Redneck Solo Stove

shtgunal3

Someone, I believe it may have been @caliking , posted awhile back about the Solo Stove fire pit. I looked into them and almost ordered one but decided to wait. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I saw on Pinterest where folks are making fire pits out of the drum out of a washing machine. My wife has been selling appliances for 25 years so a broken washer is easy for me to get. I built two. The stainless one came out of a front load washer and the black one (painted with 2000 degree paint) came out of a top load. These are just my style, easy and cheap. I haven’t fired up the black one yet.

Markarm4119

Great repurposing of something and saving $100s of dolllars.

loco_engr

nice setup & gas pump!

caliking

Nice!!

Hope it’s still fire pit weather where you are. We put the solo stove to good use this past season. 

JethroBodeen

been using them for years. I would never pay the money they want for the other thing. You could buy a bunch of cinder blocks for that money. No, they want last very long but who cares...

shtgunal3

@caliking It’s starting to get a little to warm for a firepit except for the occasional cool spring night. It’ll get used occasionally all year. 

Photo Egg

Perfect!

alaskanassasin

Nice outdoor kitchen!

caliking

shtgunal3 said:

@caliking It’s starting to get a little to warm for a firepit except for the occasional cool spring night. It’ll get used occasionally all year. 

Don't forget that you can cook on it. I seared a tri-tip on mine once. Just because

odie91

If your washer drums have a thick rim around the opening (or anywhere for that matter), be careful, it might be a hollow rim that contains little metal beads that could come flying out of there if the hollow rim pressurizes and explodes.   I drilled holes into mine just to be safe.

I bought a Solo Stove Bonfire.   It is neat seeing the secondary combustion, but I noticed that it is NOT any less smoking than a washer drum.  So the only advantage to the Solo Stove was the cool factor.

With that said, I also took an Akorn Kamado, removed the inner oven insulation, drilled some holes on the lower outside and inner topside to pretty much duplicate a Solo Stove.   Worked just the same.....

dbCooper

Another approach at repurposing for a similar result using old auto wheel rims.  These are not mine, saw them some months back.....

Gulfcoastguy

I just ordered the Solo stove Bonfire. Does it hold up to the humidity within 3 miles of saltwater? I also have some oak limbs that I will saw up and store now that they will have a use.

Gulfcoastguy

Oh I forgot to say that they have a pretty hefty sale going on right now.

500

I have a cracked large Egg base. What would have if I threw wood in it?

caliking

500 said:

I have a cracked large Egg base. What would have if I threw wood in it?

There's a chance it'll crack more. Wood fires can burn pretty hot.

A few years ago, I thought it would be a good idea to burn some tree trimmings in my tandoor. The refractory cement holding the bricks in place sorta vaporized. 

Granted, maybe I shouldn't have packed it full of wood before lighting it up...

JohnInCarolina

shtgunal3 said:

Someone, I believe it may have been @caliking , posted awhile back about the Solo Stove fire pit. I looked into them and almost ordered one but decided to wait. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I saw on Pinterest where folks are making fire pits out of the drum out of a washing machine. My wife has been selling appliances for 25 years so a broken washer is easy for me to get. I built two. The stainless one came out of a front load washer and the black one (painted with 2000 degree paint) came out of a top load. These are just my style, easy and cheap. I haven’t fired up the black one yet.

I had somehow missed this the first time, but this seems really kind of smart to me.  I doubt it’s as smokeless as a Solo stove, but I bet it throws off just as much heat.

Gulfcoastguy

Well my solo has already been shipped. No idea of the time frame.

shtgunal3

JohnInCarolina said:

shtgunal3 said:

Someone, I believe it may have been @caliking , posted awhile back about the Solo Stove fire pit. I looked into them and almost ordered one but decided to wait. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I saw on Pinterest where folks are making fire pits out of the drum out of a washing machine. My wife has been selling appliances for 25 years so a broken washer is easy for me to get. I built two. The stainless one came out of a front load washer and the black one (painted with 2000 degree paint) came out of a top load. These are just my style, easy and cheap. I haven’t fired up the black one yet.

I had somehow missed this the first time, but this seems really kind of smart to me.  I doubt it’s as smokeless as a Solo stove, but I bet it throws off just as much heat.

It puts off a ton of heat and is “fairly” smokeless. I can’t compare to the solostove as I haven’t used one of those. 

JohnInCarolina

shtgunal3 said:

JohnInCarolina said:

shtgunal3 said:

Someone, I believe it may have been @caliking , posted awhile back about the Solo Stove fire pit. I looked into them and almost ordered one but decided to wait. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I saw on Pinterest where folks are making fire pits out of the drum out of a washing machine. My wife has been selling appliances for 25 years so a broken washer is easy for me to get. I built two. The stainless one came out of a front load washer and the black one (painted with 2000 degree paint) came out of a top load. These are just my style, easy and cheap. I haven’t fired up the black one yet.

I had somehow missed this the first time, but this seems really kind of smart to me.  I doubt it’s as smokeless as a Solo stove, but I bet it throws off just as much heat.

It puts off a ton of heat and is “fairly” smokeless. I can’t compare to the solostove as I haven’t used one of those. 

I dig it.  Can’t beat the price!

alaskanassasin

caliking said:

500 said:

I have a cracked large Egg base. What would have if I threw wood in it?

There's a chance it'll crack more. Wood fires can burn pretty hot.

A few years ago, I thought it would be a good idea to burn some tree trimmings in my tandoor. The refractory cement holding the bricks in place sorta vaporized. 

Granted, maybe I shouldn't have packed it full of wood before lighting it up...

I assumed charcoal burns hotter than wood. That may be wrong 

Canugghead

To each his own. Extreme red necker here, made my XL rotisserie out of a discarded dryer drum  Appliance repair neighbour gave me two front load washer stainless drums and used one as firepit, nothing wrong with that but retired it (actually gave it away on garbage day). Replaced it with a Kijiji Biolite firepit, way more fun and enjoyable than the drum Can’t beat the drum for heat though.

edit: anyone with experience of solo stove Campfire stove? I got one for Christmas but haven’t tried it yet. It’s for fun, we don’t camp.

Canugghead

odie91 said:

If your washer drums have a thick rim around the opening (or anywhere for that matter), be careful, it might be a hollow rim that contains little metal beads that could come flying out of there if the hollow rim pressurizes and explodes.   I drilled holes into mine just to be safe.

I bought a Solo Stove Bonfire.   It is neat seeing the secondary combustion, but I noticed that it is NOT any less smoking than a washer drum.  So the only advantage to the Solo Stove was the cool factor.

With that said, I also took an Akorn Kamado, removed the inner oven insulation, drilled some holes on the lower outside and inner topside to pretty much duplicate a Solo Stove.   Worked just the same.....

When I repurposed my washer drum for firepit I recall collecting a good number of marble sized ball bearings after removing a tightly bolted retaining ring.

Gravytrain84

Gulfcoastguy said:

I just ordered the Solo stove Bonfire. Does it hold up to the humidity within 3 miles of saltwater? I also have some oak limbs that I will saw up and store now that they will have a use.

Yes it does. My buddy has one at his camp in grand isle and it’s held up nicely. Way better than your traditional metal fire pit. 

Gulfcoastguy

Btw got to head home, it’s supposed to be on the door step.

GrateEggspectations

shtgunal3 said:

You really shouldn’t have your fuel pump so close to an open flame, unless you’re gunning for a Darwin Award. 

GrateEggspectations

dbCooper said:

Another approach at repurposing for a similar result using old auto wheel rims.  These are not mine, saw them some months back.....

Those rims remind me of Costa Rica, where families would set up with rims and charcoal on the beach in the morning and enjoy the cookout all day. “Rimming,” I think they called it. 

Quite the country. Great climate. Fantastic literacy rates. Some of the world’s happiest people. 

dbCooper

GrateEggspectations said:

dbCooper said:

Another approach at repurposing for a similar result using old auto wheel rims.  These are not mine, saw them some months back.....

Those rims remind me of Costa Rica, where families would set up with rims and charcoal on the beach in the morning and enjoy the cookout all day. “Rimming,” I think they called it. 

Quite the country. Great climate. Fantastic literacy rates. Some of the world’s happiest people. 

@GrateEggspectations

Totally agree with what you say about Costa Rica, fabulous country. 

I took that photo in Cuenca, Ecuador.  That country has many of the same positive attributes as CR.  Due to Covid we haven't been back since 2019.  At that time people were less happy than previously, mainly due to the then president allowing China to rape the natural resources, plus austerity measures.

GrateEggspectations

dbCooper said:

GrateEggspectations said:

dbCooper said:

Another approach at repurposing for a similar result using old auto wheel rims.  These are not mine, saw them some months back.....

Those rims remind me of Costa Rica, where families would set up with rims and charcoal on the beach in the morning and enjoy the cookout all day. “Rimming,” I think they called it. 

Quite the country. Great climate. Fantastic literacy rates. Some of the world’s happiest people. 

@GrateEggspectations

Totally agree with what you say about Costa Rica, fabulous country. 

I took that photo in Cuenca, Ecuador.  That country has many of the same positive attributes as CR.  Due to Covid we haven't been back since 2019.  At that time people were less happy than previously, mainly due to the then president allowing China to rape the natural resources, plus austerity measures.

Haven’t been to Ecuador but hope to before I become dust. 

Of our “Southern” vacations, most of which were local experiences and not on resort, Costa Rica has been our fave. A culture that places value where it rightly belongs, if you know what I mean. La pura vida all the way!