Prepper challenges: #1 Alcohol Stove

[sideKahr]

Now I'm cooking with gas! I wasn't happy with my first attempt at making a penny alcohol stove. So I tried a few modifications.

1. Sealed the seam between the two halves with JB Weld. (I think I was losing pressure, I saw a little fuel leaking there)
2. Drilled an additional 8 jets.
3. Used a penny to cover the fill holes.

I know, that's why they call it a penny stove, but I forgot to put the penny over the holes. So I've gone from this:



To this:



I have some ideas on making a bigger one that will hold a larger pot more securely.

[Deebo]

Awesome, good job.
The possibilities are endless.
Right now, I'm tinkering with a sterno type can, with the screw on lid, from the dollar tree. Having problems with the rubber seal inside, but I'll figure it out.
Don't you just love that jet sound?

[Prepared One]

Wait a minute! Your supposed to put the alcohol in the stove? That's why mine won't work!

[GTGallop]

Anyone up for this one? Before I put that much work into it, I'd like to see a side by side with a traditional one and see if it is all that much better.

[TacticalCanuck]

I made one not long ago and I used methyl hydrate. Burns clean hot and one ounce boils 2 cups of water. They work great but are fuel hogs but they work - and I have used it outdoors and it was more reliable than my msr stove. So it went back.

[Anthonyx]

I bought a Swedish army mess kit with a stove like that.

My usual stove is a tuna can with some veg oil in the bottom and some pine needles - it outperformed the army stove.

Mr. Wetblanket

[TacticalCanuck]

Made one out of pop cans and it will roiling boil water for a few minutes before going out! 2 cups or 500ml.

[1skrewsloose]

Made one out of pop cans and it will roiling boil water for a few minutes before going out! 2 cups or 500ml.

Bump, good post!!

[TGus]

What types of liquid fuel can be used? Lighter fluid? kerosene? Rubbing alcohol? lamp oil? Moonshine? Drinking alcohol? Diesel? (I don't know, that's why I'm asking).

What proof of drinking alcohol must it be in order to light?

I would figure drinking alcohol would be the most common on a regular camping trip.

Alcohols

Price and availability are usually a bigger factor than energy density. 100% Isopropyl is hard to find, and expensive. The 70-90% stuff you find in the first aid aisle burns sooty. Ethanol is "the drinking alcohol", so the pure stuff is expensive, and hard to find in some places.

The 2 easiest choices are usually Denatured Alcohol and Methanol. Denatured Alcohol is an Ethanol/Methanol blend (usually 90/10) that is cheap, and available by the gallon at any hardware store. Methanol is the lowest energy density, but is relatively cheap and widely available. Almost every gas station sells it as "Gas Line Antifreeze", in the yellow HEET brand bottle.

Methanol is the best. HEET in the yellow bottle can be found anywhere and burns hot and clean.

Denatured Alcohol is second best. It burns almost as hot and not as clean, but is a bit cheaper. It can be a bit harder to find.

Stay away from Isopropyl unless is is your only option. It may be cheap, but is not as hot, and leaves a ton of soot.

[Coastie dad]

Oh thank God! Been waiting for your insightful thoughts for almost 3 years...