Has anyone tried gasoline as a fuel? I am thinking that a situation may arise when a little stove like this needs to be used such as being stranded in the desert or snowstorm when no alcohol fuel is available. Or would it just flare up and produce too much soot?
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Pepsi Can Stove
- Thread starter Brian Andrews
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I have tried gasoline and a few other things. Alcohol is the only one that doesn't make a nasty mess. Alcohol is a nice clean fuel tha won't stink up everything when you inevitably spill it in your pack.
The type of stove shown in the OP is nice for simplicity of operation, but the type shown by mrpink is the most efficient. The absolute best alcohol stove that I have made is the penny stove made from Heiniken cans. here is a link: http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/penny.html
The type of stove shown in the OP is nice for simplicity of operation, but the type shown by mrpink is the most efficient. The absolute best alcohol stove that I have made is the penny stove made from Heiniken cans. here is a link: http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/penny.html
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Neat thing about those little alcohol stoves (beer-can, Trangia, Svea, or whatever--but ESPECIALLY the beer-can ones) is that they're small enough that you can carry two--or three--etc. If you have two, you can have the second one filled and ready to go when the first burns out, and you can keep fire going indefinitely. Also, given the minuscule weight and the flimsiness of the beer-can kind, it might not be a bad idea to carry two just for a backup.
Our home air conditioner is old and inefficient, and in the summers we like to avoid generating a lot of kitchen heat when we don't have to. So I have begun cooking outdoors, including using stoves, more and more. The kids enjoy this very much!
Our home air conditioner is old and inefficient, and in the summers we like to avoid generating a lot of kitchen heat when we don't have to. So I have begun cooking outdoors, including using stoves, more and more. The kids enjoy this very much!
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I stopped making the pepsi can stoves a while ago. I make one of my own design out of the 16oz budweiser aluminum bottles, they are much, much stronger. It also requires no pot stand. I'll try and grab some pics this weekend. My best boil time using 16ozs water and Heet for fuel was just over 5 minutes.
There are a gazzillion variations at zenstoves.com.
There are a gazzillion variations at zenstoves.com.
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- Jun 8, 2005
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If you could post pictures I'd love to see them
go for a minibulldesign stove if you wanna go the premade way otherwise go for a closed face stove for better effeiecncy http://www.minibulldesign.com/fs2.htm
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I've been using one for about 3 years with perfect function. Because of the 'jets' poked into them, they still generate a fair amount of heat even when operating above the timberline. They do work best with a windscreen.
I used to use HEET bought from auto stores but it generates too much soot, I now use denatured alcohol from paint stores.
I used to use HEET bought from auto stores but it generates too much soot, I now use denatured alcohol from paint stores.
You can also try a "Supercat" stove. It uses a small pet food can and is simpler than a Pepsi stove, having only one part. It took me a few tries to get it right; I made the holes too low on my first one, and it didn't hold enough fuel. My second one turned out much better.
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I agree about this one. Using Heiniken cans are great as they are sturdy and you just cut along the rings. I made my first one in about 40 mins. Get a piece of sandpaper and a pair of fine scissors to clean up the edges. This stove works very well and the website is clear and very helpful!!
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trentu,
perhaps it is actually lit but you cannot see the flames? That happens with alcohol flames sometimes, especially if you are in bright sunlight.
I had the same problem and almost set myself on fire trying to pour more alcohol into a lit stove.
I changed my fuel to denatured alcohol from hardware store paint section and now i get nice blue fames.
perhaps it is actually lit but you cannot see the flames? That happens with alcohol flames sometimes, especially if you are in bright sunlight.
I had the same problem and almost set myself on fire trying to pour more alcohol into a lit stove.
I changed my fuel to denatured alcohol from hardware store paint section and now i get nice blue fames.
The cat can stoves actually burn hotter (or rather faster) and will boil water a bit quicker. With that said, the "pepsi-can" stoves are my favorite. They're small, light, and have the nicest flame output (aesthecially - I know it's irrelevant, but I like it!) :thumbup:
I did a test for a thread in another forum. THe question was: "What do you use for a base under an alcohol stove? Does there need to be a non-flammable, heat-resistant substrate?"
My tests were that nothing needs to be used. You can actually burn the stove in the palm of your hand right down until it goes out. Of course, this would be a silly thing to do - the slightest error could leave your hand or arm afire, causing a fire when you dropped the can - but I say only to illustrate how the acohol and manner of burn leaves the bottom of the can unaffected.
Here are two pics of the stove burning on a blue shop towel. No heat is transferred to the towel.
I did a test for a thread in another forum. THe question was: "What do you use for a base under an alcohol stove? Does there need to be a non-flammable, heat-resistant substrate?"
My tests were that nothing needs to be used. You can actually burn the stove in the palm of your hand right down until it goes out. Of course, this would be a silly thing to do - the slightest error could leave your hand or arm afire, causing a fire when you dropped the can - but I say only to illustrate how the acohol and manner of burn leaves the bottom of the can unaffected.
Here are two pics of the stove burning on a blue shop towel. No heat is transferred to the towel.
This is how I pre-heat: If you can, set a small, low-rimmed, metal dish under your stove. Pour in just a dab of alcohol - enough to over the bottom. Then set your loaded but unlit stove on top. Light the fuel in the lower tray. As it burns, it will pre-heat the stove and fuel, and will usually light the stove for you, too. The stove and fuel gets hot and the fuel turns to vapors which begin escaping through the holes around the rim. The flames from the tray below will usually light these.
OK, help me out please.
I had a go at this today and only partly succeeded. I made the stove fine, ignites fine, metho (methylated spirits) boils after about 10 seconds and the jets ignite. Problem is when I then place a pot on it, it goes out after a couple of seconds. I've looked at a few videos on youtube and this is no different than what many are doing. Any ideas on what the problem might be?
The only difference I can see is that most people are using alcohol but rubbing alcohol isn't readily available here that's more than 70% whereas the metho I'm using is 98% ethanol which is basically the same thing (right?) so should be fine IMO.
I had a go at this today and only partly succeeded. I made the stove fine, ignites fine, metho (methylated spirits) boils after about 10 seconds and the jets ignite. Problem is when I then place a pot on it, it goes out after a couple of seconds. I've looked at a few videos on youtube and this is no different than what many are doing. Any ideas on what the problem might be?
The only difference I can see is that most people are using alcohol but rubbing alcohol isn't readily available here that's more than 70% whereas the metho I'm using is 98% ethanol which is basically the same thing (right?) so should be fine IMO.
Just finished my pepsi can (actually RC and Coke) stove.
Sanding the paint off took longer than the actually construction, lol.
Next time i'll leave the paint on or use paint stripper.
Is Isopropyl rubbing alcohol (70%) ok to use as fuel?
Or does it have to be denatured alcohol?
I've never actually noticed that Heet stuff around here, but then i never really looked for it either.
Sanding the paint off took longer than the actually construction, lol.
Next time i'll leave the paint on or use paint stripper.
Is Isopropyl rubbing alcohol (70%) ok to use as fuel?
Or does it have to be denatured alcohol?
I've never actually noticed that Heet stuff around here, but then i never really looked for it either.
isopropyl will work but the heat output ain't as good for the weight.
here's a good list of fuels:
http://zenstoves.net/Fuels.htm#Alcohol
actually looking at that site, it says the 70% may not work in some stoves. The 91% (red heet) will work better, and I've seen it in gas stations everywhere i've been.