A telescopic stove pipe roll up
This post describes the re-rolling of a roll up stove pipe or flue pipe, by a telescopic or tight helical method. It is quick and efficient and avoids crinkle damage that is caused by the conventional method. It also avoid the need for contact with the ground or snow surface.
The method is somewhat tricky and is not suitable, for an impatient person or a primate who is a bit thicker than the stove pipe.
Note: This is just one little part of a 12 part series on improved stove pipe rolling. You may wish to start at Part 1 as hors d’oeuvres and then taste from the banquet.
Introduction
This is an improved method of forming a roll up stove pipe and rolling it up once more. It is only applicable to a stove pipe that has already been formed from a new roll of foil and undergone burning in or heat treatment.
The telescopic method can be done by one person, with very very long arms. In primates, arm length is not well correlated with intelligence. So a big Orangutan with a 2,000mm hand-to-hand span might be able to reach both ends but….. would he learn how?.
Me
These narrow pipes are particularly feisty and resistant to curving without doing crinkle damage while using the traditional method. However, the screwing technique works well and even easier for larger diameter pipes.
Here is a little ode to the possible success of a telescopically screwing roll up stove pipes:
Could a screwed stove pipe be fully telescopic?
Be radical, smooth and not dystopic?
Crinkle free extension and slippery retraction,
Is it the best pipe deployment in times anthropic?
Rolling up of a telescopic stove pipes (tight helical screw)
Here is a brief and inadequate description with words and photos. I will largely depend on the video below to describe the method. However, there is a subtle touch and feel that is an invisible part of the method. “If you let the pipe communicate to your fingers, you will soon get-the-hang-of-it, as I did. Have faith.”
I did not find this trick, it fell into my hands while packing up quickly before a storm was about to arrive. I knew what I found was magic! But could I do it again when I got home and catch it on video?
Me
The screw for two
The photos below show how the stove pipe started. A perfect blemish-free roll of stove pipe foil. It has been lightly dusted with talcum baby powder and smells of roses.
Talcum powder is not necessary but it makes a great dry refractory lubricant that can make the screwing slippery and easy. “It will not burn, melt or stick. It just laughs at fire as the smell of roses intensifies.”
“Most people would say that I am mad (probably correct but not on this account) to suggest that screwing this 2,200mm long pipe would pack it up effortlessly, smoothly, perfectly and without a crinkle.”
The next photo shows the stove pipe partly screwed up with all the holding rings left on the shrinking pipe.
The next photo shows how it ends up after it has been fully screwed up and neatly self-packed up within all the holding rings.
The next photo shows how it can be packed up inside a stove. “A wonderfully compact and comforting winter backpacking load.”
This little Instagram video should help to better describe the magic of the tight helical screw for two.
A solo magic stove pipe screw up
If anyone can do a solo magic screw in 1 minute on a 3,000mm long pipe, they deserve a free stove pipe as their reward. The solo screw is not intrinsically difficult. It is the geometric limit of our human hand separation that’s the issue.
Substituting the second person or an Orangutan with the base of a tree trunk or a backpack will suffice. It will not be as good as another person. “However, it will not back-chat or tell you that this won’t work!”
Gentle compression force when coupled with screwing will screw the pipe up until your hands can grip both ends to finish the screw up.
It will not be easy at first, but it will get easier and very rapid. You may even achieve the 1 minute screw. As with everything, practice in the privacy of your home would be worthwhile preparation for the first screw in the bush while camping with snowflakes floating down on you.
Here is a short Instagram video of a solo screw up where I used a chair and a doormat as the opposing compression stop. Note that the pipe does not need to touch the ground or snow surface as is the case with the traditional crinkly method.
Telescopic stove pipe pull (tight helical pulling screw)
This method is the reverse of the above. Pulling the stove pipe out from its tiny storage coil within its holding rings is rewarding, possible and practical for those with persistence. “It will also impress your camping companions.”
Here are some photos of the sequence that was done as a solo helical pull. However, the video below tells so much more.
Here is a little Instagram video that has been compressed to fit within one minute. The real duration was about 1.6 minutes. This still a very good time compared with using the traditional crinkly method that usually has to be done on the ground.
Now here is a video of the ultimate solo stove pipe screw up (2,200mm long) with only one pair of hands.
Conclusion/discussion of the telescopic stove pipe
The telescopic or tight helical screw deployment and pack up of a roll up stove pipe is a novel way to avoid crinkle damage in roll up process.
If two people are available for the screwing it should provide a convenient way to do a very quick crinkle-free stove set up or pack up in bad weather while camping.
However, you may be the person who wants all the benefits of a quick screw without the effort. In this case, you can use the solo, lazy, crinkle-free sloppy spiral flue pipe deployment without the need for patience and tricky manipulation described in this post. “You won’t even need Orangutan arms.”
Here is another ode about screwing your pipe;
The ultralight tent stove lexicon has now a word crude,
To some, the word will be downright rude,
In the context of a pipe, there should be no gripe,
If your pristine pipe is not detrimentally screwed.
For the lazy or the prudish, I have prepared yet another post for you. It uses a sloppy spiral method with only a modest amount of screwing and pulling (sloppy spiral crinkle free roll up stove pipe for dummies).
The more tricky tight helical screw and the less tricky sloppy spiral methods can be mixed-and-matched and importantly, they both provide crinkle-free rolling and unrolling that will make a full quiver of techniques for full satisfaction in every situation.
After all that differentiation of spiral and helical (in my mind) in my posts, I find that the dictionary tells me they are equivalent! So here is a little ode to finish with;
Should I call it a tight helical screw?
Or a sloppy wound spiral with a name new?
Stuff those names as they are all the same,
You will be screwed if you don’t know too.
Lastly, if you are that screwed Orangutan, then you can always fall back to using the conventional crinkly method as everybody else does. Alternatively, you might find a better way, so please let me know if you do.
Tim
Related posts
For a full guide to my improvements to roll up flue pipes pleas see the following post. Some other related posts are listed below.
SUCCESS! I now have a burned in .1mm, 35mmx2200mm SS stove pipe and just managed to do a helical unfurling and roll up of it without taking off the rings! I used a plastic multivitamin tube like yours for the alcohol lance but it wasn’t much smaller than the 35mm stovepipe so there’s a decent amount of melted plastic smeared on the inside, but it’ll burn off with the first real use of the stove which will make the helical rolling much smoother I hope!
I don’t have a spot welder yet so am using Steves leader line and crimp ring set up, they work, are cheap, easy to make and incredibly light, but hard to use on the helical roll, they constantly tangle each other and getting them to untangle requires some dexterity and patience I will probably lack at 10pm in -20C wearing gloves.
But who cares about that? I GOT THE STOVEPIPE READY AND CAN ASSEMBLE OR STORE IT IN NO TIME AT ALL! Thanks for this brilliant idea Tim, really works a treat compared to the traditional roll up and sliding on rings.
Hi Paolo, Thanks for that feedback, you sound excited! I know how you must feel. I felt a similar feeling when I first did it accidentally during a fast camping packup. Then did it systematically both ways when I got home. I thought that no one would believe me, but I was very happy. I could make a set of rings for you they would be cheap to post. Also, I made comment on your Instagram sled/pulk and big bag system and would like to discuss design ideas with you. Do you have a website where we can do that? Tim