7 November 2013

Cooker box complete

I have finished the cooker box and I am really quite pleased with the outcome. It holds all the bits I want it to hold and it is easy to move them all around the boat. This first picture shows it undergoing a well advised "CaptainParish" scorch test. I have filled the pan with water and heated it to boiling. The handles get warm, but that is all. I can actually pick it up with the flame at full blast, although I wouldn't recommend doing that. So I don't think there is a high scorch risk, but I will keep an eye on that.


The second picture shows it in place over the basin. I have painted it rather than varnished, because firstly I am useless at varnishing, and secondly it is made up of disparate bits of scrap wood, so they look better painted rather than bright

The third picture shows it outside on a cockpit bench, which is where I would place it when cooking. Apart from the risk of CO fumes, the burning meths stinks to high heaven.

5 comments:

  1. I believe the smell comes from impurities in the meths and seems to vary in quality. I have used one of these for many years and was was given a 5litre can of meths by a Winkle Brig owner. That was from an industrial supplier and was good.
    There was an article in PBO some years ago which recommended adding up to 20 per cent water to meths to reduce odour.
    Roger

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  2. The cooker instructions Sat to use "denatured" alcohol, but I have never found any such thing for sale. That probably would be odour free. Mega has impurities added to make it unpalatable which probably makes it smell so bad when burnt. It is actually a good safety feature as it stops you taking the risk of choking in the cabin.

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  3. Awful tips in that last post, but choking for cooking sorts of works in this context

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  4. I'm using odour free bio-ethanol from www.contemporaryelements.co.uk (other places sell it but they do a special odour free version). There is a slight smell but nothing like what you get with meths. I add 10% water which is claimed to cut down sooting but I'm not sure that's true.

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