoor market selling good smoked back. The fire about 15/20 mins in, very hot but will clearly be running out quite soon. I've decided to start adding small quantities of wood at this point to maintain the fire. This as discussed previously. @Marc Nicely browned, then onto the the roll. I think I was expecting something a little.different at the beginning of all this, but so long as you attend to the fire feeding little and often then the sooting reduces considerably and some rough temperature control may be possible. With sticks and twigs frpm my.experience it doesn't operate with the top down burn process, but may do if stacked with pellets. From now on I'll try and achieve a decent char fir bed as in the above image and add add fuel and cook at that point.
Works best for me that way and start-ups with just a few sticks and bits of tinder rather than a firebox full. I just took delivery of the very same model of Lixada to try out. First impressions are that it’s outstanding value for money and it’s well made. I can see from yours Simes that performance is good. Only drawback I can see is that ash falls straight through, with no undertray, so it’s destined to scorch and possibly ignite any combustible surface it’s on. Carrying a separate undertray would be possible - maybe a ceramic saucer to catch the ash and provide heat insulation from the ground underneath - but much better in that respect is the Bushbuddy’s construction ensuring no transmission of heat to the stove base. John
Some further thoughts and results for those who may be interested. @Marc @presscall Having found this paper I got the calipers out to estimate percentage draught areas on the respective types. https://www.researchgate.net/public...ustion_from_a_top-lit_up-draft_TLUD_cookstove The information suggests to operate as a single charge gasifier the optimum is between 1 - 3%. The two stoves a currently 16% and 27% respectively, not surprised then with fuel combustion rate given these dimensions. There are also discussion in the TLUD community regarding this. I've now used the larger version as a simple fire in a pot which seems to be an effective fueling method without excessive sooting given the large draught area given that anything over 10% isn't useful. So out with the snips and a drill, 2.5 mm. I've used the smaller stove with the grate from the larger. With the reduced chimney effect with this and the restrictor drilled for the different hole arrangement I'll try with the pellets, a couple of handfuls. Not being especially scientific, just filled the fuel tray. After 5 mins. Gasifying nicely, and again after 15. Total burn time was approx 35 mins. so I'm happy the restrictor functions as it should. It's a starter in the right direction for further experimentation. It managed to boil about 4 pints of water in about 20. I've also obtained the simple Biolite rechargeable which as John has also found is far cleaner burning and probably ok for short trips with potential 30 Hr run time.
Great work! Thanks for sharing it with us, really looking forward to the next episode in the TLUD saga.
Cheers @Marc. It's been an interesting time with them, and have learnt a lot since I started. Now happy that I could take any of the three away knowing how the work and in what configuration. It gives me breathung space to ponder on possible variable draught solutions within the ranges suggested. We walk the dogs past an oak in the park which has just lost a large bough and has been cut up to tidy up the stream it fell into. Will be taking a saw and a log bag at some point. I hope the info presented has been of a little help to anyone considering purchasing one. As John pointed out they are good value for money if you want to try one out. In slower time I'll carry on tinkering and see what happens.
Apologies for bumping, but have been asked for this and can't drop into Conversation. Please ignore but have tried to keep unnecessary ramblings away from this thread.
Just a small update on some progress. This doesn't easily fit in Recipes', 'flame shots' nor 'action'. In the field about 100 yds from my front door is this. Storm damaged oak, on the ground a couple of years at a guess, so out with the saw and axe. This should be enough to cook tea on, which in this instance is vacuum packed Stag Chilli and boil in the bag rice. Stove of choice as this will be a constant feed trial was the larger of the Lixadas, and as the original grate has been converted for full TLUD used the grate from the small one with the reduced draught percentage. Rolling boil in approx 15 mins and happily simmered with regular fuel addition. Rice cooked in usual time of approx 20 and continued to remain hot without addition fuel, just burning the char. Cooking and run times perfectly acceptable me thinks, event somewhat enlivened after attempting to cut the end of my figure off with the axe. Inside the pot nice and clean, and was pleasantly surprised that the majority of the residual soot was easily brushed off. No baked on glazed tar. A quick scrub and back to SS. In the field just the brushing off would be sufficient and will be eyeing my paint brush collection for modification. Improvements to full gasifier still require donor materials.
I have one of these stoves & it has always smoked when you put the kettle on. I didn't know why. I have not used pellets. I go for a walk in the nearest woods and carry home a thick branch to slice into chunks. It's free. I throw in a few chunks and start the thing with a scattering of meths in that tiny tray placed under neath the stove. I use a Trangia #27 kettle on it, which now has a thin black crust on it's base, which is a mixture of tar and soot. What diameter is that pipe? The stove then looks like an Argand lamp burner. Although my stove is apparently of stainless steel the thinnest stuff is the base of the grate & it is developing cracks. As you can't get spare grates I will have to use some mesh to bridge the gap when it burns through. I love the woodgas stove, despite it's filthy operation. Because the fuel is free. BTW I always burn my stove on a tin tray. The heat still kills the grass underneath.
@Primus 96 As you'll see from an earlier post I have 2 styles of these stoves, the taller one came complete with the raised upper section which allows for adding more fuel without removing your pot. A shortcoming of the smaller version. Neither will function acceptably as a true TLUD with the grates as supplied, just far too much primary air flow. They are also fuel sensitive, to high a moisture content and you will get smoking. Also softwoods/pine will deposit quite large amounts as well. A previous poster has kindly given an old list of wood variety burning properties. As these are sold they will work just as a fire in a pot with careful fuel addition management keeping a decent fuel bed. You will achieve some gasification but not to the extent that a TLUD should achieve. The larger of the stoves IIRC costs a little over £20 so an affordable stove that will probably last quite a few years given the quality. It would be interesting to see what you have if it's of an older vintage. It's a field that continues to see developments.
@Primus 96 @presscall @Marc A small.addendum to the above. More egg boiling required so decided to use the smaller Lixada with the restrictor and the found oak branches. A little bit of a bugger to get going, and probably slightly over full. Eventually got going and boiled the eggs ok, there a small breeze and no windshield which as usual affects things quite a bit. Full pyrolysis achieved after about 20 minutes, had to add a couple of small twigs to keep the process going. Just consuming the char at this point, no flames at all, just a mini bbq. Still quite a bit of heat if you're cooking for longer periods although the pot needs a stir occasionally to bring unburnt char to the surface. Carbon sequestration complete. Bio chat can be returned to the soil to improve quality. I'm putting it on my bbq for later.
Good stuff! That downed oak branch is going to be gone sooner rather than later! Forgive me stovies for I have sinned. The only classic camp stove I've touched in several weeks has been to move a Coleman suitcase off the workbench in the shop. Just too much going on. Need to set aside time to do so, tea tastes better when prepared over a flame.
Looks good @Simes Not long before we’ll be chatting about char and combustibles at Newark. @Marc You’ve not sinned. You/we have a life. Besides, moving a Coleman suitcase off a workbench counts.
Here is a Woodgas LE on 6mm pellets Here is a larger rip-off of the "Pelle" stove and finally an Ikea pot & pasta -inlay Wood-stoves are also excellent tools to play with
I guess pasta to will burn if u just leave it on the stove long enough No - these are all wood-pellets fueled
But in general I find that any of my wood-stoves benefits from a regular tap on the side whilst burning in order to clear choke and maintain air-flow.
A very handy tip there @haknuts, will use that a bit later. Something I've noted using seasoned oak is it makes excellent artist charcoal and not much cooking. I'll have to try again with much smaller pieces, The sizes I used would have been better off in the Biolite. Referring back to Gunners list I went looking for Ash walking the dogs earlier. A handy Ash grove. The smaller stove with restrictor works fine with pellets so will have to ensure suitable sized fuel for the next fire.
