Portable Fire Pit

Hello Team, 

I want to build a fire pit for my backyard, but I have a big problem, "The Bride".

The complaint is it's too messy, too much smoke and will be an eye-saw in our little backyard. 

I have come up with a solution that means I can pack it up and put it in the shed when it is not in use. 

With "The Bride" not onboard, spending money on this project will be very limited. 

Restrictions

• Budget $400.00
• Must be able to dismantle, disguise or move to the shed.

To complete this project, I will need

• a half oak barrel
• a concrete base
• sand
• decorative stones / rocks
• Road Base Stones
• ceramic pot
• tin can
• ceramic or fibreglass wicking
• stainless steel mesh grid
• Ethanol Fireplace Fuel with Citronella

Tools

• Tin Snips - Wire Cutters
• Soldering Iron

WARNING: You are creating a firepit with liquid fuel. If you spill the fuel next to the fire, it will ignite.

1. Always have an approved fire extinguisher, Water/Garden hose and fire blanket close by, ready for use. Your life, your family and your property may depend on it.
2. Don't allow children or pets near the fire they will get burned.
3. Do Not fill the fire cans when there are flames or heat in the fire pit. The ethanol will ignite. Wait 5 minutes for the tin cans to cool before refilling with ethanol.
4. Always extinguish the fire by closing the lids of the cans using the recommended method above
5. Follow the warning and directions on the fuel source label.

New Items

• Half Oak Barrel: Bunnings Warehouse $99.00
• Concrete base: Bunnings Warehouse $30.00
• Sand: Bunnings Warehouse $20.00
• Fireproof sealant Bunnings Warehouse $18.00
• Decorative stones/rocks: Bunnings Warehouse $40.00
• Terracotta pot: Bunnings Warehouse $13.00
• Tin can: Recycled Dog Food Can
• Ceramic or fibreglass wicking: Amazon $48.11 / 12"*24"*1"
• Stainless steel mesh grid: Bunning Warehouse $20.00 per role.
• Ethanol Fireplace Fuel with Citronella: $85 20Ltr

Under: $400.00

I ordered the ethanol fireplace fuel - Citronella here. https://ethanolfireplacefuel.com.au

• Place the barrel on a flat surface with open, safe surroundings that will not catch fire.
• Place the cement edging in a verticle arrangement, inside the barrel. It will increase the barrel's weight, improve stability and remove the need to fill the entire barrel with stones.
• Cover the cement edging with a piece of foam, rubber or cement tile to fill in the barrel and prevent the stone from falling into the barrel base.
• Fill the oak barrel with Road Base Stones up to 6cm from the top of the barrel.
• Fill the rest of the barrel with decorative stones.

• Place the terracotta pot into the centre of the Oak Barrel.
• Fill the terracotta pot with sand, packing the sand around the tin cans. It will help keep the cans stable and reduce the heat on the pot.
• Fill the tin can with ceramic wadding.
• Cut the stainless steel grid to fit tightly inside the tin can.
• Finish the stones and decorative appeal.
• Pour 300ml of Citronella - ethanol fireplace fuel into each tin can ready for ignition.

At the end of the day, I can remove the Terracotta pot and hide the contents of the Oak Barrel in the shed for next time, or disguise the fire pit by replacing the ceramic bowl with a pot plant.

I have enough material left over to fill another Oak Barrel.

The fire lasted approximately 30 minutes for 300ml of ethanol fuel per can, with the flame reducing as the fuel was burned off. The fire is difficult to extinguish if you don't have an excellent airtight seal on the lids. The fireproof sealant helped to create the airtight seal.

The metal grid covering the ceramic wicking material will re-ignite the flame if the metal is still red-hot.

Don't try to refill while there is flame or heat in the tin. Be Safe! Follow the safety warnings on the fuel container.