View Full Version : Alcohol Stove Spillage
johnnyjohnson2043
02-22-2014, 16:24
I know one of the main complaints people have about alcohol stoves is that they are easy to spill and I know that there are a lot of easy fixes for this but I figured I would add another to the list. It's also highly possible that someone has already thought of this one. Anyway, here goes. I've been using alcohol soaked cotton rounds that you can buy in the makeup section of any store. They fit almost perfectly in the bottom of my cat food can stove and, in my own experience, seem to burn a little longer than straight alcohol. Of course this won't work for all alcohol stoves but it's been working great for mine! The only problem I have is that they tend to leave a small amount of residue at the bottom of the stove and sometimes the cotton doesn't burn completely away leaving a small swatch of the pad at the bottom of the stove. Has anyone else tried this?
GrandCanyonWildflowr
02-22-2014, 21:16
Great idea! We put fiberglass insulation covered by screen.
Sent from my SCH-S738C using Tapatalk
It is a good idea. I like how it converts a stove to a new type. The idea behind it reminds me of Zelph's Starlyte stove. His evolution of it is on WB somewhere.
Wise Old Owl
02-22-2014, 21:44
I know one of the main complaints people have about alcohol stoves is that they are easy to spill and I know that there are a lot of easy fixes for this but I figured I would add another to the list. It's also highly possible that someone has already thought of this one. Anyway, here goes. I've been using alcohol soaked cotton rounds that you can buy in the makeup section of any store. They fit almost perfectly in the bottom of my cat food can stove and, in my own experience, seem to burn a little longer than straight alcohol. Of course this won't work for all alcohol stoves but it's been working great for mine! The only problem I have is that they tend to leave a small amount of residue at the bottom of the stove and sometimes the cotton doesn't burn completely away leaving a small swatch of the pad at the bottom of the stove. Has anyone else tried this?
The cotton acts as a wick... shortly.. the residue can clog the intake.
It is a good idea. I like how it converts a stove to a new type. The idea behind it reminds me of Zelph's Starlyte stove. His evolution of it is on WB somewhere.
Zelph's stove has vertical fiberglass to wick - not like cotton balls at all. I don't get the comparison.
I actually recommend Zelph's Starlyte!
Odd Man Out
02-23-2014, 00:03
I actually recommend Zelph's Starlyte!
I've switched to the Starlyte. You can pour in 45+ mL of fuel, immediately tip it upside down (even shake it). Not a drip comes out. It has a tight fitting lid so you can leave extra fuel in the stove for next day. No need to measure or guess how much fuel you may need.
johnnyjohnson2043
02-23-2014, 13:04
I'm sure that Zelph's Starlyte. I haven't tried it and I'm sure there is no comparison. As I said before, this method is not for every type of stove. It does work well for my very simple cat food can stove, though, which has the burner holes on the top like in the picture below. It's a very simple design it has worked well for me so far and I have the cat food cans already. The residue will not block the intake because it is on the bottom of the stove below the holes. The stove is also easily cleaned so the residue really isn't an issue.
26061
johnnyjohnson2043
02-23-2014, 13:06
I'm sure that Zelph's Starlyte. I haven't tried it and I'm sure there is no comparison. As I said before, this method is not for every type of stove. It does work well for my very simple cat food can stove, though, which has the burner holes on the top like in the picture below. It's a very simple design it has worked well for me so far and I have the cat food cans already. The residue will not block the intake because it is on the bottom of the stove below the holes. The stove is also easily cleaned so the residue really isn't an issue.
26061
Oops, that was supposed to read "I'm sure that Zelph's Starlyte is great..."
kayak karl
02-23-2014, 13:26
I've been using alcohol soaked cotton rounds that you can buy in the makeup section of any store. what type of alcohol are they in?
johnnyjohnson2043
02-23-2014, 13:36
what type of alcohol are they in?
I buy them dry and add denatured alcohol myself. They usually come in bags of 200 or so.
johnnyjohnson2043
02-23-2014, 13:38
Here's a link to what I'm talking about. I guess it's only a pack of 80 here but I've found them in larger quantities elsewhere.
http://www.cvs.com/shop/product-detail/CVS-Cotton-Rounds-100-Cotton?skuId=757609
The cotton acts as a wick... shortly.. the residue can clog the intake.
Zelph's stove has vertical fiberglass to wick - not like cotton balls at all. I don't get the comparison.
I actually recommend Zelph's Starlyte!
The only comparison I was making was the no-spill aspect. I have a few starlytes, including an original with the fiberglass mesh, before he switched to the stainless mesh. It is a fantastic stove! Just dropping it into an empty cat food can makes it simmer.