New microwave oven. New camp stove.

[Big Frank]

I finally got around to ordering a new microwave oven. I took the old one apart to strip it for hardware, copper wire, and a couple pieces of sheet metal. I made a new camp stove from the box that had the magnetron and cooling fins in it. This is really sturdy and won't have any trouble holding a whole pot instead of just a can. It already had the big hole in the center, and the 4 cardinal points had a bit of a nugget with a ragged hole in the middle where I separated 2 pieces that were welded together with a chisel. I drilled those 4 holes out and covered the top with masking tape so I could trace a circle on it and add some layout lines. I had to use a center punch before I could drill out the other 4 holes. I counter bored the holes with a bigger drill bit to clean up the burrs, and spent a couple minutes filing the bottom edges.

It's not bowed out in the middle like it looks in the pics. I already have 2 folding stoves and one that sets atop of a propane tank, so I'm giving this one to a friend. He can put it in his ATV the next time we pack extra stuff for an overnighter. That's where we ride a long way, camp out in the woods, and ride some more the next day. Swimming in any of the lakes we ride by is optional. I used my propane torch to heat up both pieces of steel to burn off anything that was on them. The small piece was turning cherry red as the surface cracked. It may have been galvanized, but didn't smoke like galvanized steel. I didn't get the main part that hot, but got it plenty hot enough to discolor it. Then I dropped it in a bucket of water. The same with the small part but I held that out at arm's length and tossed it in. It was so hot I didn't know if water would splash around.

The whole magnetron assembly looked identical to the 4th pic where the 2 boxes are welded together with 4 small spot welds. You can also see the tabs holding the lid on. Part of it looked like the 5th pic, too. It looks like a high grade of copper to me, but I'm no expert. I got 2 good donut shaped magnets out of it too, and they're stuck on the fridge. They may be strong enough to hold a business card to the fridge even if a tornado hits the house. I don't like wimpy magnets that fall on the floor if you accidentally touch them, so I save good ones when I find them inside of things.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavity_magnetron

[Big Frank]

I forgot to mention, the small square tray is to hold solid fuel tabs, either trioxane (purple) or hexamine (white). They both burn with just a small visible flame, or none at all, and no smoke. That's what makes them great for use in the field by military personnel, or anyone else who doesn't want to be seen. The way this thing is wide open on 2 sides, it would be easy to set it on the ground and feed twigs in from both sides. Neither of my folding stoves comes close to this one in that regard. Maybe I should keep this one and give my friend one of my folding stoves.

[Big Frank]

I didn't plan on making another stove but didn't have much choice. When I saw the size and shape of that piece of metal and the hole in the middle, I was compelled to do it. I texted pics to my friend and he said something like, "Nice! We'll have to try it out sometime."

[Big Frank]

I took a few pics of the new camp stove with a 15 ounce can of chili. The first pic is of the stove setting on top of the bottom of the can. The ridge molded into the can near the edge is the same diameter as the center of the circle of holes, so if you get it centered there's air flow around both sides of the ridge through each hole. The second pic is of the stove setting on top of the top of the can. The diameter of the can just reaches the outer edge of the holes. In the third pic, you can see how the base of the can tapers in and uncovers half of the holes. A 19 ounce can of soup, like Progresso, would cover the holes and flames probably wouldn't burn the label. Soup also doesn't burn as easily as chili or canned pasta because of the liquid and is better for cooking in the can. Chef Boiardi wants a pot to cook his Beefaroni in. And just so you know, Spaghetti-Os taste like excrement, at least I didn't like it. I expected better from the Campbell soup company, like Chunky soup. That makes a quick hot meal when you're in the middle of nowhere.

I set my empty 2.5L/2.5 quart Visions pot on the stove to get an idea how it might feel with my smaller pot if it had something in it. The glass-ceramic on metal was slightly slippery, but it sat steady as a rock. I set my empty 2 quart aluminum pot that I've actually used camping on the stove. It's so light that the weight of the plastic handle will make it tip over if it's setting right in the middle. If I scoot it over so that side of the pot is near the edge of the stove it sits steady. It doesn't matter whether it's the long or short side of the stove. I just scoot it over and it's still on the stove, with the opposite side hanging over farther and it's okay. If it had a can or 2 of soup in it, that would weigh it down and I could set it on there any old way.

I still find it surprising, and kind of awesome, that every microwave oven has a built in camping stove. Now, if I see an old microwave out at the curb I have to decide whether I want to tear it down and get the camp stove and pair of magnets out. Or just the magnets. I could always use more to stick my appointment cards to the fridge.

[Big Frank]

It occurred to me that if I flipped the picture of the magnetron over, it would be easier to see the part of it I used in the proper orientation.

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