Easy-build rocket Stove instructions

I use a rocket stove for cooking and hot water, faster and more efficient than an open fire and can be used in rain and wind. It burns sticks (eg 50mm diameter) not logs. Here’s how I built a simple rocket stove.

Built from:

an old gas cylinder (make sure it’s 100% empty before cutting)
two bits of steel tube
vermiculite or perlite (for insulation)
fire cement (to seal gaps)
Nuts and bolts to fix top (eg M3 x 40mm, 3 off)
Nuts and bolts to stop feed tube being pushed in (eg M3 x 20mm, 2 off)

No welding required, drilled and bolted instead (but see possible improvements below).

Steps:

Ensure no trace of gas left in cylinder (flood it with water for absolute certainty)
Cut top of cylinder
Drill a small hole in the bottom of the cylinder, for drainage in case rain gets in.
Cut hole in top for inner tube
Put top on cylinder upside down to measure length of inner tube required
Cut inner tube to length
Cut hold in cylinder for feed tube
Place inner tube in cylinder and mark position of hole for feed tube (allowing feed tube to tilt up slightly )
Cut hole in inner tube for feed tube
Cut tabs in feed tube to bend, these will stop it coming out
Put inner tube and feed tube in place, bend tabs
Drill feed tube for bolts to stop it being pushed in, insert bolts
Drill cylinder and cylinder top for bolts to hold top on
Seal around feed tube with fire cement where it passes through cylinder and inner tube
Fill cavity with insulation
Put top in place and bold down
Left fire cement dry as per instructions before lighting
Keep top and feed tube covered when not in use, if it gets damp it will be harder to get it hot and so it won’t burn as efficiently .