Build a hobo oven yourself
For those who like real campfire romance when camping or who don't want to depend on gas cartridges and alcohol, there is a real alternative. We're talking about the hobo oven. These are small, simple wood-burning stoves made of metal that work amazingly efficiently and are almost indestructible. But the best thing is, you can effortlessly build such an oven yourself.
What you need:
- an uncoated tin can (dimensions according to personal preferences)
- Hacksaw or mini flex
- a stabber
- Permanent marker
This is how a hobo oven works
- A hobo oven may not look like much, traditionally it consists of a simple tin can. But when the good piece gets going, a real inferno develops in it. This works because of the so-called chimney effect. The fire in the hobo warms the air inside and rises, creating a negative pressure, due to which new air is sucked in through the openings in the lower area of the stove will. In this way the fire supplies itself with fresh oxygen.
- Hobo stoves are easy to build, practical, and really fun to run. Please note, however, that fire safety regulations and the lack of usable fuel can thwart your plans on a tour. In addition, the stoves tend to get a lot of soot in the pots that are used.
- To use a hobo oven, first feed it with easily combustible material, such as pine needles or thin twigs. Once this has caught fire, you can start adding thicker sticks. It is best to break them into small pieces in advance so that they also fit into the stove. After your food is finished cooking, just let the fire die out.
- Hobo stoves are less safe than gas stoves, for example. For this reason, you should always keep an eye on the subsurface. It is best to cook on stone or rock. This prevents the fire from spreading and prevents burn marks in the grass.
How to build your own stove
In general, be careful of sharp edges when building the hobo. You can easily cut yourself on these.
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- Clean the tin can and remove its lid and base. Pick up the latter.
- In the lower area of the can, mark the area from which you want to cut out the air openings. It is advisable to create one opening on each side, which is separated from the next opening by a bar half as wide.
- A little above the air slots, mark three points measuring approximately two by one centimeter. These will later hold the grate of the hobo's
- Paint a slide-in window on the can. This is used to use the hobo oven wood to feed. The window should be in the top half of the stove and about six by four centimeters.
- On the top edge of the hobo oven, mark six half-circles the size of a thumbnail, the flat side being the edge of the can. The flames will later hit through these openings and heat your pot evenly.
- Cut out the previously marked openings with a mini-flex or hacksaw. Note that the markings in step three are tabs. So here you are only allowed to separate three of the four sides.
- Fold the tabs inward.
- Take the former bottom of the can and perforate it with an awl, for example that of your Swiss Army Knife.
- Lay the bottom on the tabs that you previously buckled, now you have a grate through which the ashes can trickle down. Your hobo stove is now ready for use.
Have fun cooking!
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