Ok I followed this video when I made my stoves ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcrW27Leo4w ) and I love the stove except for 1 thing, you have to sit what you are cooking directly on the stove or the large hole in the center will burn fuel like there is no tomorrow. Do anyone have a sugestion to fix this? I have thought about using a metal lid from a jar if I can find one the correct size. Do people think this will work, and has anyone else made and used this stove with the exception of Russel?

You could build a pressurized stove

do you mean the one with the copper tube in a coil above the can which holds the fuel?

do you mean the one with the copper tube in a coil above the can which holds the fuel?

Probably not. I think big muddy is referring to stoves like those in an old picture of mine, top row.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1201989241059664855LIKyMw

Let me add that I prefer stoves which require no pot support since the pot support is extra weight, and the windscreen needs to be taller when using a pot support - more weight.

I don't know you if you watched the vid, but my stove is made from an aluminum beer bottle. I cut it into 3 pieces, the bottom piece is about 4 inches and the top piece is the same size. you simply insert the top into the bottom top side down, drill holes aroun the top about 1/2 an inch down and JB weld it together. I use a fiberglass wick to prime it just like the video on 3 of mine, but I have made metal trays that I welded to the bottom as primers on 2. I currently use a folded up piece of aluminum foil as a wind screen. I like the stove a lot, but if I had the abillity to set my pot higher off the flame without having the center cone consume all the fuel I would really like it more. I have thought about just taking a piece of aluminum flashing and cutting it into a circle then weld it to the top and drill a 1/4 inch hole in it to pour my fuel in. Then I could do like every1 does with the can stoves and cover the hole with a penny. I just wanted to see what other people thought. I also thought about just putting a lid from a jar on the top when in use. Again I was hoping for some input

I'm assuming that you want to lift the pot off of the stove so that you can achieve a simmer? If so, you can use a tealight candle holder and rig a pot stand for it. Bring your water to a boil with the beer bottle stove, then transfer it to the tealight holder stove for simmering. A tealight candle holder will burn for about 6 min or so when filled. I still try to think of a way to simmer with my Supercat but have given in to the probability that using a pot cozy to "simmer" is the way to go.

I use a pot cozy as well (not a very pretty one though lol) I think I can cram a little more efficiency and a stabler base for my pot if I can use the stove without having to rest my pot on something with a diameter the size of a beer bottle. that is why I want to seal the top

That makes sense. Sometimes I think the Supercat is a little small for my 1.3 liter pot. I'm just very careful to keep the stove in the middle. My Coke can stove (in the link above) was my favorite low pressure stove and the cat food can was my second favorite. Neither was held together with anything more than the pressure needed to fit one can bottom into the other. They both required priming and a pot stand (shown, cut out of a coffee can).

This thing primes itself and will sit right on a flat surface, if nothing else I will make a square frame with legs as tall as the stove, that folds up so the pot is more stable, but it would be great to build it perfect. Oh btw as for making it simmer that is a pretty easy fix, you take another can the same size slide it over the original (easier said than done u need to stretch it first) with larger holes in all the same places as your stove, add a handle (although I added a loup ad use my stove handle) you can turn the outer can as the larger hole beging to close over the holes in the stove the flame will decrease, some will even go out leaving you half the flame as b4.

I think you're barkin up the wrong tree. Most of that type of bottle stove are meant to set the pot right on top. It burning like that is a "feature" not a bug. The center hole should be covered by your pot. Rather than trying to modify that design to do what you want, why not try a design that does what you want. I'm not really sure what you want actually, just for your stove not to do what it's supposed to do. ?

If sitting on top of the stove is the most efficient way for the stove to work, then I will build a folding frame to make my pot more stable, but I have already tried a few modifications that I feel made my stove better in some ways and worse in others. During testing, I put a jar lid over my stove and raised my pot a half an inch, the thought behind this was, if it were better to have the pot resting on the burner then why do all manufactured stoves, from camping to my gas kitchen stove have a distance of 1 inch from burner hole to pot half of which is a gap between burner and pot. When I did this the flames from the stove covered the entire bottom of my pot, instead of the outer inch. and little to no flame was seen burning in the air around my pot. I doubt the difference it fuel difference would be great, but over a few weeks of use those savings may be the difference between having fuel and not. The biggest part though for me is stability, although I have never had a pot fall off, it looks so precarious that every time I cook, all I can think about is the pot falling off. I would like to alleviate this worry and perhaps gain some efficiency if I can.

Alcohol is a slow burning fuel unless preheated to a fairly hot temperature. That's why it takes so long for most alcohol stoves to heat up without preheating. The alcohol vapor leaving the large opening in your stove isn't hot enough or mixed with enough air to combust quickly and so does not really "catch" until it has rounded the corners of the bottom of your pot. I've noticed this with most of my alcohol stoves. Slowing the escape of the alcohol vapor means that there is less alcohol vapor to air mixture so it actually burns cleaner and hotter than it does in heavier concentrations. That's why a large open topped alcy burner is not terribly efficient and why there is so much experimentation with alcohol burners (materials, jet design, size and number, etc). The original UL hiker's alcohol stove (a tuna can full of alcohol) was not very efficient at all.

Unfortunately the alcohol in the center is boiling and if left un covered by something at least a pot an ounce of fuel will burn up in under 3 minutes. more than 2 times faster than when covered

Have you tried making a traditional "soda can" stove yet? If not, try it. They are fairly efficient but require a pot stand about 2" above the height of the stove to work well. Since they are fairly short (make it as short as you like, only the alcohol capacity is affected) it isn't a huge problem. Again, look at my link above. Unfortunately, I don't have a soda or "pop" can stove in the picture, but the pot support (coffee can with top and bottom removed) is there. You can Google "Pepsi stove, Coke stove, Soda can stove, etc. and see lots of different designs. Another benefit of this type of stove is that you can take a third can and cut it so that it covers half of the holes in the stove (or more) and actually simmer with it. Aluminum muffin tin liners can also be used at a considerable weight savings (I got this idea from Brawny (Carol Wellman)'s Dancing Light Gear and Crafts website (now shut down). You may be able to Google a pic or two from the website if they still exist.
Best of luck. Have fun with your experiment.

Here:
http://www.trailquest.net/simring.html
I saved you some footwork (fingerwork :p).

I think you're barkin up the wrong tree. Most of that type of bottle stove are meant to set the pot right on top. It burning like that is a "feature" not a bug. The center hole should be covered by your pot. Rather than trying to modify that design to do what you want, why not try a design that does what you want. I'm not really sure what you want actually, just for your stove not to do what it's supposed to do. ?

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner.

Exactly right. It's ineffecient to make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

Forget I asked obviously people are more interested in attacking others than attempting to help improve a design.

Have you tried making a traditional "soda can" stove yet? If not, try it. They are fairly efficient but require a pot stand about 2" above the height of the stove to work well. Since they are fairly short (make it as short as you like, only the alcohol capacity is affected) it isn't a huge problem. Again, look at my link above. Unfortunately, I don't have a soda or "pop" can stove in the picture, but the pot support (coffee can with top and bottom removed) is there. You can Google "Pepsi stove, Coke stove, Soda can stove, etc. and see lots of different designs. Another benefit of this type of stove is that you can take a third can and cut it so that it covers half of the holes in the stove (or more) and actually simmer with it. Aluminum muffin tin liners can also be used at a considerable weight savings (I got this idea from Brawny (Carol Wellman)'s Dancing Light Gear and Crafts website (now shut down). You may be able to Google a pic or two from the website if they still exist.
Best of luck. Have fun with your experiment.Yes I have bult a number of different stoves all of which I liked for different reasons, now I am building a better stove than any of the alcohol stoves currently used or built by anyone I have seen yet. I thought the inside of others might help but I was wrong. Obviously I am unable to convey to others the design attributes that I am looking for.

No attack here, chieftan. Just suggesting that maybe a different sort of design might be a better place to start for what seem to be your goals of efficiency and stability. it seems that a lot of other people are suggesting that too, mostly because what you have made does what it's intended to do very well, but is not so hot (haha) for what you're asking it to do. Sort of like asking a pickup truck to corner like a lotus, or alternately asking the lotus to haul a load of mulch. No one's making a value judgement on what you're trying to do, just at a loss for good suggestions.

If you're looking for stability, you'll want to use a stand. Anything with an integrated pot stand will be light, but not super stable. Many bottle stoves with integrated pot stands require that the center hole be covered for them to pressurize and work properly, it's just the nature of the beast. Bottle stoves aim to be bulletproof, light and simple. That they are, but they're not particularly stable or efficient. It's not a fault, just a different design for different priorities. There's dozens of different types of stoves, if you run out of ideas for one type, try another and see if it gives you any inspiration.


Check out zenstoves.net They go through many different designs of alcohol stoves, giving a fair treatment to the strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps it will give you the inspiration that we haven't been able to.

Lastly, try not to bristle so easily, it's just the internet.

Yes I have bult a number of different stoves all of which I liked for different reasons, now I am building a better stove than any of the alcohol stoves currently used or built by anyone I have seen yet. I thought the inside of others might help but I was wrong. Obviously I am unable to convey to others the design attributes that I am looking for.

Perhaps if you could list your design priorities, we might be able to help. I'm still trying to get a handle on what you're trying to do. I've got more stable and more efficient so far, anything else?


What if you used two bottle bottoms instead of the top and the bottom? That would close the hole in the top, but would necessitate filling through the side hole, doable with a squirt top on your fuel bottle. Then you would be able to use a stand, but in trade you gain weight because of the stand and extra aluminum. You could make it shorter though to get that back, because part of the reason bottle stoves are tall is so they give enough lift to the pot to give enough clearance to make the flames efficient.

Of course, what you end up with is a different thing, more like a can stove than the bottle stove you want.

Thanks Krabs, in 24 hours my next stove will be ready, I will let you know how it does. I am not sure how many different designs I have tried so far, and I have liked them all for different reasons, but now I am making one that does everything I want. The biggest obsticle I was having was a way to plug the huge hole in the bottle stove, but after getting frustrated at the posts lol I caught a glance at one of the rockets I had designed and it hit me to use a nozzle. It should work wonders. As for the stabillity I am using the tried and true method so many others have used with an auminum cylinder ported at the bottom to allow air intake but block wind. Affixing a couple of rods to the inside for the stove to rest on should be no problem after that. I will lit you know after testing how it performs, and compare fuel consumption to other stoves. Only thing I don't like is that the nozzle is steel adding unwanted weight.

Forget I asked obviously people are more interested in attacking others than attempting to help improve a design.

[Sigh]

OK if you insist, here's my suggestion.

Cut a piece of plumber's cloth (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=11900&catid=favorites) 2 1/2" diameter and cover the top with that.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/6/7/7/9/LightnGostove021_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=11900&c=favorites)

Hope this helps.

Nice site Krabs at first I thought I had built every stove they had on the page, but one of the side jet can stoves who ever built it had used a threaded rivet to seal the stove. if the current design does not meet expectations i will weld a washer to the instide of the stove and then use a threaded rivet. I will have to use an eye dropper to fill it then, but I use one now to saturate the wick.

Yes I have bult a number of different stoves all of which I liked for different reasons, now I am building a better stove than any of the alcohol stoves currently used or built by anyone I have seen yet.


See, "Brainstorming" does wonders.

We look forward to your improved model. this is exciting!!!!! DIY stoves are what keeps us going:)

Innitial testing is done and the results are awesome!!!!!!
Stock alcohol stove made from aluminum beer bottles
15 ml alcohol (half ounce)
burn time 1:35 uncovered no pot

Modified alcohol stove made from aluminum beer bottles
15 ml alcohol
Burn time 2:02

Boil test
2 cups of water
stock stove pot on top of stove
First bubbles 4:08
Rolling boil 6:18

Modified Stove

Pot on stand 1/4 inch above stove
bubbles 2:01
rolling boil 4:33

I used a large washer with a small hole about 1/4 inch, dropped the washer in the stove and it rested about half way down. I then welded it into place with jb weld.
Initially I had planned on putting a plug in the small hole while the stove is in use, and may still do tests with a plug in it, but after initial test I believe the 1/4 hole left open is the best bet.
If anyone would like pics I would be happy to take some, and if you have any questions or ideas that may improve the design more, please more the better.

How much alcohol did you use for the boil test?

I put 2 ounces in each, just to make sure neither ran out b4 the test was over and they both still have plenty of fuel in them, so I can not be sure how much each used.

I had thought of emptying both and measuring the fuel left, but there is an unexpected bonus to the modified stove, the fuel stays in even when the stove is turned over

I should mention that on the negative side, the modified stove retains heat much longer, where the stock stove is cool and ready to pack 2 minutes after use, the modified stove takes 10. This may be fixed with an aluminum washer instead of steel but I am not sure. Also the steel washer adds almost 2 grams of weight.

I forgot to note another observation, the modified stove even though it was burning the same fuel, produced flames with some yellow in them, while the stock stove had pure blue flames. ANyone have any ideas what would cause this?

Here are a couple of pics the stove on the right is the modified stove the stove on the left is stock
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k287/phoenixdadeadhead/007-5.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k287/phoenixdadeadhead/003-6.jpg