[at-l] Alcohol Stoves

[nealb@midlandstech.com (William Neal)]

I understand that regular commercial stoves have used bottled alcohol (Jim
B, Ron Rico, etc.) in emergencies.  But I bet they had to be cleaned real
good afterwards.  Home made stoves are no where near as finicky.  They
probably could burn almost any liquid "fuel".  I would just be careful with
anything really toxic or explosive.  If in doubt, call/email the company
that made the fuel, or try a very tiny bit in a very open and safe area.  In
fact, try some of the common alcohols that you are likely to find for
burnability and burn time before you hit the trail.

And use long matches. ;-) Or a stick.  I once had to use a tiny match and
the fuel burned REAL GOOD and QUICKLY (in a chaffing dish type arrangement).
And on a fondue pot I had, I once used some wine -- it kept the fondue
bubbling for the last few minutes, but not with a strong flame.

As for availability: Rubbing alcohol and other alcohols (even the drinking
kind) can be found all along the trail.  Just remember that drinking
alcohols and others are not necessarily 200 proof (100%): The additives may
take longer to burn and increase your burn time.  Of course grain alcohol is
nearly 200 proof, and when you mix lemonade in it...  Just be careful about
drinking it.  Like when drinking shine, you're liable to see if that cloud
cover at your feet is really solid.

And you can probably find lots of cheapo alcohol in dollar stores.

William, The Hiccup Turtle
-----Original Message-----
From: Slyatpct@aol.com [mailto:Slyatpct@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, November 18, 2002 1:21 PM
To: russ_a_drake@icpmech.navy.mil; AT-L@backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [at-l] Alcohol Stoves


--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
In a message dated 11/18/2002 12:46:08 PM Eastern Standard Time,
russ_a_drake@icpmech.navy.mil writes:


> 1) Has any one used one for a LONG period of time and how do they work?


I usd one on the entire CDT and it worked fine.  Not as quick as a gas or
propane stove, but I didn't mind waiting the extra minute or two for a boil.

>
>   2)  How easy is it to get the denatured alcohol on the AT?

I use the the gasline antifreeze HEET.  It only cost about $.10, per ounce
in
a 12 ounce bottle, which is about what you pay for white gas.  It was
available in nearly every town along the trail. Also, it can legally be
mailed ground with proper labeling to hostels, outfitters, etc.

The stoves are so simple and they don't break or clog up!

Email the tincanstoveman@hotmail.com he may send you one for free!

Sly