DIY roll up stove pipe improvements

This post is a about my DIY roll up stove pipe improvements. Part 1 is a summary and a guide to a twelve-part series on better making and using of these ultralight flue pipes for backpacking tent stoves and hot tenting.

It also attempts to standardize my terminology for stove-pipe parts and processes that have been used somewhat chaotically during my learning. It is a great place to start the stove pipe improvement posts, whether you be a stove pipe pipe smartie or a dummy.

Big (62mm dia) and small (37mm dia) DIY stove pipes that have been perfectly formed without any crinkles.
Big (62mm dia) and small (37mm dia) DIY stove pipes that have been perfectly formed without any crinkles by only one person.

Introduction to DIY roll up stove pipes

Over time I have developed some of the most innovative methods of forming roll up DIY roll-up stove pipes or flue pipes in the known universe. “That is the universe of ultralight tent stoves for winter backpacking snow trekkers who enjoy going out into the wild winter to enjoy freezingourtitsoff. It is, after all, not such a big universe. Maybe my methods are so different they may be from a parallel universe.”

They have been somewhat chaotically published (by a novice) in many posts on improving the making, deployment and use of ultralight roll up flue pipes for backpacking tent stoves.

The posts have become a maze, that for me, it is sometimes difficult to navigate. Consequently, I imagine for a visitor to my site, it would be very difficult to find the post that they are looking for.

I think the posts will have value for others. Deletion is not a sensible option. So Covid19 has blocked all my skiing but has spared the time for me to tie the post together. I hope it will make them more cohesive and useful to you and hopefully, we will less easily get lost in the maze.

Here is an ode to my posting process;

They are just little gems each one so minimal,
Arriving, dreamlike, as gifts subliminal,
Not planed or sought by rational thought,
Now to arrange them in order more logical.

My most radical, innovative and valuable posts focus on eliminating crinkle damage while shaping a DIY roll up stove pipe foil. Serendipitously, with practice the methods are much quicker than the conventional one. “Even when doing it single-handed’.

At the heart of these methods are ‘coil’, ‘helical’ and ‘spiral’ foil handling techniques.

A confession. I, unfortunately, used ‘spiral’ and ‘helical’ in my prior posts to differentiate between two different techniques. Now, far far too late, I find that the dictionary tells me these words are equivalent!

So here is a little ode to technical nomenclature before I get to the real work of clearing up my mess:

Should I call it a tight helical screw?
Or a sloppy wound spiral with a name anew?
Stuff those names as they are all the same,
You will be screwed if you don’t know too.

This post will:

  • Provide a guide through my maze of posts.
  • Redefine the terms and techniques,
  • Provide an abstract of key methods and,
  • Collate the relevant posts with ‘Part numbers’ within a numbered series.

Here is another ode to an inventor. It allows me to procrastinate before getting on with the hard work;

Each one is but a vague nebulous dream or idea,
Until implemented, tested and shared with a peer,
Even with inciting thinking and writing,
They may exit excitedly, like diarrhoea.

The DIY roll up stove pipe method guide and definitions

I thought that starting with definitions this time would be a refreshingly prudent idea to make it less like diarrhoea.

Crinkle damage

I use this term to describe the nasty and destructive re-shaping of a curved metal foil. It happens where it spontaneously transforms or is forced transformed into a curve at 90 degrees to the axis of the previous curve while rolling and unrolling.

Strange as it may seem, a springy sheet of foil can hold a memory of both curves at the same time and can flip-flop between the two states. The post is all about doing the transition smoothly when YOU wish it to change.

Me

My methodology is all about making the transition gentle, silent and smooth, via an infinite number of transitional curves between the two states and thereby completely eliminating crinkling damage.

If well done, some of my alternative methods will be much quicker than the traditional ‘crinkly’ method that I and presumably, most others have used over many years.

Me

These YouTube videos exemplify crinkle damage and the progressive effort that is taken (or not taken) to minimise it.

Here is a poor example of rolling.

A better example of rolling.

The best example of rolling, but shhhh………. nowhere as good as any of mine.

This is the best of the three above demonstrations of careful DIY roll up stove pipe forming. However, please note at about 6 minutes into this video, how the the old pipe is being rolled out. This simple unrolling action is doing extensive crinkle damage that can be avoided by all my alternative methods. This type of damage gets greater as flue pipe diameters get smaller as for my KISS Stove. Similar crinkling damage is also done when rolling the pipe up.

Note: A good example of a bad spontaneous curve transition is shown at about 6 minutes into the last video above. The rolled up stove pipe is allowed to just noisily ‘krinkle’ its way into the flue pipe shape. Similar damage will be done when rolling it up. “This is not meant to ‘knock’ these proficient operators, as I used to do the same before I learned a better way. Here is my video confession:”

Look for my bad unrolling technique from years ago. At about 50 seconds. hear the crinkle damage being done as the pipe rolls out in a flash.

“Just remember that; a flat work surfaces, a patient team of compliant experts with warm hands, and equipment will not usually be there when deploying a flue pipe while setting up camp in a raging blizzard. With some of my new methods, the pipe does not even need to touch the ground or snow surface!”

Helical wind-up

I use the helical wind (my definition) nearly every time I manipulate a flue pipe.

It is indispensable and means that the roll can be wound up clean and dry and as tight as you like, without contact with the ground or snow.

It starts with a roll of long foil strip as in the photo below. It can be constrained by ring/s or by hand.

The starting point for tight helical forming of a DIY roll up stove pipe. A tightly wound coil of stainless steel foil that is 2,200mm long. It  can be held together by one or more holding rings in this state.
The starting point for the tight helical forming of a DIY roll up stove pipe in the form of a tightly wound coil of stainless steel foil that is 2,200mm long. It can be held together by one or more holding rings in this state.

The inner part of the core can be pulled out to form a short tight cone. The edge of the foil will make a smooth helical line on the surface of the cone.

In this state, there is intimate and tight contact between each layer of the foil within the cone. “Not even room for a bees willy.” This contact and the ‘spring action’ of the foil means the helix is quite tight and rigid.

The conical roll can now be easily and safely grasped on both ends and be wound up to make the diameter smaller. For example, it could be made to fit easily into a smaller holding ring or storage tube if required.

Note. In this new wound up state, it will have much more energy stored in the coiled spring that will need to be carefully managed during release.

Here is a little Instagram video of the demonstration of magic coil re-sizing. You will see the coil diameter can easily be adjusted to fit inside progressively smaller rings and then released to fit in the large ring once more.

In the above video, it may not be apparent, but after one hand (narrow end) has wound up the spring cone, the other end of the roll must be gently squeezed to stop the spring reversing. This sequence can be repeated very quickly and at least in my hands is very easy and natural. “Certainly much easier than writing this description.”

Lastly, this method is relatively safe compared with my previous roll up method of many years. It used an innovative fine welded tab as a ‘key’ for two fingers to wind up the foil. Unfortunately, if it slipped from the fingertips it could lacerate the fingertips!

The new alternative of using two whole hand grips on the outside of the rolled cone avoids this risk. It also is much easier to do safely with very cold hands and while wearing gloves under adverse snow camping conditions.

Even if the foil should slip with the new method, the protruding corner of the foil does not have a suitable ‘attack angle’ to do any harm. “I also cut a generous ‘radii’ on all corners of the foil as further protection.”

Note: The vigour of the unwinding of the foil coil can be heard in the above video. There is a distinctive “sllockkk” sound as the rapidly unwinding foil comes to an abrupt stop. “It is a thing not to mess with! But good fun when you get over the shock.”

Helical unwinding

The above helical cone can also be gently unwound to make the cone have a much bigger diameter. In this case, there is less energy stored in the coil.

This cone expansion is a crucial preparation step for forming a flue pipe by the ‘open sloppy spiral’ method described below.

Helical side shuffle

This little manipulation simply allows the foil to effortlessly transition between the conical and the equivalent cylindrical coil forms.

It can be done by grasping both ends of the cone, as above, and ‘winding up the spring’ just a little. The overlapping foil layers become loose and can slip easily over each other and allow the easy transition between the two states.

If you look at the above video you can see me doing this trick while returning the coil to its original size and shape. “It is all effortless and instinctive once you get started.”

Note: Importantly, this ‘helical side shuffle’ action is used in all the subsequent pipe deployment and packing up methods.

Tight helical cone pulling/screwing

This is my most efficient method where crinkle damage is eliminated. It starts with the pulling of a short helical cone as described above. The process is just carefully continued until the flue pipe is fully formed while spreading the holding rings along its growing length. “Sound impossible?”

The start of a tight helical pulling procedure to form a DIY stove pipe from a tiny tightly coiled 2,200mm length of foil. The stack of stove pipe holding rings are in the middle of the expanding pipe.
The start of a tight helical pulling procedure to form a DIY stove pipe from a tiny tightly coiled 2,200mm length of foil. The stack of stove pipe holding rings are in the middle of the expanding pipe.

The continuation of this tight helical unwinding is tricky and tedious, particularly when halfway through. “Eventually, it will easily ‘rush to the finish’ to convert into a beautiful long flue pipe during a crinkle-free, silent and magical transition.”

The DIY roll up stove pipe after being 'pulled' out much further, but it is still in a tight and rigid formation.
The DIY roll up stove pipe after being ‘pulled’ out much further, but it is still in a tight and rigid formation.

Partway through, it may even seem impossible. “For a while, I thought that”. However, it is a technique that can be mastered with patience, preferably at home. It is indispensable and very worthwhile for the initial formation of a crinkle-free virgin flue pipe.

A beautiful virgin DIY roll up stove pipe formed free of crinkles and ready for heat treatment to preserve a memory of this new and beautiful shape.
A beautiful virgin DIY roll up stove pipe formed free of crinkles and ready for heat treatment to preserve a memory of this new and beautiful shape.

Here is a little Instagram video of a flue pipe being deployed by the tight helical pulling/screwing method.

I had speculated that the tight helical pulling/screwing method should work well and more easily with traditional large diameter DIY stove pipes. This has now been put to the test. The pipe shown next is a 3,000mm extension pipe for a Gstove and was easily formed this way and it does not have any crinkle damage.

A 3.000mm*62mm diameter virgin DIY roll up stove pipe that has been formed for the first time by the tight helical pulling/screwing method. It has been lightly dusted with talcum baby powder to help the layers slip over each other. The powder is refractory and can be simply dusted off after the pipe is burnt-in. It was extended to about 2,000mm as a solo process, but with such a long pipe, I relented and sought a second pair of hands to quickly finish pulling and screwing the final meter. After the development of the new pipe shape after heat treatment, the pipe can be deployed single-handed.
A 3.000mm*62mm diameter virgin DIY roll up stove pipe that has been formed for the first time by the tight helical pulling/screwing method. It has been lightly dusted with talcum baby powder to help the layers slip over each other. The powder is refractory and can be simply dusted off after the pipe is burnt-in. It was extended to about 2,000mm as a solo process, but with such a long pipe, I relented and sought a second pair of hands to quickly finish pulling and screwing the final meter. After the development of the new pipe shape after heat treatment, the pipe can be deployed single-handed.

Here is a little Instagram video of the pipe formation in ~4 minutes and here is the Instagram video of it being rolled up again in 65 seconds. A light dusting of talcum rose scented baby powder was used to make this virgin flue pipe slippery for these operations. It is a refractory mineral that is no problem when heated. It just give forth its rose perfume. It is not needed once the pipe is broken in by heat treatment.

The tricky nature of this manipulation may not make it your preferred way of repeatedly deploying a flue pipe while camping. If so, the ‘open sloppy spiral’ (Described later.) may be more to your liking. It will require you to work down on the ground or snow surface. It will also take a little longer and entails removal and replacement of the rings, but will still avoid crinkle damage.

The tight helical screw up

Luckily, the reversal of the ‘tight helical cone pulling/screwing’ is stunningly simple, easy, quick and can be performed up off the ground or snow surface.

The only problem is that at first sight, you will think I am talking bull-shit. I understand and forgive you. I have done the helical screw up many times now. Each time my rational mind also asks, much more politely of course; Is this really going to work?

Me

I predict that one day this fast windup method will become the standard that most ultralight ‘hot tent stovies’ will use. It will probably be irresistible to most campers who find themselves packing up their stove in a blizzard!

Once upon a time, I used to deprive myself of a warm morning tent for breakfast and thawing & drying off the inside of the tent. This was when a packing up was required in the morning. I packed up the night before so the process of packing up the DIY stove pipe would not cause excessive delays. This fast technique puts an end to that concern especially when my current KISS tent stove only takes 2 minutes to cool down before packing.

Me

The telescopic collapse of the flue pipe is simply performed by screwing the pipe ends with gentle compressive force between them. The end part of the pipe that will become the innermost part of the roll should be the one that is screwed. This is described in detail in a separate post (Part 3, in the link below).

Before we move on to the next stimulating video, here is a little ode to tight helical flue pipe pulling/screwing;

Can technical ode words become course?
Intimately coupling....., just gets worse!
Tossing in pulling and screwing could be its undoing,
Such is the problem communicating in verse.

Here is a little Instagram video of this magical and most unlikely tight spiral screwing technique. With one person or a couple, it can be performed in just one minute. “It has not to my knowledge been previously documented in any of the ancient texts.” Here is another Instagram video of a one-minute screw-up.

Speculative note: While writing this post, I think for the first time I understand why the tight helical pulling is stubborn and the reversed ‘not so tight’ helical screwing is so magically easy.

The pulling constantly locks up the intimately contacting foil layers as the cone extends and expands. The rings get ‘locked in place’ as well.

Conversely, during the screwing up action the cone diameter reduces a little. If there is resistance to screwing, the diameter gets even smaller and reduces friction between the layers of foil even more.

The diameter reduction also leaves the holding rings loose so that they can easily be shuffled along toward their final resting place on the outside of the tidy rolled up coil. “I hope this explanation makes some sense to you, as it does for me?”

A link to a more detailed post (Part 3 ) is listed below.

Open sloppy spiral- winding

This method is similar to the ‘tight helical cone method’ that has been reported above.

I think it is innately less impressive for some unknown reason. It also requires the removal and replacement of all those rings. The bottom line that it is easy and it will appeal to those who have not yet mastered the tight helical cone method.

Me

It is initiated with a foil coil that has undergone a ‘helical unwind’ so that its diameter is about three to four times the diameter of the flue pipe or diameter of the storage roll.

The relaxed coil has much less stored ‘spring energy’. This means that it is very easy to pull the central core out from the coil to start forming a long spiral.

The successive turns of the spiral have no intimate surface-to-surface contact with one another. As a consequence, it makes it flexible or ‘sloppy’. “Like a ‘slinky-spring’ without much resistance to extension or bending”.

Importantly, it happens smoothly and effortlessly with no crinkling as it changes into a shape that is starting to resemble a pipe. It is this gentle transition of the orientation of the foil curvature that eliminates crinkle damage. It is just the same for the tight helical pulling method. “However, both you and the spiral can be sloppy about it.”

The sloppy spiral has been pulled out from the expanded and relaxed coil of the DIY roll up stove pipe foil. The foil is perfectly screwing itself to prevent any crinkle damage.
The sloppy spiral has been pulled out from the expanded and relaxed coil of the DIY roll up stove pipe foil. The foil is perfectly screwing itself to prevent any crinkle damage.

This process can be continued to completion so that the entire length of the foil is laid out as a sloppy spiral.

Note: The spiral still has ‘pent up energy’ stored in the foil. So for the photograph, it is held on each end with a split stick and an orange to prevent uncontrolled un-twisting that would otherwise cause crinkle damage.

Spiral unwinding of a DIY roll up stove pipe without crinkles.
Spiral unwinding of a DIY roll up stove pipe without crinkles.

Lastly, the sloppy spiral can be slowly allowed to unwind so that it gently self-transforms into a DIY roll up stove pipe shape, entirely without crinkle damage.

The roll up stove pipe foil that is fully unrolled without crinkles by the sloppy spiral unwinding method.
The roll up stove pipe foil that is fully unrolled without crinkles by the sloppy spiral unwinding method.

Here is a little Instagram video of the ‘open sloppy spiral- pipe forming magic. It shows both unrolling and rolling up. “It can say so much more than my words can. It is like the reversal of that childhood story; the beautiful swan turns into an ugly duckling.”

A link to a more detailed post (Part 4 ) is listed below.

Mixing and matching slopy spiral and tight helical winding methods

All these methods have a unique purpose and they can be used in combination for optimum effectiveness.

For example:

  • The tight helical pull/screw is indispensable for virgin pipe forming before heat treatment.
  • The sloppy spiral is great for routine solo flue pipe set up and pack up when the pipe is very long, or you are inexperience or can’t be bothered with the tight screwing method.
  • The tight helical screwing is ideal for routine packing up in bad weather.
  • If you have a companion/s to hold the other end it is even better. It saves the foil from getting wet and dirty as it can be wiped down as it screwed up.

Burning-in of a virgin DIY roll up stove pipe

This process is one of using heat treatment of the flue pipe foil (stainless steel or titanium) to make it remember its new flue pipe shape for when it is next deployed while camping.

This happens to some extent, near the stove, when the pipe is used on a very hot stove. The pipe can also be flipped to treat the other end. However, the middle section is not well treated.

In response, I have developed heat-treating lances that use an alcohol flame, gas flame and finally a charcoal burner that can heat-treat the whole pipe. The treatment is done by passing the lance steadily through the pipe (Post in links below.)

Alcohol flame lance. A simple and cheap tool to modify the shape memory of a DIY roll up stove pipes for ultralight backpacking tent stoves.
Alcohol flame lance. A simple and cheap tool to modify the shape memory of a DIY roll up stove pipes for ultralight backpacking tent stoves.

A guide to the posts that are collated in this improved flue pipe series

Part 1.- Improvements to flue pipe rolling

( You are reading Part 1. now.)

This post discusses the benefits of roll up stove pipes with narrow seam overlap widths.

Part 8- A gas flame lance to burn in roll up flue pipes [when ready]

This is the smoothest and fastest forming and roll up method for a crinkle-free flue pipes management. The holding rings are left in place during the very quick procedure.

Part 11- A charcoal heat lance to burn in roll up flue pipes [under construction[

All the above flue pipe improvements make the KISS Stove such a sweet, practical and convenient heating/cooking kit for a small backpacking winter tent.

Tim

8 Comments

  1. Tim-

    Well I was successful in my first stove pipe form with your method. I will admit, I was frustrated at first and probably impatient. I went back to the old method with a pipe, then got frustated there and went back again to your method. The second time I REALLY took my time and made sure I had plenty of stove rings. Voila! it was like magic–this is pure genius. I cant believe how nicely it turned out, even with the few crinkles from me trying to force it with the pipe. I”ve started an album with my stove build. its getting closer, thanks for all the well thought out info on your site and responses!

    Here’s the build album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/aUcbrEbU4kAjihTEA

    Cheers!

    1. Author

      Hi Brian, Yes it is like magic when you get it to work. It gets easier as the pipe ages. I am glad that you persisted. Thanks for the album link.
      Tim

  2. Hi Tim! I’m looking to make a copy of your KISS stove and am wondering about the stovepipe. I’ve gone through all the stovepipe posts looking but there’s so much text i might have missed the information I’m looking for. With 35mm diameter pipe, how wide is the foil before being rolled? A 35mm diameter circle has a circumference of 110mm, I’m not sure what the minimum overlap for safety is, but I’m guessing 30-50mm? I’d gladly take a minor weight penalty for decreasing the chance of a catastrophic stovepipe failure.

    And what thickness foil do you use? Industry standard seems to be 0.13mm or .005in, sadly that exact thickness doesn’t seem easy to source from Ebay/aliexpress and getting lots of that from outdoors companies will become expensive quickly as I would like to try your method as well as the classic rolling method (plus have some spare for when I inevitably damage it doing both)

    Thanks for the brilliant design!

    Paolo

    1. Author

      Hi Paolo, I think you may have missed the post: Flue Pipe Seam Width for the kISS Stove.
      (It probably did not help that the link for this was faulty….I have fixed it now…thanks for the alert.)
      The simple answer is pipe diameter(mm)*22/7+15mm so that it fits inside my KISS Stove. It did work with only 9mm, but I could see reflected light from flames inside the pipe at night time. Most others use 50-60 seam width.
      I have found that 15mm is just fine. Using a wider overlap actually creates distortion problems when the pipe gets very hot. The outside of the overlap gets less hot and does not expand as much as the rest of the pipe and the pipe bends and buckles toward the cooler seam layer and this crinkles the pipe. The temperature differential with a much thinner seam greatly reduces this bending and damage. Hope that makes sense. The thin seam widths don’t seem to be at any risk of cataclysmic failure.

      I have 0.13mm titanium and 0.1mm hard stainless steel foils. I choose to use the SS as it is much cheaper and the roll is almost 60cm wide (594.5mm) and I have ten*lifetimes supply of it. It is very good for making multiple pipes as you wish to and it is good for all sorts of tinkering, including pipe rings and stove fittings. I could supply you with several meters of it. Please send me a direct email if you are interested.

      Regarding my rolling methods, they are not really that different to the classic method. It is just that I found that I could totally avoid the crinkle damage that is done EACH TIME the classic method is used to form or roll up the pipe. The telescopic method is damage free and the rings stay in place, but a little tricky at first. It is good for managing the pipe without touching the ground or snow surface. The Sloppy Spiral Method for Dummies is also crinkle-free and is much less tricky, but the rings must be removed and replaced. It is particularly easy when breaking in a new pipe before its heat-treating makes it take on that new pipe shape. A mix of both can methods can be used in any combination without damage.

      Lastly, the classical method is very difficult to do with such small diameter pipes that you are making. My methods are a little tedious but are easy and free of damage if you take your time.
      Hope this helps,
      Regards,
      Tim

      1. A lightning fast reply as always!
        I missed that article, the fault lies with me, thanks for pointing out the right way.

        I would think 15mm would be cutting it fine but I’ll take your word for it and plan with that in mind. I lived in a Tentipi with a Gstove and fixed length SS pipe all of winter 2020 in northern Sweden so maybe I’m just used to extreme overkill.

        Thank you very much for your offer of helping with some SS foil but I think shipping would be rather expensive from Australia to Sweden, I’ll try and source it locally.

        I’ll be buying one length of 7ft titanium pipe that is 30cm wide and then cutting it lengthwise into 125mm and 175mm for a 35mm pipe with 15mm overlap and a spare section for 45mm pipe with 30mm overlap. Expensive but the only local option I can find for titanium pipe.

        I also look to build a slightly larger/heavier stove with your same concept for shorter trips in cold environments with a pulk for more usable surface using these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002748473138.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.53f53c00TQLXVa&mp=1

        Figure ill give the 1500ml and 2900ml each a try, can’t hurt, and I can always gift them to a friend if I’m not satisfied. It does look like they might nest so that would save space.

        Hopefully some day I’ll be able to make this exact same set up in thin titanium, bowls and all.

        I’ve got some .1mm titanium at home I can use for any small accessories (feeding/blowing hatch, spark arrestor etc). Also have an idea for a way to keep the stove securely off the ground and together with 3mm titanium rods, will see if it’s a workable idea once everything arrives and I can start work on it.

        I believe in your methods and will try them first! Always willing to take the extra time to do things right.

        Thanks for the help

        Paolo

        1. Author

          Hi Paolo, A quick and unusually short reply. I have found round is better than rectangular. Have you considered prototyping a Biscuit Tin Stove? It will cost nothing if you use an existing pipe.
          Tim


    1. Author

      Hi, Thanks for referencing my rollup stove pipe post. I have sent some extra comments via your contact form. Tim

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