[at-l] Roland Mueser's Survey Revisited/Stoves

[tincanstoveman@hotmail.com (Tin Can Stove Man)]

>Although there were only 6 alcohol stoves among those he surveyed, that 
>group held the distinction of a >"0" failure rate.  I find a zero failure 
>rate appealing.  I also like >the fact that an alcohol stove doesn't make a 
>black gooey mess like >my "Tommy Cooker" (the British military forerunner 
>of the Esbit).
>

Let's hear it for the 0% failure rate!!!!!  Oh how true it is!!!
It's music to this superhero's li'l ol' ears.

>The failure rates for the other types in his survey were: MSR = 15%,
>. . . I believe that his rates are a percentage of
>the total stoves used not a percentage of the times they were used.

Although in this particular case, I would be curious to see what the failure 
rate of an MSR would be as a percentage of the __total_number_of_times__ 
that it was used.  I'd bet that it would be alarmingly high.

I would also like to add one more point of comparison that Mueser's survey 
did not touch on-- cost.  MSR: $60- $80; Coleman: about $50 or so;  Amazing 
Tin Can Stove: free as the wind blows, free as the grass grows, etc. etc. 
etc.

>I added some punched out holes in the bottom of the inner liner to 
> >facilitate flow of the alcohol to the outer ring.  The stove I got >from 
>TCSM did not have these holes.  I haven't tried a side by side >comparison 
>to see what (if any) difference it makes in the burn.

I've tried it-- it doesn't make any noticeable difference.  I have found 
that punching the extra holes just adds another step to the process, just 
adds another minute to the time it takes to make one.  I don't think it does 
any harm however.

>I'm also considering how to make a match holder so I can safely use 
> >ordinary length matches.  A short length of aluminum tubing perhaps?

Using an ordinary match has never seemed too dangerous to me, but if you 
were using your amazing tin can stove out on the trail, you could always 
light the end of a long twig or blade of grass and use that.  Just a 
thought.

One final thought-- after sending out tons o' stoves, I am at the end of my 
waiting list!!! Never been a time like right now to get yer very own amazing 
tin can stove....

See ya'll in Damascus,
TCSM
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