View Full Version : NuB makes his first penny stove
pgustaf249
09-01-2010, 15:21
OK guys, this neophyte has made his first penny stove. It doesn't have the best flame color, but at least it works. I've boiled a pot of water by placing the stove on the lower rack and the pot on the upper rack on my propane grill. I bent a coat hanger into what I thought would work as a way to suspend the pot above the flame, but as soon as the flame hit the wire, it fell apart.
I would appreciate instructions on how to build a pot stand.
BTW, I made the style of stove where the holes are on the top instead of on the side, so if the pot sits directly on the stove it puts the flame out.
M1 Thumb
09-01-2010, 15:29
I would incorporate your pot stand into your windscreen. Make your windscreen (just slightly larger than your pot) and about an inch down punch holes (try 4 to start with) so you can slide two metal rods (one for each pair of holes), parallel to each other. Your pot will sit on the parallel rods.
Make sure you cut breathing holes at the bottom of your windscreen on one side (180 degrees). These will face leeward of the wind.
The Cleaner
09-01-2010, 15:44
Why don't you just buy a real backpacker stove?I guess you must be a warm weather hiker because if you go out in cold weather and then your POS stove craps out then you can't heat water for a hot drink.If you're worried about money you should stay at home and play on the web.I've been out in temps of -20 and would never leave home without a bunch of gear which probably saved my life....
pgustaf249
09-01-2010, 16:49
Why don't you just buy a real backpacker stove?I guess you must be a warm weather hiker because if you go out in cold weather and then your POS stove craps out then you can't heat water for a hot drink.If you're worried about money you should stay at home and play on the web.I've been out in temps of -20 and would never leave home without a bunch of gear which probably saved my life....
I'll consider your advice. Thanks for the compliment.
From one neophyte to another...
http://zenstoves.net/PotStands.htm
hope that helps.....
pgustaf249
09-01-2010, 17:48
From one neophyte to another...
http://zenstoves.net/PotStands.htm
hope that helps.....
That's tremendous!. I'll surely find a good option on that page. Thanks. I knew I would eventually get help from one of the classy brothers/sisters on the forum.
Hikes in Rain
09-01-2010, 20:08
Another stove to play with is the SuperCat (http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/index.html). The first one I built worked exactly as predicted, and I still use it. No pot stand needed!
IronGutsTommy
09-01-2010, 20:47
actually, lots of people craft their own well working, amazingly lightweight stoves. Of course, as with any thread and post site, theres always a person or two that seems just itching to hurl insults and snap judgements. Just sit tight in the knowledge that if their storebought stove hits the crapper, theyll likely be more compromised than someone who took the time to craft their own, like you. good job
Why don't you just buy a real backpacker stove?I guess you must be a warm weather hiker because if you go out in cold weather and then your POS stove craps out then you can't heat water for a hot drink.If you're worried about money you should stay at home and play on the web.I've been out in temps of -20 and would never leave home without a bunch of gear which probably saved my life....
This is the kind of stuff that gets threads shut down.
I had to get that last post out of my system since I was just reading about closing down threads.
The Zenstoves site is full of good information. Before you make a stove you need to decide what kind of pot you'll be using and how you intend to use it. Then make the stove that fits your pot and style of cooking.
For me, I hike solo and cook using the freezer bag method, so I just need to heat one cup of water for a meal. I use a Snow Peak 600 ml mug as a cooking pot. This small pot needs a stove that puts out a narrow, concentrated flame so I use a stove that burns through the top, not the sides. Look at the zen stove mini chimney stove, that is similar to what I use. You can make a windscreen that also holds your pot like the one mentioned by Spiffy. I used a 4" aluminum dryer vent pipe cut down to length so it fits inside the mug. There is still plenty of room for the burner, alcohol measuring cup and lighter.
Try building a simpler stove first, the pressurized stoves can be difficult to get right. The chimney stove is so simple my 10 year old son can make one.
Farr Away
09-01-2010, 22:28
I made a cat stove from the directions on Sgt Rock's website. 4 years later, I'm still using that original stove. http://hikinghq.net/cat/cat_stove.html
I used a small cat food can and a tuna can for the stove; hardware cloth for the pot stand, and recently switched to heavy duty aluminum foil for the windscreen.
I started out using a pot from a Girl Scout cookset, and switched to Ti a couple years ago.
And yes, I've been out in cold weather, and no, I didn't have any problems with my stove. What's to go wrong? It's an extremely simple design.
I originally thought that I'd use the cat stove until I figured out what 'real' backpacker stove I wanted. Only took one trip for me to decide I really liked the one I'd made myself.
The hardware cloth works great as a pot stand.
Jonnycat
09-02-2010, 00:09
Congrats on yer stove, Gustaf. I'm still using the same stove I built in 2006 (the "Pepsi-G" stove) and it's still going strong!
For a stand, I use a section of hardware cloth; here is a picture from Sgt. Rock's site to give you an idea of how it works:
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/sgt-sodastove/AIMG00001.jpg
Way to go pgustaf249 :) !
pgustaf249
09-02-2010, 07:27
Congrats on yer stove, Gustaf. I'm still using the same stove I built in 2006 (the "Pepsi-G" stove) and it's still going strong!
For a stand, I use a section of hardware cloth; here is a picture from Sgt. Rock's site to give you an idea of how it works:
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/sgt-sodastove/AIMG00001.jpg
So what do you think about taking that hardware cloth stand, wrapping it with aluminum foil, poke some holes in the foil and have it double as a windscreen?
Skidsteer
09-02-2010, 10:15
So what do you think about taking that hardware cloth stand, wrapping it with aluminum foil, poke some holes in the foil and have it double as a windscreen?
It will choke the stove's air supply.
pgustaf249
09-02-2010, 10:18
It will choke the stove's air supply.
Did you use some wire to bind the ends of the hard cloth together?
le loupe
09-02-2010, 10:36
Why don't you just buy a real backpacker stove?I guess you must be a warm weather hiker because if you go out in cold weather and then your POS stove craps out then you can't heat water for a hot drink.If you're worried about money you should stay at home and play on the web.I've been out in temps of -20 and would never leave home without a bunch of gear which probably saved my life....
Well, you just acted like a jackass...
Farr Away
09-02-2010, 10:40
Did you use some wire to bind the ends of the hard cloth together?
The hardware cloth _is_ wire, basically. I wrapped it to itself.
Jonnycat
09-02-2010, 11:17
So what do you think about taking that hardware cloth stand, wrapping it with aluminum foil, poke some holes in the foil and have it double as a windscreen?
The problem is that the pot stand is smaller in diameter than the pot itself. The windscreen needs to be just larget than the pot, and extend down to the ground. Punch a row of holes in it about an inch from the bottom, every inch or so to provide enough oxygen for the fuel to burn completely; if the flame has an "off" smell, it needs more oxygen.
I used the over liner sheets to make my windscreen, and wrap it around my fuel bottle between campsites. When it is in use, it is held together with a couple of paperclips.
pgustaf249
09-02-2010, 12:26
The problem is that the pot stand is smaller in diameter than the pot itself. The windscreen needs to be just larget than the pot, and extend down to the ground. Punch a row of holes in it about an inch from the bottom, every inch or so to provide enough oxygen for the fuel to burn completely; if the flame has an "off" smell, it needs more oxygen.
I used the over liner sheets to make my windscreen, and wrap it around my fuel bottle between campsites. When it is in use, it is held together with a couple of paperclips.
Thanks for another bit of helpful info.
Skidsteer
09-02-2010, 14:41
Did you use some wire to bind the ends of the hard cloth together?
The hardware cloth _is_ wire, basically. I wrapped it to itself.
What Farr Away said. Basically, leave full squares intact on one end and cut the ends out on the other end. Form into a circle and wrap the wire to it's corresponding square. Needle nose pliers help make it nice and tight.