HOBO-STOVE BURN TIME TEST - NEXT72HOURS

[@AugustHawk]

I've been making these stoves for over 40 years. I always keep a few spare burners for emergencies. Keep some coffee cans with a large portion of the side cut out to place over the burner, and presto - you have mini stove. If you build your burner with very compact cardboard and saturate it really well with wax/ paraffin - and put the stove out each time right after cooking with it, you can get about 10 meals off of this burner. I know - I've done it and still do. We cook fish, omelets, pancakes, cubed steak, cheese sandwiches, stir fry, biscuits, cookies, s'mores, bacon, hamburgers....well, pretty much about everything on this stove. IT WORKS! Word of CAUTION - a wax stove is basically a "grease fire." NEVER throw water on it. NEVER. Simply place another large can over it and smother it. It will go out, then let it cool. It must cool before you remove the can, because the retained heat down inside the burner CAN reignite the burner. This little beauty wants to burn! I've seen these things reignite many times!

[@Next72Hours]

Appreciate the kind words and advice very much

[@caswallonandflur692]

@@Next72Hours 😉

[@recoveringsoul755]

I have heard very strong cautions AGAINST using any Beeswax, as it will attract hungry bears looking for honey. They said to not even take any beeswax candles or anything. Burning them is the fastest way to spread that scent, so if you are in bear country, please heed this advice.

[@caswallonandflur692]

@@recoveringsoul755 yup . Good advice as the bears are coming out of hibernation early because they are starving ! Reports of human attacks have been circulating. Fuckashima meltdown is poisoning the planet ! 😐 the Pacific Ocean is being wiped out !! No more salmon runs for the bears. Sorry ! but I'm ANGRY ! 😡

[@Bazzawombat]

Well, we don't have hungry bears down under in Oz. We do have nasty big Crocodiles up north, but, they don't eat honey, only people:-)But, beeswax does attract lots of bees. Our native mammals pretty friendly, Kangaroos, possums, wombats, Koala bears, they don't eat people, cheers all, Bazzawombat:-0

[@NewHampshireJack]

We have been making these stoves with two sizes of empty cans of our favorite canned tuna. At the local supermarket, you have a choice of bag or box. Beautiful Bride most often asks for a box. Wax used to come super cheap from the cemetery boys when they did clean up after the holidays. That source ended this year (2023) so I may be scrounging wet markets for used candles. If all else fails, we can look for a wholesale deal for candle-making supplies. I keep a supply of these stoves for the family and we give these out to disaster victims after major storms hit or any other disaster. A plastic soda bottle of dry rice, bottled drinking water, and a small stove to cook on is greatly appreciated by recipients. Watching you from our "secret retirement location" in Bulacan province, on Luzon Island, in the Republic of the Philippine Islands.

[@Next72Hours]

Sounds like you are living in paradise..thanks for the kind comments and keep up the great support work with the disaster victims that's amazing ..world would be a better place with more people like yourself..

[@joannekeefe426]

Hey. Nice. I have made a few of these. I found all I needed for a wick was simply another piece of cardboard or a cotton ball that sticks up. But yeah its a great thing for any stealth camper because there was very little smoke or smell! Cheers!

[@Next72Hours]

cheers good idea i think thats why I left the wick of sorts on the top of the stove

[@PrepperPotpourri]

I posted a couple of videos recently using the burner with a coffee tin stove to cook bacon and eggs. I also baked a mini Pineapple Upside Down cake with it. Turned out great. I find that these are a lot of fun to use.

[@Next72Hours]

+Prepper Potpourri cool thanks I will pop in and have a look, was that a while ago? I think they are pretty amazing for what they are and cost to make to be honest. Ive just gone no sugar for a while to see if I can get healthier, if I fall off my rails I will make a cake like that, its a great Idea.

[@PrepperPotpourri]

Posted the vids a couple of weeks ago

[@Thalanox]

You can use cooking grease in these heat sources, too. Alternately, you could just buy parafin blocks. It hasn't been processed much, so they should be cheaper than buying candles. I don't melt the wax with a pot or pan. I use a can for that. The bottom of a small cheap charcoal BBQ has a tea candle placed under it, then I place the can on the grating above it. It takes 20-30 minutes to actually melt the wax in the can this way, but that's how I get the initial wax melting done. Afterwards, I melt the new wax by placing the can above an existing buddy burner. Basically no smoke, no real soot, and I use these heat sources to make more heat sources. A self-propagating production line.

[@JAB671]

You can also 'refuel' existing buddy burners by throwing chunks of fresh wax on top of the cardboard while they are burning. In my admittedly limited test and use of buddy burners I have found that as long as there is wax to burn the cardboard, itself, doesn't seem to burn all that much beyond a little charring right on top. I used paraffin blocks for the wax versions I made. I found that I can throw a few chunks of paraffin in while the buddy burner is burning and the wax will quickly melt and run right down into the cardboard - using the heat of the burner, itself to 'refuel' the burner. Along the lines of your cooking grease comment, I had some old butter that was going rancid so I melted it and poured it over the cardboard in a freshly-made (no wax) buddy burner. Then every time I fried bacon and then fried an egg or something in the bacon drippings (meaning I didn't then want to keep the bacon grease in a grease pot for later use) I poured the leftover bacon grease over it, too. I kept doing this until the cardboard was so saturated that it was getting close to the point that it would not soak in any more. The grease congeals/solidifies enough that it doesn't spill out. It burns just as well as the wax version and has the added benefit that it smells much more pleasant. Instead of burning wax it smells like bacon and butter when it is lit. I do think it smokes a little more than the wax versions, though.

[@Thalanox]

I think it'd smoke because you're getting impurities in the cooking grease. It's stuff other than the fat. Maybe some bits of burned bacon or something was scraped off of the pan as well, or maybe. If it gets to be a really big problem, you could probably render the fat to get rid of those impurities, but I'd say it's barely different than a regular buddy burner. For something you'd bring into the backyard once in a while to sit around, you can't ask for a more cost effective fire source.

[@Next72Hours]

great system thanks for that appreciate it

[@Thalanox]

@@Next72Hours For the record, buying broken or half-burned candles from a secondhand store is the most inexpensive way I've found of getting new wax.

[@dosbox907]

I’ve been messing with these on an off for a year or so. Almost all oils and or fats work as fuel. Wax and fats are the best because the solidify when cool but vegetable oil and diesel work in a pinch. Recently, working on reducing the flame so it can be used in doors without a hood

[@Next72Hours]

Thanks appreciate the info

[@andrewallason4530]

Use 1 litre paint cans ( ask the local paint shop for clean new cans, they often keep spares). Have 1 lid with a hole about 50mm diameter, for the burner and one lid with no hole for storage and snuffing out.

[@charkay192]

2 hours. Awesome!!! Thanks for these vids.

[@Next72Hours]

Thanks appreciate it

[@nv5149]

When it cools down flip over the cardboard and light it will burn even more

[@Next72Hours]

Sweet great info

[@YllwNinja82]

Finally a good use for all my Amazon boxes :D

[@Next72Hours]

a great use for those boxes indeed, thats a lot of stoves :)

[@robertleahey8548]

Thank you for the video. Did not know it would stay lit for about that long same size can. Just a simple suggestion put it into an airtight can where mice can't chew through the cardboard or the plastic lid. So my suggestion is put it into an airtight can lid and bottom. If I ever needed it I wouldn't have had it. Airtight cans will.

[@Next72Hours]

Cheers great idea

[@mikesouthey1657]

thanks for show us that Phil!

[@Next72Hours]

Appreciate it mate

[@schnorres58]

Hallo,ein klasse Hobo Stove,danke fürs Zeigen,LG Christoph

[@Next72Hours]

+schnorres58 Danke sehr, LG Phil

[@ssrknivesandguns8741]

WOW!LASTS A LONG TIME!

[@Next72Hours]

+SSR KNIVES AND GUNS! thanks very much yeah it went on way longer than I expected. :)

[@NOTuNOTme]

I've made one of these but I've never actually used it. Unfortunately people having candles in their houses is becoming less common, same with matches (as opposed to lighters).

[@Next72Hours]

Very true man..im trying to collect old tea lights from shops etc. Usinb their scraps

[@bantrump9594]

Someone suggested using Crisco hydrogenated vegetable oil, also known as all vegetable shortening. And perhaps replacing the cardboard with wood shavings will produce less smoke. All cardboard sheets have chemicals in them.

[@Next72Hours]

Probably some.great ideas for sure

[@justinw1765]

Cardboard typically uses waterglass (sodium or potassium silicate) as a binder/adhesive. It is a pretty benign chemical compound.

[@maximrommel8248]

A note ; you can use vegetable oil instead of wax in this stove. In my own stove, I use the vegetable oil left over from the previous frying. Oil is cheap and easily available. The combustion efficiency is also quite high. Anyway thanks for video and god save us all.

[@Next72Hours]

thanks for that and appreciate the comments, interesting that you use the used oil. DOes it burn up all the cardboard as well?

[@joycemyers8140]

Try making a stainless steel mess tube that fits the inner lip of the can make it about 10"-12" and fix some sort of cap over the mesh and watch how effective it is as a convection heat source.

[@Next72Hours]

Nice have you tried that?

[@thatjonguy103]

I do wonder how variations of this would do. One being spacing the cardboard out a little more and using enough wax to fill up about 3/4 of the can, or enough to leave a little bit of the cardboard exposed while allowing it to use the wax more as it burns. The other variation I would try would be adding small holes on the side, perhaps even near the bottom to allow more are flow in similar to a jet stove. Of course eith that, there couldn't be as much wax used and it should burn hot and fast.

[@Next72Hours]

Great ideas for sure.. I'd like to give that a crack for sure

[@collectorguy4379]

I use old kenco coffee cans with the plastic lid and tea lights for the wax. The plastic lid is for storage before use and after use when cooled down. Obviously only for emergency situations.

[@Next72Hours]

great idea I like that a lot and yes for emergencies indeed

[@heathschwab]

Very nice may have to make some I'll check and see if you got a video in making. Have a nice week god bless

[@Next72Hours]

Blessings to you too

[@woodworks2123]

These stoves are amazing, I wonder if it's just because using cardboard that it smokes, if carbon felt was used it may not smoke

[@Next72Hours]

quite poissibly, i wonder where I could get some felt to test it out, as it runs low on fuel it smokes more for sure

[@markusl2587]

Nice! Thank you for sharing

[@Next72Hours]

cheers appreciate it

[@charlescarlson8283]

I made igloos in piles of snow back in the 70,s I made these to warm them up. Worked good. Could set in there without a coat.

[@Next72Hours]

Nice thanks for the info

[@mrcabasa]

I heard recently that if you leave a boarder around the outside of the card board, half to three quarters of an inch, that they burn for much longer. Made one a few days ago, used a piece of wire to retain the cardboard to a smaller circle and then rolled up smaller circles of card board, 4 of them, to use as spacers to keep the original roll in the middle. It does take a lot more wax, haven't tested it yet.

[@Next72Hours]

Sweet would be interested in hearing how that turns out for sure

[@markbrandli]

To make a lid to snuff out the flame tak an aluminum can, cut off the top and bottom and cut up the side to flatten it out , then place on the bottom of the burner and press with a stick to form it . Then cut off the excess . You can also put a knob on it using a piece of a stick and a small screw. I have been using these for 55 years . If you apply some dish soap to your pot before putting it over the flame it os easier to clean ... when you are done using the pot for your outting , to clean put equal parts dish soap and baking soda and scrub lightly but do not rinse . Place pot in sink upside down and cover it with a cloth ( I use a part of an old sheet ) or paper towels , then pour vinegar over it and let sit for 10-15 minutes then wash. Just do not let it dry-out and almost all of the soot should come off easier. I personally like to keep my cooking pots clean.

[@Next72Hours]

Great tips and advice I appreciate it muchly thanks a lot

[@justinw1765]

If you have a cheap source of it, carbon felt will also work and last much longer so that you only have to replace the wax. It does eventually get brittle and crumply, especially with multiple hot burns. You will have to put a little cardboard in the very middle just to get the fire going though. Or use one of those pressurized torch lighters.

[@escapetherace1943]

thing is, cardboard is everywhere and free. You could probably just use carboard though with a small layer of carbon felt on top

[@Next72Hours]

thanks will check it out and give it a crack

[@Next72Hours]

thats the point i guess at the end of the day for sure, it is cheap if not free and available all over the place

[@markchriestenson3257]

Looks like there's still plenty of paraffin to be burnt. But the cardboard wick just burned away.

[@Next72Hours]

Yeah I'm going to have another crack at it I think.. you could really build these in bulk by rummaging the rubbish bins at work there are so many being thrown out and cardboard a plenty.. I think there is room for Improvement in the design..and wonder if different waxes would burn better or cleaner or longer

[@tomlambert1833]

Made one same but used methalhydrate to demonstrate for my grandson and used 3" common nails pushed for a chair so he would understand the art of simplicity..

[@Next72Hours]

Cool how did that work..did it burn away all the paper? How does one get the hydrate? Great thing to do with the grandson..

[@tomlambert1833]

@@Next72Hours It didn't burn away the cardboard at all. Gasoline antifreeze or paint thimerosal is almost the same. Methalhydrate is available in hardware stores in Canada..also denatured alcohol is something else that is used ,but much more expensive.. Each time my grandson comes to visit he insists we make tea on that tin can cooker

[@inregionecaecorum]

Used to make them, pretty convenient and effective for an emergency.

[@Next72Hours]

Absolutely a great we bit of kit at relatively little cost and not much to go wrong with then

[@denisripley8699]

If a flame burns orange or yellow, it's producing particulates... soot. Clean burn is blue. CO too is oroduced by incomplete burn (orange or yellow flame). Witness black soot on bottom of cooking pans.

[@Next72Hours]

Cheers do you have any ideas on how a simple stove like this could be improved on? To add to a cleaner better burn or is it just the components being paper based and waxes that means it's going to burn dirty

[@denisripley8699]

@@Next72Hours Hi, sadly, the particulates are a function of the fuel and dirty contaminants/wicking material. Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide is inherent in burning these fuels.. these include candles (including Beeswax candles) More oxygen/forced air supply can increase temperature and reduce particulates but the yellow/orange flame is symptom of carbon molecules 'burning'. Ethyl alcohol under the right circumstances (plenty of Oxygen) does not produce Carbon Monoxide but even this fuel can produce CO if, for example, air is restricted by maybe having a pan very very close to the burner.

[@Andy-Sas]

Wooaaaaw ! Over 2 hours.

[@Next72Hours]

Yeah a great burn time on these..and the paper does not burn much so cna usually just top it back up

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Can you refuel it by dropping on a lump of coconut oil while it’s burning?

[@Next72Hours]

I would imagine the answer to that would be yes as for the most part the wicking material remains unburnt and it is the fuel that is depleted, you could also re fill it when it is done with

[@alvinkoh5556]

Yellow fire equals to dirty fire, and it has lesser heat too. Still prefer the alcohol stove with it clean, blue fire.

[@Next72Hours]

Agree..but these are good in a pinch

[@itsmesoitis4059]

Dirty yes,not warmer

[@noahsabin7386]

7:57 thats quite a line to take out of context 😂

[@vonleiningen]

Hahahaha!

[@secretsquirrel1534]

Tuna Cans work Much Better look for a Tuna Brand with the Formed Bottoms on the Tin ! Not a Edge Seamed bottom like Shown in this Video ! I Remember teaching my Fellow Boy Scouts back in the early 80's on how to Build these when I was around 10. Funny thing is I have like a dozen of them Still sitting in Supplies behind Me for Just encase.. I also Use the Lids off the tune cans. Once you get the heat source made . you then put the lid that you cut off back on and Seal it using Wax and by turning the tin as you pour the hot wax on to completely seal up the tins making them basically good forever !!!

[@Next72Hours]

Great idea thanks will collect some more cans and give it a go

[@joelyfpv7075]

I made 1 of these before and it worked great to cook, I had some brand new high tops at the time and accidentally knocked over the stove getting wax all on my shoes xD

[@Next72Hours]

yeah got to be careful for sure, that would not have been good, lucky you were not wearing sandals or something

[@tomlambert1833]

FUNNY how the simplest things are the cheapest and most useful

[@Next72Hours]

for sure a lot of money spent on stuff that fails or gets trashed and this is basically made from trash and will last for a long time

[@hsntrkmnturkiye5326]

I made this stove ... camp or picnic goers should definitely keep them ... use very practical ...The fire is both paraffinic and blackish soot ... do not use the closed area ...

[@Next72Hours]

Great stuff..appreciate it

[@cellis3045]

What did you use to get it to light like that?....How many candles to make the wax?....It wasn't clear...thanks x

[@recoveringsoul755]

Wax is flammable. Light it and it burns. The wax is burning, not the cardboard, the cardboard is basically acting like a wick. After the wax burns out of this one, he can add more melted wax and use again and again. Save your old candles, but NO BEESWAX as it attracts bears. Plain white, unscented is best.

[@escapetherace1943]

@@recoveringsoul755 beeswax is fine because you ideally store your food away from where you are, just store the stove with your food. also beeswax burns much longer

[@recoveringsoul755]

@@escapetherace1943 If YOU want to attract hungry bears who think they smell a source of HOney you go right ahead and risk your life and those you are travelling with. I have been face to face with a bear and seen how they can open a car using their claws like a can opener. I will not be deliberately enticing them to kill me. No thanks. The FASTEST way to attract bears is by burning the beeswax. Bears will be there before you have time to "store your food away from you" Burn plain paraffin wax ya big dummy

[@20greeneyes20]

@@recoveringsoul755 who knew. But makes perfect sense.... Melt Crayons instead.....

[@recoveringsoul755]

@@20greeneyes20 craft stores carry paraffin wax for candle making. I think it's also used some in other things like canning maybe. Probably cheaper than crayons.

[@shirleylake7738]

Thanks for the information

[@Next72Hours]

Welcome

[@DollopussD]

Can you roast marshmallows over it or would it give them a funny taste?

[@rondelby2482]

I got a small pot bellied cast iron stove. I was thinking of making 3 can stoves and soaking toilet tissue rolls and put these cans in the iron stove. I believe it would heat the stove without much smoke.

[@Next72Hours]

let me know if you do, I would be super keen to check out the video

[@carlosgermansanchezlizarra9629]

IS A BIG IDEA BRO , THANK YOU BE GOOD

[@Next72Hours]

cheers mate

[@littlemanoo]

Cool man! Will it work with soywax?

[@Next72Hours]

i think it should work well with any form of wax

[@mitch5077]

I use Alcohol in mine and doesn't produce smoke, and the cardboard you don't want to use any with a shiny coating or sticker's.

[@Next72Hours]

thanks so fully alcohol? such as mentholated spirits or pure ethanol? does it burn away all the cardboard?

[@Seamus3051]

I suspect that diesel fuel or kerosene would work as well as paraffin, and would be quicker and easier to charge the burner ?

[@Next72Hours]

Would be worth a try

[@arminmohammadi1]

How long does it burn ?

[@Next72Hours]

it burns for a good few hours

[@3_16]

Thank you

[@Next72Hours]

Welcome

[@aprogress2374]

Wow, it can burn for 2 hour and 17 minutes

[@Next72Hours]

yup it can burn for some time and these are very cheap to make and very useful

[@jasondundom1390]

Any Soot ?

[@Next72Hours]

Lots of soot on this one..not used with the good pots..perhaps an old tin or a pot you dont mind scrubbing well butbgreat in a ppwer outage or white camping

[@daglichtzien]

I tried this. It took 5 long matches to light it, but I didn't have a wick in the middle, will try that next time. After appr 10 min it went out, drowned in its own fat I guess. Could re-ignite it, and had half a litre water boiling after appr 15 min.

[@Next72Hours]

nice stuff i wonder did you have enough cardboard in it? what sort of fuel?

[@daglichtzien]

Works way better with a wick in it, i used a piece of cardboard sticking up in the middle. That worked fine again when relighting the stove the next day. A matchstick as wick didn't work, funny enough. I used a catfood tin, 4 cm high, 8 cm across that burned for a total of 2 hours, plenty to cook several meals. So in short: a great idea, and a hack that actually works! I will defenitely keep done of these in stock for a power outage.

[@daglichtzien]

​@@Next72Hours I used leftover bits of candles. Works brilliantly, just needed some sort of wick to light it more easily!

[@WorldOfWonder66]

I have made these and they are NOT good for indoor use. With the kitchen and elc. would be ok. Not for heat during a power outage

[@hsntrkmnturkiye5326]

you should use it when you open camp, picnic, camp ... fire feels both smelling and sooty

[@Next72Hours]

definitely not made for indoor use

[@jarikinnunen1718]

With candle wax it is waterproof and clean.

[@Next72Hours]

yes for sure, this was candle wax I think and yes it remains waterproof

[@asdyflor1341]

For all the info that you said, this video could have lasted one minute, damnnnnnnnnn 8 minutes??????

[@Next72Hours]

Lol thanks.for the feedback ill take it on board

[@jeffersoncaetanoporto8249]

6' PARA FERVER 2l DE ÁGUA...USEI ÓLEO DE CARTER E ÓLEO DE SOJA USADO MEIO A MEIO,EM LATA DE ATUM. REFIZ E USEI A MESMA PROPORÇÃO DE ÓLEOS.PORÉM EM UMA LATA MAIOR DE ERVILHAS...OS MESMOS 6' PARA FERVER 2l DE ÁGUA.

[@Next72Hours]

thanks very much appreciate it - so you used half half oils with no wax at all? was it also very dirty burning?

[@juliadawnyel3648]

Birthday candles

[@20greeneyes20]

Crayons as well......

[@Next72Hours]

true good point

[@Next72Hours]

yes I wonder how crayons would work in one of these lol

[@juliadawnyel3648]

$ store ok

[@Next72Hours]

?

[@karenstein8261]

That's not a stove -- that's a soot factory. Get ready to get black.

[@Next72Hours]

it is definitely a soot factory but in a pinch it is a great stove as well as you can see, great we thing to do with kids or use in an emergency

[@ytpolice3708]

72 hours lol clickbite?

[@Next72Hours]

no click bait here good sir

[@louiseeckert1574]

100g tins burn about 1hour. 200g tins about 2hours. Make sure the cardboard u use is not highly printed with ink or paint...toxic fumes. Make sure the label and most of the glues are removed from the outside of the tin...fumes, and fire hazard. U can place the lighted burner on yr stovetop and use the gas trivet to support yr saucepan. Or, use 3 empty food tins around the burner to support your pot. LouiseAustralia 🦘

[@Next72Hours]

Gidday Lousie appreciate the comment cheers for that. :)