On Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:48:45 -0800, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

propane torch like you probably already own for plumbing and igniting
dynamite fuses.

Bottle rocket and firecracker fuses.

Casady

On Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:40:34 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

On Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:17:11 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"Vic Smith" wrote in message
. ..
My wife called from the store where she's doing Christmas shopping.
Same BS every year with kids, grandkids, parents.
Bah, humbug, but there it is.
She saw a 12V drip coffee maker. 20 bucks. I told her to get it.
4-cup. Which means 1 1/2 real cups.
I drink a LOT of coffee, and thermos coffee can't compare to fresh
brewed. We carry our a 10-cup on the road and always brew coffee
in the motel room. A touch of home.
Now I plan to make it when to stop at a rest area, using the cig
lighter to plug it in.
Anybody have experience with 12V coffee makers?
Have to have coffee for my boat overnighters too, so I might as well
be prepared.
Tips?

--Vic

Like Calif Bill, I've heard 12 volt coffee makers are a joke. Think about
something. A regular, 120 volt coffee maker typically draws anywhere from 5
to 8 amps when heating the water to make the coffee.
At 12 volts that will be 50 to 80 amps. If you drink a lot of coffee,
you'll also be burning a lot of gas running the engine, just to avoid a dead
battery.

Eisboch

The thing was already here before I got the replies.
Would I have listened anyway? 50/50.
I just tried it out. Field & Stream 4-cup.
Says on the instructions it takes 35-45 minutes.
Actually took 32 minutes. Way too long for a rest stop.
It's clumsy. Put it on the passenger floor and it was generally a
pita, spilled a couple ounces of water.
I think it gets the water through the drip orifice using very low
power, which is why it takes so long.
Wasn't very hot, though it brewed fine and tasted good.
The real max water is about 14 ounces, heated to what feels to me
about 165F, so if you like your coffee hot, forget it.
The hot plate seemed about the same temp, and probably uses most the
current. Putting more juice into the drip part and foregoing the hot
plate by dripping into an insulated carafe would work better, but
would make the thing even more bulky.
The water I used was probably 50F, so doing a BTU/AMPS might
be the best way to get battery drain. It's not like the home pot.
This would be fine in a van where you had some space.
Instructions say don't use in a moving vehicle, but who cares what
they think.
Probably never use it again. She paid 21 bucks with tax. They want
at least +30 online with shipping.
But it comes with a 1-year subscription to Field & Stream. Yeah!!
I'm thinking of finding a real small gas stove to boil up a pint of
water fast, and pour it in a small Melitta drip I have, or maybe get a
French press.
Thanks for the replies, I'm a dope.

--Vic

Go to a camping store and buy a plastic paper filter holder which will fit
into any thermos, like this: http://tinyurl.com/5kdxot

Then you can heat a pot of water with a small camp stove, and make coffee
in a very short time. This is what motorcyclists use. Works like a champ.
--
John H.

On Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:42:51 -0500, JohnH wrote:



Go to a camping store and buy a plastic paper filter holder which will fit
into any thermos, like this: http://tinyurl.com/5kdxot

Then you can heat a pot of water with a small camp stove, and make coffee
in a very short time. This is what motorcyclists use. Works like a champ.

You forgot I'm Navy. That's way too elegant.
Still thinking of the exhaust manifold.
Or tapping a heat exchanger into the cooling system.
Other possibilities are appearing in my mind, but I'll keep mum for
now due to patent considerations.
But I've made note of your solution.
Thanks.

--Vic

On Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:46:13 -0500, Gene
wrote:

On Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:28:52 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

My wife called from the store where she's doing Christmas shopping.
Same BS every year with kids, grandkids, parents.
Bah, humbug, but there it is.
She saw a 12V drip coffee maker. 20 bucks. I told her to get it.
4-cup. Which means 1 1/2 real cups.
I drink a LOT of coffee, and thermos coffee can't compare to fresh
brewed. We carry our a 10-cup on the road and always brew coffee
in the motel room. A touch of home.
Now I plan to make it when to stop at a rest area, using the cig
lighter to plug it in.
Anybody have experience with 12V coffee makers?
Have to have coffee for my boat overnighters too, so I might as well
be prepared.
Tips?

--Vic

FWIW....Truck stops offer an AMAZING variety of 12V appliances.

Its not 12 volt, but there is a hot plate for just one cup. It says "
candle warmer ". It draws 17 watts. It keeps a cup just barely warm
enough. I think it came from Walmart. Just big enouh for some 16 oz
mugs I have.

Casady