Snow Day Hike

[Guyon]

Not meaning to hyjack your thread and ill prolly be laughed at but im really interested in making a stove like that. What kind of alchohol does it burn. Basically id like to know a name brand and where to buy it so i dont end up blowing myself up. Thanks a bunch

Mike

Denatured alcohol. Found at any hardware store, Walmart, paint store. Name brand doesn't matter so much as the type.

Really detailed construction instructions can be found in this great article by Jim Wood: http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/index.html

Edited:

To add, that article contains lots of discussion of fuel types. And contrary to what I just posted, the author does seem to prefer one brand. He writes:

Many experienced alcohol stove users prefer denatured alcohol blends that contain as much ethanol as possible, since it has a higher energy content than methanol and is also less toxic.

On the other hand, the boiling point of methanol is lower than ethanol which means that it will vaporize more easily in cold weather (but still not as well as Coleman fuel). The brand of denatured alcohol I've used the most is SLX from WM Barr, which contains roughly 50% ethanol and 50% methanol.

Also, the stove shown in my pics has what the article calls a "Second Generation" stand. Instructions for it are found here:
http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/Stand2/index.html

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[veubent]

Thanks a bunch man, Im going to make one hopefully on sunday. Thanks again for the info and ill try and post pics.

Mike

 

[markhait]

Hey veubent.....just go to Home Depot or Lowes and get it. They sell it in the paint department. It is denatured alcohol and they sell it by the gallon or quart.
Just watch out though!!! The flame is almost invisible!!!! Put your hand high above your stove and feel for heat to know if its lit.
The Cat Stove is great because the fumes aren't captured in a enclosed stove like some of the others. In those stoves, you can blow them up by waiting too long to light them.
Thats happened to me once....only once!

 

[Guyon]

markhait, I've found that with the Super Cat, it's best if you "prime" the stove with a short burn before you put anything on top. If I just light the fuel and then put my pot on the stove, there's not enough heat/pressure to push the flame out the sides, and the flame is snuffed out. With about a 15-20 second burn, however, everything works great.

Is this your experience too, or do I need to think about a redesign on my jet holes?

 

[markhait]

Guyon....that is correct. What needs to happen is that the fuel (alcohol) needs to be hot enough to start boiling so that it can turn into a gas. This is why alcohol stoves aren't too good in the cold. They need to be hot enough to boil and the cold (snow) really zaps them.
Thats why you'll see so many alcohol stoves sitting on some sort of base.
If you watched my video, I mention that I have a "false" bottom on my stove. This "false" bottom creates a air gap to insulate the bottom of the stove from my wick. Helps with the cold weather.
Pressurized stoves, Super Cat, and others like it boil water pretty fast. When you intruduce a wick, they seem to boil slower and you need some sort of pot stand.
The trade off is that they work much better in the cold.

Guess you can't have your cake and eat it too .