During our trip we saw quite a few cookers made out of 9KG gas cylinders cut up, I believe they are called choofers.
Does anyone have plans/design or pictures of one?

Here's a few I've gathered from around the place:












You might like to do a search on:

http://www.caravanersforum.com/

http://touringoz.yuku.com/

http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Default.aspx

They all have search facilities that will lead you to postings on the subject.

Have fun



-- Edited by Rolly on Saturday 15th of August 2009 11:36:24 PM

Chappie here has all the above on sale at our market, plus a water heater He has connected a tap and an inlet to one bottle and sits it on another with the fire under, very efficient WHEN ? I have the time I am going to have a go at it,

when you do, excercise extreme caution, a lot of fellers have lost their lives cutting into these things

These may be called "choofers" however they are not actually choofers.  In Australia they are called "choofers" because of the noise they make when lit "choofa choofa choofa".

Lighting an Australian "choofer" is a tricky business. Because of the voluminous clouds of oily black smoke they produce when cold, they must be lit outside. This is accomplished by holding a burning rag next to the open damper on the fuel tank. The draught caused by the breeze passing through the chimney will draw the flames through the open damper into the fuel tank, where the surface of the fuel inside will light and burn instantly. Once the choofer is sufficiently warm, the damper may be closed until a steady rate of burning is attained, when the characteristic "choofa choofa choofa" noise is produced. If the damper is not closed, the choofa may choke itself with its own smoke, causing periodic "explosions" of unburnt gases in the chimney. Such explosions are not dangerous, but they are noisy and they produce a lot of smoke. Once the heater is burning hot enough, the smoke will disappear and the pot may be dragged slowly and carefully inside. They still produce dangerous gas, and must only be used in well-ventilated spaces.

the actual word choofer points to a smudge pot I think, it has been nicked to encompass these things

dave06 wrote:

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the actual word choofer points to a smudge pot I think, it has been nicked to encompass these things

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Ahhhhhh yes the smudge pot....

 

Spot on comment Dave.I make camp fires from the bottles as a bit of ahobby.The first thing I do with the bottles is to remove the venting screw,immerse the bottle in a garbage tin full of water,weigh it down with house bricks etc and drown the bugger for at least a week,it will fiilup through the venting screw hole.Best to do this away from the house as it stinks of the "Perfume"that is put in the otherwise odourless gas.I use a 4 inch grinder to remove the top part of the bottle whilst still full of water,taking care of course not to let the water get into the grinder.When the top is removed I then grind off the standing ring from the bottom of the cylinder.Then either us a hole saw about 20mm to make a few holes in the bottom and in the sides.Next either use a metal potplant holder as a base and bingo ready for BBQ beads etc.I also have at times welded three nuts to the base of the cylinder and used screwed threads to make legs vary in lenghth to suit.The tops of the cylinders may also be used as an ash tray.All this work is done after removing grinding dags etc.To finish them off I paint them Pot bellied stove black paint.Bottle,cylinder one of the same hope I didnt cause ant confussion.Ash tray as in placing under the fire to collect the ash.

I remember the first 44 I cut up to make a rottiserie, I had it full of water for a week and full as i made my first incision with the nine inch, but by hell my hands were still shaking

dave06 wrote:

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I remember the first 44 I cut up to make a rottiserie, I had it full of water for a week and full as i made my first incision with the nine inch, but by hell my hands were still shaking

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Petrol drums are an altogether different matter: Tiny amounts of petrol get into the rolled seams and are almost impossible to get out.
The vapour from the residual mixed with the air in the drum is enough to make it into a plurry big blast bomb waiting for a source of ignition.

It's surprising how much damage the flying bits of shattered sheet metal can do to a fragile human frame.

 

In respect to the name "choofer"; I first heard it used in relation to the petrol fired "flame throwers" used to heat pit-dug field kitchen cookers. I've also heard it used in respect to petrol fired blowlamps, hikers' 'white gas' camping stoves, petrol "Primus" stoves of the old variety and some kinds of petrol fueled lanterns. All, of course, because of the sound they make, and all of them temperamental and inclined to flare up dangerously at the slightest cause, which made them exceedingly dangerous to operate indoors or in a tent etc.

yep you're right I've heard it a hell of a lot as well, picture no 8 is in mass production, I think it was Gary that first showed it to the forum, it's called "the pig" and is for sale through a lot of camp shops, seen it in the shop at Echuca when we were there

I posted it long ago..the Ozpig http://www.ozpig.com.au/ Dave

that's the one, i remember him now!! pretty dear as I recall at echuca

Finally got around to making a choofer. today was the big test, cooked my famous lamb shanks, beautiful.

Hi
Currently in France and notice heating is called 'chauffage'. So I wonder if that's where the name originated?