How to turn a beer can into the only camping stove you'll ever need !

[CorEnFa]

Couple bits of additional advice here:
1 - don't use a knife you like. This will dull the blade quickly.
2 - keep some bandaids around. I'm impressed that these dudes didn't bleed 1 bit. As a precaution, use the bandaids before you even get started. Index finger, thumb, and middle finger and you should be MOSTLY protected.
3 - Make sure you get the right kind of alcohol. There are often 2 varieties - 70% and 90% in US pharmacies. The 70% will work, but not as well. Also, skip the mint flavored stuff. Trust me.

 

[PHX-AZ-700X]

You should avoid using Isopropyl Alcohol...it will leave a nasty burn residue on your pot.

I started out using denatured alcohol, which burns well. The best thing to use is HEET Gas Antifreeze. It burns hotter, cleaner, and more efficiently than standard denatured alcohol. Some $0.99/dollar stores will have a generic version of HEET.

 

[frozenpoet]

I have a snow peak gigaPower stove and a cheap ebay one as a backup. I might make one of these as a backup to my backup and the alcohol can be used for either the stove, as first aid, or as a camp fire starter. If there is anything I've learned about camping is redundancy, and multi uses.

 

[L.B.S.]

You should avoid using Isopropyl Alcohol...it will leave a nasty burn residue on your pot.

I started out using denatured alcohol, which burns well. The best thing to use is HEET Gas Antifreeze. It burns hotter, cleaner, and more efficiently than standard denatured alcohol. Some $0.99/dollar stores will have a generic version of HEET.

The general concensus is to only use Heet in the Yellow bottle, (methanol) not the Red bottle (isopropyl alcohol). Red is sooty and does not burn as well.

I think though, that a known good denatured alcohol, (which should be around 99% ethanol), is said to be better than methanol, as far as burning effieciency goes, because ethanol contains something like 23% more btu's than methanol.

I can't find a proper denatured alcohol around anywhere, (or if I do, it's a tiny bottle for big $$$) so I happily use pretty easy and cheap to find Methyl Hydrate (methanol/methyl alcohol-same thing) found in the paints and thinners section of harware stores, and have been happy with it for a long time now. Very clean, no soot or any other wierdness.

What you do want is something with as much alcohol and least water in it. Which is kind of ironic, that a lot of gas line antifreeze or "water remover" sold, has a large quantity of water in it, lol. Common drugstore isopropyl aka rubbing alcohol, can be up to 30% water!)

 

[PHX-AZ-700X]

Finding good denatured alcohol is a difficulty. I find that the methyl content will vary by batch...with wildly varying results when burned. Usually, I get an odd smell when burning it, sometimes it will discolor the aluminum pop can stove.

I have started only using HEET, which is cheap enough (under $2 at Walmart in AZ)

There are so many different types of fuels that will can be used with these stoves, and that is why I like them for emergency situations.

 

[L.B.S.]

Finding good denatured alcohol is a difficulty. I find that the methyl content will vary by batch...with wildly varying results when burned. Usually, I get an odd smell when burning it, sometimes it will discolor the aluminum pop can stove.

I have started only using HEET, which is cheap enough (under $2 at Walmart in AZ)

There are so many different types of fuels that will can be used with these stoves, and that is why I like them for emergency situations.

HEET has been a tried and true good source for a long time, great point!

 

[frozenpoet]

Alcohol Stove Fuel Comparison Part 2 - YouTube

 

[PHX-AZ-700X]

Alcohol Stove Fuel Comparison Part 2 - YouTube

I have watched that guys videos...his videos, along with the vast majority of 'YouTubers' should be removed and/or re-edited.

The problem with the "test" he does has many issues;
1. It is not at all scientific or controlled.
2. Who boils 1/2 cup of water? The standard is 2 cups, because that is what most dehydrated meals require.
3. Those teacup candle containers are horribly inefficient, and do not accurately depict how an alcohol stove will function.
4. The stand he has constructed, while lightweight, allows for a massive amount of heat loss to occur.

Of course varying the distance from pot bottom to heat source will effect the boil times. There is a balance you have to find when designing an alcohol stove system. Height, air flow, and pressure control all have to be carefully balanced to find 'the sweet spot'. I have made dozens of different designs before I decided on the stove I now use. I can use as little as 1/2oz of fuel (HEET, yellow bottle) to bring 2 cups of water to a low boil (more than adequate for re-hydrating a meal, cooking pasta, making tea/coffee, etc).


I have included pics of my setup. Everything is made by hand, costing $5. Pop can stove (free) is double-walled, which allows for vaporization of fuel for peak efficiency. Windscreen/pot stand is made from a 4" air duct connector, $5 at any hardware store. Cut to allow ventilation and flame to be evenly distributed, not to mention it is nearly impossible to blow out. You can get a 3" or 6" diameter connector, depending on how large your pot is. Once the pot is placed on the windscreen/pot stand, the flame really kicks into peak efficiency, and I can boil 2 cups of water in less than 6 minutes (for these pics it was 62F, 55% humidity, 29.88in pressure, and water was out of the spigot outside my garage, 52F)

 

[L.B.S.]

I have watched that guys videos...his videos, along with the vast majority of 'YouTubers' should be removed and/or re-edited.

A good thing to take away from the video though, was just how black and sooty the Red HEET made the container. Ugh! Sure the giant flame looked awesome and seemed to burn with great enthusiasm, but no thanks on everything looking like it came out of a coal mine, lol The cleaner burning Yellow boiled at virtually the same time within seconds anyway, so I can't see any appeal of the messy version fuel.

With my Vargo stove, a slight quirk to it's design is that it pretty much requires you to put in 2 oz of fuel, in order to work. It doesn't *use* the 2 oz to boil the water I need, as soon as the water boils I put out the flame, let it cool and simply pour the unused 1.xx oz of good fuel, back in the bottle.

 

[davidc83]

Wouldn't white gas (same kind used in lanterns) work for this? Not that expensive and available at any outdoor store (even wally world).

 

[L.B.S.]

Wouldn't white gas (same kind used in lanterns) work for this? Not that expensive and available at any outdoor store (even wally world).

White gas is very explosive compared to alcohol. You probably could use it, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere around it myself. Alcohol just doesn't have the same vapour problem, and storage concerns. You can carry/store alcohol in simple plastic bottles, for sure I wouldn't do that with a petroleum based fuel!

You can easily put alcohol fire out with water if need be. There is no smell or worry of it destroying everything if the bottle leaks in your saddlebag.

I've been using white gas for 25-ish years in my MSR Whisperlite, and it can be a bit finicky with priming and *POOF*! when it catches, also being under pressure.

The alcohol stove just goes *pop* without drama, fear, and mistrust, lol.

 

[PHX-AZ-700X]

I have tried white gas out of curiosity....not great results. White gas is extremely combustible, and produces a 1'-2' tall orange flame when used in the alcohol stove. It doesn't vaporize like alcohol does (it needs to be pressurized, just like in an MSR Whisperlite or my MSR Dragonfly stove) so you just get a huge uncontrollable flame.

 

[L.B.S.]

I have tried white gas out of curiosity....not great results. White gas is extremely combustible, and produces a 1'-2' tall orange flame when used in the alcohol stove. It doesn't vaporize like alcohol does (it needs to be pressurized, just like in an MSR Whisperlite or my MSR Dragonfly stove) so you just get a huge uncontrollable flame.

I always picture Flamethrowers in old 'Nam movies, lol

 

[RubenAlonzo]

Awesome, thank you! Now I can make coffee at anytime on the road.

 

[mick]

Excuse my ignorance, but how do I find what your talking about

 

[ziggie]

Video at first page of this thread

 

[2brnut2b]

Excuse my ignorance, but how do I find what your talking about

It all depends what YOU are talking about !

 

[L.B.S.]

To be fair to Mick, I'm looking at this thread on my IPad at the moment, and I see nada in the first post. No video or link like I see on my laptop.

 

[ziggie]

First post a you tube link.but im using tap talk.

 

[ziggie]

Not you tube here it is. http://vimeo.com/m/64726512