Stoves

Colt wrote:

TrooperMax wrote:

	flashlightfreak9 wrote:
	Nice stoves, guys. Right now my Halcon stove suits me fine. I may buy a real stove someday.

Same with me, I just made a little stand and put the stove inside, it works just fine. It dosent even take that long to work

I made 5 halcons, they never worked. I guess ill start trying again when it gets warmer out.

It's all about having perfect measurements. The more to spec you make it the better it works

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

Colt wrote:

TrooperMax wrote:

	flashlightfreak9 wrote:
	Nice stoves, guys. Right now my Halcon stove suits me fine. I may buy a real stove someday.

Same with me, I just made a little stand and put the stove inside, it works just fine. It dosent even take that long to work

I made 5 halcons, they never worked. I guess ill start trying again when it gets warmer out.

It takes practice, Colt. I've made at least 20 of 'em and they still could be made better. Me and Max are like two of a kind. We both wanted it to work, so we worked hard at it.

What are your problems when you try to use them? There have been threads about this, but this is a stove thread so we're going to get to the bottom of this.

Decribe in detail what you do from the moment you start work on the can to when you use it. I'm sure between me and Max giving you tips, we can get it to work for you. Cool

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Prov. 27:17

Hey, thanks.

The problem isnt really building it, its getting the burners going. I succeded one time, but then they went out within a couple seconds. Ive made a lot of different size vent holes.

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It depends A LOT on what type of fuel you use. If anybody has gotten isopropyl(rubbing) alcohol to work, well...they're more of a man than me. Embarassed

Denatured alcohol is much better. It is easier to light and there is no water to get in the way. Rubbing alcohol is 30% water. That's why there is always waste when the stove quits. Denatured alcohol is much more flammable, but it's not as dangerous as gasoline. I feel very safe with it.

It is best to use the stove in a ventilated area but out of the wind.

Here's what you should do:

Get some denatured alcohol. Look for paint strippers in the paint department of any hardware store.

Now take the top off your stove. With the bottom, measure how much liquid it holds(I used water). Find a small container to measure with. That way you can measure the exact same amount of alcohol everytime. Go someplace out of the wind or wait for the wind to stop blowing.(don't light it inside) An open garage would be a good place. Put your stove back together, and put your measured amout of alcohol in it. Light it with a match or lighter. Wait for the burners to catch. It may take a minute. Be patient. When they catch, put your pot of water on top. It should start boiling in about 3 minutes.

Size of the burner slots does matter. Make them large and spaced out about medium, not too close, not too far apart.

Keep working at it.

Hope this helps. Smile

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Prov. 27:17

I generaly use Methanol in my alcohol stove. It produces a hotter temp and little to no soot. On the down side it is poisonous.

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SURVIVAL..........it's all in your head

Denatured alcohol produces minimal soot, and well...it won't kill you, but it's still toxic. Surprised

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Prov. 27:17

Great tips flashlight is very correct.

When i first did this I used 70% isopropyl alcohol and I really had a hard time keeping the flame going. I switched to the 99% and keeping it going was no longer a problem for me. Now the burners are a little tricky but once you get them once you should have no problem. They wont start right away, thats for sure. You also need to play around with how much liquid you use (as flash said). The holes on the sides (inside) cannt be completly coverd or the fumes have no way of burning in the sides. Dont put too much in.

What I did was let it burn for about 30 seconds, and if the burners didnt start I would take a pot and very slowly start to cover the top. Eventually the burners catch as you lower it very slowly and if you did it correct the burners will keep going once you place the pot on the top and the flame wont go out.

Like flash said wind is a big factor. Where I went the wind was huge and the stove actually fell off the table as I was lighting it and caused a towering inferno. So what I did was make a windblock with some old punky logs. It is also a good idea to make a support stand around the stove out of rocks or whatever so the pot dosent fall off. The stove has very little surface space and the pot can fall off.

Just my 0.02

Hope this helps

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"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

Very good stuff guys, thanks for all the help. I will try this tomorrow.

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Take only memories, Leave only footprints.

The pot lowering technique definitely works. I had forgotten about it.

I put in as much fuel as the stove will hold without spilling. I wouldn't worry about the level of fuel being above the notches in the barrier piece. There's going to be fuel on the other side of the barrier anyway.(between barrier and outside wall) When you light the fuel in the center of the stove, the fuel starts to heat up. This produces vapor, which comes out of the vents.(if everything works properly) The flame in the middle lights the vents, and you're in business. Like I said, it may take a minute for the vents to catch. If it takes too long, slowly lower the pot like Max said.

I have had some ideal burns where in less than 30 seconds the vents are going good and there is no flame in the center at all. With no pot on top! Surprised

Ooo....something else I forgot to mention. I used some crimpers on the bottom piece. I crimped it in four places, all evenly spaced out. That way when the stove is lit, the vents can suck in air through the bottom. What you want to see is four small gaps between the bottom piece and the outside piece. Just think of it(the bottom piece) being squeezed in. Without this aeration you can't get that magical fuel-to-air mixture necessary for combustion. The flame burns the alcohol vapor and sucks air(needed for combustion) through the bottom. This means the stove should run til it's out of fuel. Not just light for a few seconds, then go out. Believe me, I've done this enough times to know. You need the air coming in the bottom.

I'm talking from experience with everything I wrote. I've had dozens of trys, with no success. I learned from my mistakes, and believe me, I've had plenty of them. I figured out what needs to happen to get this to work. Try what we told you, and you should have success.

Good luck. Very Happy

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Prov. 27:17

I would go with a Brunton Raptor, never had a single problem with one, and they have fast delivery too!

does anyone know how i can make one of these?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN30_tG7S3A

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Take only memories, Leave only footprints.

	Colt wrote:
	does anyone know how i can make one of these? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN30_tG7S3A

looks like a paint can with bolts to hold it to the big fruit can, and then some of those metal clips as the pot support. Looks really easy to make. Very Happy

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	Colt wrote:
	does anyone know how i can make one of these? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN30_tG7S3A

> I made a Coffee Can stove Colt its posted in here, some where, lol. It works great, easy to make. I keep it in my trunk all the time. I think its posted in tutorials.

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Hey Colt, my Coffee Can Stove is in; Creation, Project, Invention Cool

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Question for everybody. When you're in an area where you can have a fire is a stove really worth the weight? I was wondering if the convenience of having instant flame outweigh the inconvienence of more weight in your pack. Confused

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Hey Drummer, Thanks alot dude! Cool

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Take only memories, Leave only footprints.

	Mystik Spiral wrote:
	Question for everybody. When you're in an area where you can have a fire is a stove really worth the weight? I was wondering if the convenience of having instant flame outweigh the inconvienence of more weight in your pack.

> Well depending where you live, If ! you are aloud to have an open fire & you know that, then i wouldn't take a portable stove. But, if you are back packing waaaaay in the back country & your not aloud to have fires then yes, a stove is worth the extra ounces Cool

i mean my little stove weighs nothing & takes up very little room. So no big deal for me. You have to be able to cook & eat Shocked

or your not going to get home lol. Food fuels the mind & body. Cool

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A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

	Colt wrote:
	Hey Drummer, Thanks alot dude!

> No prob Colt. Its really easy to make it cost me $ 0.00 Smile

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

That little wood burning stove does look like a good idea. It lets you build a really small fire, and all the flame is chimneyed so it's more like a blow torch. Very Happy

BTW I always save metal coffee cans. Cool

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Well, not a blow torch. But it does heat up nice. I have modifyed it so i can put a pot on top and boil water, or a small frying pan to cook My catch of the day. The coffee cans i used are the large ones, there heavyer and will last longer. Cool

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing