Help with Penny Stoves!!!

batosai117

batosai117

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I am making 2 penny stoves, and I am wondering what the heck is the penny for? I know where it goes, but what does it do? I am making the ones out of two cans just so ya'll know.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks ahead of time, J.
 
Hello

Bato..

After filling,, you drop the penny over the fill holes,, then give it a splash ontop..

The penny holds the preheat fluid onto...

you can use it or not..

I usually have the stove sitting on a metal lid of some type, splash a little into the lid and light it up... This will heat the stove up to let the alcohol pressurize in the stove..

Hope that helps

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Made one and had a flare up. That was enough for me not to use it anymore. Make sure you smack the penny to get a good seal before using.
 
The penny is supposed to seal it and raise the pressure so the flame comes out of the holes like little jets. On the site zen stoves they show variations of it some use the sctual pot to seal of the hole, some use a rivet and etc...
 
nick-nack said:
The penny is supposed to seal it and raise the pressure so the flame comes out of the holes like little jets. On the site zen stoves they show variations of it some use the sctual pot to seal of the hole, some use a rivet and etc...
Click to expand...

Wow, that explains a lot. I guess I should have made a bigger hole and just stuck a small nail in there for a plug. At least now I know what to do for the next stove. I finished the first one, not as neat as the ones on youtube, but I'm sure it will work. I'm planning on getting the fluid tomorrow so hopefully I won't burn down the house. Thanks everybody, J.
 
I think a coin would probably work better than a nail for the plug/regulator.

I made a couple of these stoves, and I reckon they are pretty darn good. I didn't have to hit the coin to make a good seal.

The biggest problem I've had is getting the stove hot enough to light. But once it is going, it works well.

AlcoholStove.jpg
 
i did have to do some sanding to get a good seal. some heineken keg cans have raised numbering on the bottom.
 
I didnt make the penny stove because it requires priming and sealing and the fueling seemed complicated to me. So i sacrificed the faster boiling times for ease of use and construction for this kind -

IMG_2986.jpg



These were heaps fun to make and the instructions from zen stoves were great - they even had templates for evenly punching the holes and for the inner wall. I removed all the paint because it looks cooler.
THe little one in the picture is made from the small V cans which are narrower, it holds significantly less fuel so is better suited for warming a meal or just playing and showing off.

These work great because the priming is done all by itself without the need for a dish, but the bigger ones needs to be quite full for it to be able to boil 500ml of water for Ramen in one go. The most annoying thing is punching the 24 holes with a thumb tack. I even made a pot stand out of a tin can.
 
Nick-Nack, this is one of the designs I have been working with too. The deal with the penny stove is that it is pressurized. But these are too after you set a pot on top. And they eleminate the need for a pot stand. As for priming the other sealed cans, I used JB Weld to attach a small paint can lid to the bottom of my Kiwi stove as a priming plate. That works well too. Oh, and I used a quilting pin (with a "T" head) to poke holes in all of these. It worked better than a poster tack for me.

Codger :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
The ones nick-nack posted will pressurize themselves w/out any gizmos. The fuel covers the holes between the middle chamber and the outer wall chamber. You light the fuel in the middle, and it preheats the entire can. The fuel in the wall chamber vaporizes, and due to the fuel covering the hole to the center, is forced out the jets. You can watch it do it's thing as it warms up. The jets slowly start popping, then light off. Mine is similiar, but I don't get all the yellow flame. I'm not really sure why.

If you have a sewing machine needle around, hold it w/ pliers and tap it w/ a very small hammer. It makes a nice neat hole.

 
Oh... mine has the yellow flame because it was VERY windy that night, and I was taking those pics to show a friend that a pot stand/ windscreen is quite the necessity in windy weather. I boiled 500ml with that one on the same night and it took 20mins. But in normal conditions it took 10 mins.

BTW what kind of fuel are you guys using, Im using methlyated spirits and was wondering what burns hotter.
 
I made one using a pop rivet to plug the hole. I added a wind screen made out of aluminum flashing. It had pretty decent boil times. Make sure to keep this insulated from cold ground. That will suck the heat out of it and keep the fuel from pressurizing properly.
 
I made a lot last year, and used a set of micro drill bits from Harbor Freight. I made some VERY small holes and it is amazing how that makes a difference. I also slapped some together and stabbed holes in with a thumbtack and they worked plenty good. I did penny models, and even 2 rivet setups, as well as a screw on a spring to seal. All in all, you can boil water or cook just fine on all of them, some are just better than others.
Also, bean dip cans make great primer pans. Just score about 1/4" from the bottom, clean up the edge and you're done. a small splash of fuel and it'll get that dude "gennin" in no time.

Drill bit link:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34640
 
Thanks a lot for all of the replies, I finally signed on and I can't wait to finally put some fuel in the things. I'll be sure to check out all of the links, thanks again, J.
 
I have made lots of these stoves and lots of designs, IMHO the model that Nick Nack showed with fiberglass insulation between the walls is my favorite. It is the easiest to get to work right and IMO works the best. I make the holes with a canvas needle held with vice grips and tapped with a small hammer, makes very precise, small holes. I use a trangia now, I like the durability and I like being able to carry the stove full of fuel and snuff it when I am through cooking. Chris
 
I made one of these Coke can stoves last week and hadn't tried it yet. After reading this thread, I put the little sucker in the kitchen sink and flame on!
I must have made the center strip too tall, cause the flame never came out the holes I punched. Oh, I didn't have any alcohol, so I used a little baby oil and a piece of paper for a wick, burned well enough, but when I put a cup on top, snuffed out the darn thing. Back to the drawing board! Advice?
 
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