How to Make a Hobo Stove
A hobo stove is a simple outdoor stove that you can cook a meal on. It’s perfect for when you are camping in your backyard, to when you have gone bush on an adventure!
This is a fun, adventurous project to be enjoyed with the support of an adult. Safer Scouting – It’s what we do!
Adult supervision and help is extra important for this activity
What you need:
A responsible adult to assist
A clean, large can/tin (catering-sized ones are perfect!)
An empty small, shallow salmon or tuna tin
The end or side of a cardboard box made of corrugated cardboard
Wax candles and a glass jar
Bits and bobs to do the job:
A bottle or tin opener that has a pointed end for marking the holes
A pair of snips for cutting the tin
Scissors or a knife for shaving the wax
Lighter or matches
What to do:
Cut a strip of the corrugated cardboard so it is slightly shorter than the height of the small tin. Coil it up tight and fit it into the small tin.
Scouting Secret if you pull up a bit of the cardboard in the centre of the coil, it will later make it easier to light.Cut, break or shave the candles into small pieces.
Put the pieces of wax in a jar and melt down over medium heat on an electric cooktop or another heat source (NOT a gas oven).
When they have melted, ask an adult to carefully pour the wax over the coiled-up cardboard until it is almost full. Let it cool and set. You have now made a buddy burner!
With the bottle/tin opener, ask an adult to help you punch holes about 20mm apart around the top of the large can. These holes will act as smoke vents.
At the open end of the can, cut a 100mm wide by 60mm high cavity. This cavity will allow the air to fuel the fire and will allow you to view the buddy burner.
Let’s get cooking!
Position the buddy burner in a safe outside space away from any flammable material.
Ignite the cardboard in the burner.
Place the hobo stove (the larger tin) over the buddy burner with the air hatch facing away from the wind.
Lightly grease the flat surface of the hobo stove with cooking oil. Alternatively, if you have an old pot or frying pan, you can use the flat surface as the element.
On the menu…
Try toasting a piece of bread, cooking up a meat pattie, sausage or an egg… or heating a banana wrapped in tinfoil with chocolate – YUM!
Want to try new things, go on amazing adventures, learn new skills, and make friends with lots of different people?
Scouts welcome young people between 5 and 26 and are open to all genders, ethnicities, religions, and abilities. All you need is a sense of adventure and fun!
The Scouts programme is designed to give you ownership of your own adventures.