[at-l] Soda Can Stove

[gwa@ec.rr.com (George Andrews)]

Jabberwocky,

I have made a lot of the soda can stoves and really like them for the
weight savings... It's hard to argue with 4/10 ounce.  But it is a trade-
off.  Other stoves allow for flame control all the way down to simmer.
Alcohol stoves generally do not.  There are simmer rings and cups
but I have never tried them so don't know how useful they are.

Boil times for any soda can stove should be around 5 minutes for
two cups of water using denatured alcohol.  I have heard the catfood
can stove does a little better but have had no personal experience
with it.  Some things that affect boil times are outside air temp, wind,
and fuel temperature. The more fuel you put in the stove the longer
it takes to get to full operating temperature.  I do not recommend
using rubbing alcohol because the performance is pretty lousy.

One problem is that you need to plan how much fuel to use before
you light the stove. This comes with experience.  Too much fuel and
you waste it...too little and you have to wait for the stove to cool
before refueling.  DON'T EVER REFUEL A HOT STOVE OF ANY
KIND!  (I have the scars to back up that little bit of advice.)   I do not
recommend trying to put the stove out just to save a quarter ounce
of fuel because it isn't worth it.  A little cooking practice and this
becomes a non-issue.

Another problem I had to overcome with my stoves is the heat.  I
may have to tame them down just a bit because they are so hot.  I
only use titanium stakes as pot supports because aluminum stakes
will soften and sag.

The main compromise I have had to make with the alcohol stove is
cooking method.  I use a pot cozy to keep my food warm after
cooking and to extend cooking times after the stove has run out of
fuel.    It is more convenient to just turn the Whisperlite or Alpine
down to simmer but that uses more fuel for long cooking times.
Using the cozy saves a lot of fuel and therefore a lot of weight in fuel
not needed and I feel it is indispensible when using a soda can
stove.

I use around 2 plus ounces of alcohol a day (b'fast & supper) and
budget for 3 so a 20 ounce gatoraide bottle will last 6 days easy.

Bottom line:  1)The soda can stove really appeals to me because
they scratch the craftsman itch I haveand I enjoy building them so
much.  2) - They are made by recycling.    3) - They use a renewable
and non-fossil fuel - denatured grain alcohol.  (And, if you burn
everclear you might even have enough fuel left over for after dinner
cocktails.  Anyone have a source for freeze dried olives?)

BTW, Budweiser cans work well for stoves if you can bring yourself
to drink it.

Tin Man
www.antigravitygear.com


On 17 Sep 2002 at 23:19, ArgentandSable@aol.com wrote:

>     As a weekend project, my wife and I built a couple of camping
>     stoves made
> from soda cans. We played around with a couple of designs. Although
> they seemed to do well on my porch burning alcohol, I just don't know
> what to think of them. They're light and easy to make, but give up my
> ol' Whisperlite? That's asking a lot of me.
>     Any of you guys use a soda can stove on a long term backpacking
>     trip? If
> so, what were your boiling times and how much alcohol fuel did you
> carry? Encounter any problems?
>                                    Dude, Pass The Gorp
>                                    Jabberwocky
> _______________________________________________
> From the AT-L mailing list         est. 1995
> Need help?  http://www.at-l.org
> Archives: http://www.backcountry.net/arch/at/
> Change your options or unsubscribe:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/at-l
>
> Stay on topic!