This post describes improved roll up flue pipe holding rings and other holding rings for ultralight tent stoves for winter backpacking.
Introduction
Holding rings are what I call the little rings that hold roll up flue pipes together in a pipe shape (I might have given them other names in other posts). My rings are different to all others that I know of as they are made as precise ultralight ribbon rings that are welded together from thin (0.1-0.15mm) metal foil. They are very light and compact.
[Add alternative photo of new pipe being held between two fingers.]
The rings have been traditionally quite fat (~10mm) to give them strength and make them less likely to be lost while camping.
To make the stove pack up compactly and efficiently I store these rings on a device that I call a ‘rolly‘ that also stores the rolled up flue pipe inside.
The requirement for longer flue pipes and pipes that require less space between holding rings means the storage space on the rolley runs out with wide rings.
The slim 7mm holding ring
I found that 7mm wide rings from thicker 0.15mm foil were quite strong and many more could be stored on the rolley while backpacking.
The slim 4.5mm holding ring
With a need for longer flue pipes exceeding 2,000mm I found that I needed more rings than could be stored efficiently on the rolled up flue pipe.
I subsequently made and tested 4.5mm wide rings made of 0.15mm foil. They too work well and for example, my compact 37mm diameter flue pipe (That fits inside the tiny KISS Tent Stove) can carry about 25 of the rings. They help to keep the flue pipe in good shape, particularly when the curving of the pipe metal is so tight.
Plentiful rings are also essential to maintain the pipe stabiliy while making the tricky but smooth crinkle free transitions (both ways) between the flue pipe roll and the formed flue pipe. Such tricky transitional moves are described in the post below.
Other holding rings
Tie-down flue holding ring. When wind storms buffet an ultralight tent, the canopy will move and can ‘pump’ in such a way that the ultralight flue pipe can be lifted off the stove. The lowest ring on the flue pipe can have a second ring interlocked with it. The expanded diameter of the guard/connector tube stops the ring from pulling down and it can be tied down to some heavy object. “I find that a stove leg that is driven into Planet Earth makes a suitable anchor.”
Flue pipe guard/connector tube rings. These rings hold the tapered flue guard connector tube together. These could be custom welded, but I found (by accident) that was better to take a larger ring and ‘pinch it down’ to the smaller diameters required.
This pinching left a little rectangular tab protruding from the ring. This means that in the multitude of rings in the stove kit that their difference and purposes are, with a little experience, quite apparent. “It also means that on a trip, if a special ring is lost, then a temporary substitute can be ‘pinched’ from another ring.”
[Add a photo of pinched rings]
Fuel/burner tube. This tube can be made without welding by using a ring with an insulated handle as shown below.
Air tip. The air tip is another component that can be held together with a holding ring.
DIY benefits of holding rings. The alternative ‘ring held’ components can be made with simple hand tools without the need for welding. This forms part of the strategy for making DIY REPLACEMENT PARTS for stove components that, in time, will ‘burn-out’.
Tim
Other related posts
Generous warmth, cooking and comfort from a tiny tent stove like this in a winter wonderland is the reward. It makes all this ‘faffing-about’ with roll up flue pipes worth the effort.
