If you think THIS seem dangerous, check out the immersion heaters we used to use. A can of gasoline with a valve literally dripping liquid gasoline down a pipe onto a grid in a heat enchanger chamber that vented to another pipe that had a little fuel priming cup to get the draft started. Fill the cup, light it and swing it into the vent stack to warm the flue. Then drop a little gas soaked paper down the inlet side and start the drip. These clamped to galvanized trash cans for heating dish washing in the field. One prerinse, one soapy, and two more rinses. They would also fit int the top of the water trailer(buffalo) to keep them from freezing or supply large quantities of hot water for various "missions" haha. Good times. My very first field exercise after training was for 45 days. Since I was the FNG, Fu$%ing New Guy, the first sergeant put me on KP as I hadn't yet been assigned a position. I got to know these M2's pretty well. The generator is so big because it's also a filter and was designed to run leaded gasoline. These got changed after every exercise. The preheaters were interesting to light. The preheaters got changed out too. If only I knew then, what I know now...... If the burner shield was so much as dented a tiny bit, they changed the whole assembly. After running the preheater for several minutes, crack the valve open and adjust the flame and air to get a "sea green" flame. I was told that was the best flame for efficiency and low soot. It's stood me well with may HGPs all these years later. The horseshoe tank is kind of genius. You stand them up to fill them with fuel, so one vertical end of the horseshoe is all air. Simple and brilliant. We'd use a bicycle pump to get them to pressure and wait for the mess daddy. If anybody knows where Patrick Donovan US Army Retired from Ohio is today, let me know. He was my first Mess Sergeant and by miles and miles the best I ever came across in 20+ years. We'd be eating fresh pork loin and veg while every other unit was eating T rations. That man could cook a feast out of boot leather and an MRE. Much respect to the old army cooks. Long shitty hours in the field and we moved a lot every day back then. Set up only to tear down move and set up again. First time I lit one of these was at about 2am local in some German forest. The guys in the mess section gave me quite the welcom. We weren't allowed to light them in the MKT so we got them going outside first. I had all the preheaters going on 4 burners and the other mess sergeant asked me how long they had been preheating. I told him about a minute. It was cold, late oct early nov, and pitch dark. Red lens flashlights for light discipline which the First Sergeant was a stickler about. The sergeant tells me to start the main burners. Wanting to be efficient I did two at a time. Two massive yellow white flame shot up about 12 feet lighting up the entire Battery Headquarters area. He was laughing as he disappeared into the MKT as I heard the First Sergeant start screaming like the R. Lee Ermy in Full Metal Jacket. It's funny NOW. Then.....Not so much. Another long post. Sorry.
I used these controlled bombs in an Air Force field kitchen back in the late 90’s. They worked great, but I was never comfortable around these damn things. LOL
Totally understand! I don't use mine all that often, and when I do, I inspect them carefully before and during use. They certainly have the potential to explode. I came across figures somewhere, I think two deaths and 65 injuries?
If you think THIS seem dangerous, check out the immersion heaters we used to use. A can of gasoline with a valve literally dripping liquid gasoline down a pipe onto a grid in a heat enchanger chamber that vented to another pipe that had a little fuel priming cup to get the draft started. Fill the cup, light it and swing it into the vent stack to warm the flue. Then drop a little gas soaked paper down the inlet side and start the drip. These clamped to galvanized trash cans for heating dish washing in the field. One prerinse, one soapy, and two more rinses. They would also fit int the top of the water trailer(buffalo) to keep them from freezing or supply large quantities of hot water for various "missions" haha. Good times.
My very first field exercise after training was for 45 days. Since I was the FNG, Fu$%ing New Guy, the first sergeant put me on KP as I hadn't yet been assigned a position. I got to know these M2's pretty well. The generator is so big because it's also a filter and was designed to run leaded gasoline. These got changed after every exercise. The preheaters were interesting to light. The preheaters got changed out too. If only I knew then, what I know now...... If the burner shield was so much as dented a tiny bit, they changed the whole assembly. After running the preheater for several minutes, crack the valve open and adjust the flame and air to get a "sea green" flame. I was told that was the best flame for efficiency and low soot. It's stood me well with may HGPs all these years later. The horseshoe tank is kind of genius. You stand them up to fill them with fuel, so one vertical end of the horseshoe is all air. Simple and brilliant. We'd use a bicycle pump to get them to pressure and wait for the mess daddy. If anybody knows where Patrick Donovan US Army Retired from Ohio is today, let me know. He was my first Mess Sergeant and by miles and miles the best I ever came across in 20+ years. We'd be eating fresh pork loin and veg while every other unit was eating T rations. That man could cook a feast out of boot leather and an MRE. Much respect to the old army cooks. Long shitty hours in the field and we moved a lot every day back then. Set up only to tear down move and set up again.
First time I lit one of these was at about 2am local in some German forest. The guys in the mess section gave me quite the welcom. We weren't allowed to light them in the MKT so we got them going outside first. I had all the preheaters going on 4 burners and the other mess sergeant asked me how long they had been preheating. I told him about a minute. It was cold, late oct early nov, and pitch dark. Red lens flashlights for light discipline which the First Sergeant was a stickler about. The sergeant tells me to start the main burners. Wanting to be efficient I did two at a time. Two massive yellow white flame shot up about 12 feet lighting up the entire Battery Headquarters area. He was laughing as he disappeared into the MKT as I heard the First Sergeant start screaming like the R. Lee Ermy in Full Metal Jacket. It's funny NOW. Then.....Not so much. Another long post. Sorry.
Awesome stories! Thank you for them. Those immersion heaters sound downright frightening!
I remember all them things!
I used these controlled bombs in an Air Force field kitchen back in the late 90’s. They worked great, but I was never comfortable around these damn things. LOL
Totally understand! I don't use mine all that often, and when I do, I inspect them carefully before and during use. They certainly have the potential to explode. I came across figures somewhere, I think two deaths and 65 injuries?