Hotplate on a gas bottle stove??

[Omniata]

I'm making a few of the above in my spare time to try and raise a few extra pennies in light of the paycut I got from redundancy earlier in the month

I plan to put a "hotplate" on the top of them and was wondering the best thickness to use??
I'm considering a 4mm plate as this seems to be the more cost effective thickness I can get from my suppliers...
I was considering 6mm as there are off cuts available

What does everyone else think?


The cylinders are ~3mm thick and I was planning to MIG them if I can get my poorly MIG working again

The other option is stick...

 

[runnach]

My villager can be either top or rear setup for stove pipe outlet, fixed at rear outlet for here at home. Top blanking plate is cast iron, this doubles as a hotplate, I would suggest the thicker the better, how are you going to seal hotplate from omitting smoke, my setup is similar to bayonet style screw down and turn to secure, then sealed with fire rope and cement?

BTW, hotplate works a treat, handy to know it is there if both gas and leccie ever went out for a spell!!

 

[Omniata]

I know what you mean about being there as a failsafe hehe...

Can use it as a patio heater aswell then and save buying an expensive one


I'm planning to weld it on all the way round as a permanent fix to the cylinder, flue pipe on the top towards the back...
Thinking about going to the hassle of welding inside as well

Also I'm fitting/making double doors on the front about an A4 page each upright

 

[runnach]

Aye, welding all round will be fine, I did forget to mention if for outdoor/indoor use or both?

I can tell you, my villager has some mean chunky MIG welds on the outside, not checked inside, will do soon tho, time for its spring clean since October installation.

Sounds like a great and useful project............good luck.

 

[Drains]

Hey Jim. Go heavy as you can on the hotplate. I wouldn't use less than 10mm meself. (but 6 would be fine if it's handy) A couple of reasons - it's flat, and if the burner really gets going, thin stuff may warp, but mostly cos thick stuff will hold the heat well, which is great for cooking or boiling a kettle etc. One of the main problems with gas bottle stoves is their lack of thermal mass, so heavy plate helps stabilise the temp. For the sake of experiments you can also do a bit of lining here or there with mixes of fireclay/ pearlite etc. With a good design you can increase the burning heat by containing/reflecting the heat in the furnace area, making a more efficient burn (less smoke for starters).