View Full Version : NuB question: Color of alcohol flame?
pgustaf249
08-16-2010, 16:38
I just made a penny stove from a couple of aluminum cans. The flames have orange tips. I think they're supposed to be blue all up and down. What adjustments need to made, or what do I need to do differently on the next attempt to build? Feel free to correct my understanding of the flame color if necessary.
Skidsteer
08-16-2010, 17:06
I just made a penny stove from a couple of aluminum cans. The flames have orange tips. I think they're supposed to be blue all up and down. What adjustments need to made, or what do I need to do differently on the next attempt to build? Feel free to correct my understanding of the flame color if necessary.
Was there a pot on the stove when you observed the orange flame tips?
pgustaf249
08-16-2010, 17:10
Was there a pot on the stove when you observed the orange flame tips?
No pot. Just the stove.
couscous
08-16-2010, 17:17
Could be some slight contamination in the stove which may clear up with use. All the stove needs to do is provide heat, so it sounds like you were successful.
Skidsteer
08-16-2010, 17:18
No pot. Just the stove.
Don't worry about it.
HooKooDooKu
08-26-2010, 16:23
It might mean that your holes are too large.
When I researched the alcohol stove, I seem to recall that the "best" design uses VERY tiny holes. I think the smaller holes results in a more complete and hotter burn of the alcohol vapor.
When I say tiny, I really mean tiny. The only way I could get holes as small as I wanted, I had to take a needle, file the tip even smaller, hold it with a pair of plyers, and make sure I didn't poke the needle too far into the can (the needle was so fine, I usually broke more than one trying to get all the holes poked in the can).
pgustaf249
09-07-2010, 10:19
Thanks for the input folks. I'm going to try the smaller hole size.
One thing I've wondered about is the fiberglass I placed (and other folks place) inside the stove. When I retrieved it from my attic I just took some off the top. I wonder if I had dug down a few inches to retrieve it, would it have been a little cleaner (less dust) and therefore result in a more blue flame.