Re: [at-l] Fw: soda can stove & URL

[KEITH McLeod <McLEOD-KEITH.DOREEN@worldnet.att.net>]

Jim Mayer wrote:
> 
> At 08:50 AM 6/22/98 PDT, WHHAWKINS@aol.com wrote:
> >In a message dated 98-06-22 10:59:37 EDT, kurt@inct.net writes:
> >
> >> within one minute of ignition, stove
> >>  is burning blue flame with just a yellow tip. Water began to have bubbles
> >on
> >>  bottom of pan within 5 mins, light boil at 15 mins, rolling by 20.
> >
> >My MSR XGK will boil a guart of water in <4 mins. What you save in stove
> >weight is offset my the weight of having to carry 2-3 times more fuel.
> > <A HREF="http://www.rei.com/pfc/020050405010.html">REI Product Feature
> >Comparison for Stoves</A>
> 
> I've been using a Trangia Westwind alcohol stove for a while now, and I've
> found that I use very little fuel.  In addition, I built the same stove
> that Kurt did, and mine seemed to burn somewhat hotter than the Trangia.  I
> use the Trangia though, since I'm not convinced of the trail practicality
> of this particular home made stove design.  I'll describe what I see, and
> let others decide how the physics work (though I reserve the right to
> speculate :-))
> 
> (1) I usually stick to one hot meal per day.  This works out to boiling two
> cups of water once a day.
> 
> (2) To do that I need about one ounce of denatured alcohol in my Trangia
> Westwind stove.
> 
> My total weight for one week of "cooking" is:
> 
>         a) stove 6oz
>         b) 8oz bottle, fuel, and duct tape 9.6oz
> 
> I know that alcohol has about half the umph of gasoline... these are just
> the results I get.  My ignition to boil time is about 7 minutes for 2 cups
> of water.
> 
> So what gives?  I suspect that there are several variables in play:
> 
> (a) The heat released per unit of fuel
> (b) The rate of fuel consumption
> (c) The efficiency of combustion
> (d) The efficiency of heat exchange to the pot
> (e) The rate of heat loss from the pot
> (f) The amount of fuel used in starting the stove.
> 
> How they all play together, I haven't the foggiest.  But, for the kind of
> minimal cooking I do, my alcohol stove seems to do well.
> 
> -- Jim Mayer
> 
> P.S. Before someone asks... here are my issues with the soda can stove.
> 
> (1) there is no way to reclaim extra fuel.  The vermiculite holds fuel, so
> the stove cannot be drained easily, and there is no way to seal the top.
> 
> (2) putting out the stove once it gets going is difficult.  The obvious
> trick of laying something across the top doesn't work, since if there are
> any irregularities in the way the top of the can was cut (and there will
> be) flames just continue to rocket out the side.  I suppose a wet
> handkerchief would do the trick, though I haven't tried that.
> * From the Appalachian Trail Mailing List | For info http://www.hack.net/lists *
	For light weight the Sierra Zip Stove is hard to beat. Stove weight 15
oz. but no fuel to carry as it burns small sticks and pine cones even
wet ones although they take a little more coaching. Alittle dab of lint
from your dryer is also a great fire starter. The stove consists of a
chamber with air holes that are fed air from a small fan below run by a
AA battery. Your pots get a little dirtier but hey it adds character to
them.     
				Triathlon Grandma
* From the Appalachian Trail Mailing List | For info http://www.hack.net/lists *

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