Hey all,

Inspired by the Titanium tripod stand for Sgt. Rock's Ion stove, I designed my own Ti stand specifically for a jumbo beer can! It weighs 8 grams... but I think it will go down to 6 or 7 by making the uprights straight instead of z-shaped. The idea with the z-shape was that it would hold the windscreen away from the pot... but they don't stick out enough for that... and on second thought... I don't think anything is needed to hold the windscreen away.

Aside from the windscreen idea, it does give the stand a wider stance and may make it more resistant to torqueing under load... but I think upright legs will work just as well. Also, the upright stand should fit inside the pot without having to take it appart! It's kind of tricky to get it together and take it appart. My template, linked to below, includes plans for both z-shaped and straight legs. I haven't made a straight leg version yet.

BTW... it was actually surprisingly easy to make! I'm sure it's easier to make than the wingstove. All I needed were some good snips (Stanley makes a long nose pair that can make all the cuts in one snip)... a drill... a dremel and a hacksaw. And here's a tip... my PDF template below prints out actual size (you may have to adjust your print size percentage)... so just print it out on a white sticky label (Staples sells full size 8.5x11 mailing labels) and stick the template right to your Ti. No measuring, no drawing, no marking. Just peel it off when you're done. I bought the Ti from thru-hiker.com.

So... here are the pics and the link :)

Plans for Dave's 8 gram Ti Beercan Esbit Stand (475KB PDF)

Edited by davidlewis on 08/18/2006 20:13:09 MDT.

David -

I'd just like to give you a bravo on a well built, photographed and executed MYOG item. The sticker-plans are a cool notion that pretty much anyone could follow. Very nice.

And considering that a lot of UL'ers carry the beercan cook system this is a good addition to people's gear.

In my non-handyman state I use a cut down vienna sausage can @ 7 grams....PRICELESS!!!!

Now that's clever. I gotta copy it.

Thanks guys. Rock deserves most of the credit though. My main ideas were to take his stand and...

1. Invert it so the criss-cross was at the bottom... where it could act as an esbit stand

2. Notch the supports to accept the can profile

3. Make the legs z-shaped to stick out past the can and hold the windscreen away.

Now that I've got it built... I'm not so keen on it actually. Here's what I find:

1. It's a pain to put together and take appart. This is because the Ti is VERY springy and the notches are VERY close together. I think it would be much easier to put together and take appart with the notches at opposite ends... so the stand forms a triangle shape rather than a star shape. I think this is actually how Sgt. Rock now makes his ION stands.

2. It didn't really save me any weight over my hardware cloth plus V8 can bottom esbit holder. That combo weighs 9-10 grams. This stand weighs 8 grams, it's a pain to put together, it doesn't pack away as neatly, and the esbit holder has no bottom... which it may need. Tin foil would work but that's not very neat or integrated.

That said... the Ti stand has a wider stance, is more heat resistant and will last a lifetime. I also love the way the can sits right into it. Very stable. It's just kind of a pain to deal with. I've come to the conclusion that a wingstand... although harder to build... would be better. Packs up small and compact, stows easy, and easy to set up.

BTW... if you haven't seen it already... check out the video on my stove page... it shows how nice and neat my current beer can solution packs up...

http://www.davidlewis.ca/stove/

My main concern with this stove... as nice and neat as it packs up... is the hardware cloth stand. I don't see it lasting long and it has a very narrow stance. I'm worried about it being tippy.

p.s. I'm working now on a beercan customized ION style Ti stand than is triangle shaped instead of star shaped. It will require a V8 can bottom to hold the esbit though... so it won't save any weight. But it may be more stable than a hardware cloth stand... and it would last much longer.

Edited by davidlewis on 08/19/2006 17:11:16 MDT.