Alcohol Stove Design with Canister

Paul Young-Davies

Klondike Derby 2010

Alcohol Stove Designs• There are two Alcohol stove designs and one canister illustrated in

this presentation– Alcohol stove design #1

• Open Top– Provide large flame and small flame jets– Quicker heating capacity– Greater technical challenge to build– Requires two 355ml (six inch) pop cans cut into 3 pieces

– Alcohol stove design #2• Closed Top

– Emits small flame jets– Easier to build– Requires the bottom parts of two pop cans

– Canister• Metal canister which holds either of the stove designs• Provides shelter from wind• Provide lower grill on which stove can be supported• Provides upper grill on which to place cooking pots

Design #1: Open Top Alcohol Stove: Top

• This Alcohol design is not recommended if you are not skilled with a knife

• You need two pop cans– Drill 1/8 holes in the top of each can beside the tab and empty both

cans. Label them as Can #1 and Can #1– Can #1

• JET HOLES:

– Using a push pin, punch 12 holes in the top edge of Can #1 as shown

Push pin

Design #1: Open Top Alcohol Stove: Top

•  Can #1– Cut out the top of the can.

• Hold the can in one hand.• With the other hand hold a stanley knife

with the tip facing downwards and then carefully scribe the knife around and around the inner base of the circular ridge as described below:

– Press the blade against the lid if the can– Turn the can around in the other hand

» this keeps the knife still, thus making it safer to use

– Scribe around 3-4 times– Press the tip of the blade through the lid of

the can and then cut the lid out– Use sand paper to smooth the edge

 

Design #1: Open Top Alcohol Stove: Top

• Can #1– Put a pen on the top of a block of wood

that is approximately 2 inches high.– Spin the can around to make a line around

the can

– Using an exacto knife, cut through the can at the line.

– This is the top part of the stove– Use sandpaper to dull the edges of the cut

Design #1: Open Top Alcohol Stove: Top

• Can #1– Using a pair of needle nose pliers, crimp the edge of

the can. – Crimp at least 10mm.– Crimping reduces the diameter of the can, which

makes it smaller than the base.

– The top part of the can must be crimped as it must fit inside the base of the stove.

10 mm

Design #1: Open Top Alcohol Stove: Bottom

• Can #2– Put a pen on the top of a block of wood

that is approximately 2 inches high.– Spin the can around to make a line around

the can

– Using an exacto knife, cut through the can at the line.

– This is the bottom part of the stove– Use sandpaper to dull the edges of the cut

Design #1: Open Top Alcohol Stove: Height

• Gently work the stove top into the stove bottom (Can #1 fits inside can #2)

– It is very important to do it this way as the edge of the stove base acts as a guide to how much fuel you can put in the stove

• Once the crimped end is completely inserted into can #2, push can #1 into can #2 as far as it can go.

• Measure the height of your stove. This is the height of your inner liner.

Can #1 (Top)

Can #2 (Bottom)Can #1 (Top)

Can #2 (Bottom)

Height

Design #1: Open Top Alcohol Stove: Liner

• Open top Alcohol stoves require an inner liner. The inner wall encourages fuel to evaporate into gas and ignite through the jet holes.

• The height of the inner liner should match the height of the assembled stove as shown in previous slide.

Height

• Measure the height of the stove. • Step 1: Taking the remainder of a can, draw a line marking the height of the inner liner on the side of the can• Step 2: Make a vertical cut past the line on the side of the can• Step 3: Cut out a strip of metal from the body of the can. It will roll into a circle

Stove Top

Remainder of can

Step 1 Step 2Step 3

Inner liner

Design #1: Open Top Alcohol Stove: Liner

Step 4: Cut out three little holes in the liner. Make two cuts 2-3mm apart and bend the notches outwards to form your three weep holes.

Inner liner with 3 x “Weep holes” with the tabs folded up

Step 6: Roll the inner wall into a tube and place it inside the top of the stove and adjust the diameter it so it fits around the inner edge of the hole

Step 5: Separate the stove top and bottom.

Inner liner positioned around the edge of the hole in the top of the stove

Inner liner curled in a tube shape

Step 7: Fit the bottom of the stove over the inner wall and over the top of the stove the top of the stove and adjust it so that it fits around the inner edge of the hole

Can #2 (Bottom)

Can #1 (Top)

Design #2: Closed Top Alcohol Stove: Top

• Two pop cans– Drill 1/8 holes in the top of each can beside the tab and empty

both cans. • Label them as Can #1 and Can #1

– Can #1• JET HOLES

– Using a push pin, punch 12 holes in the bottom edge of Can #1 as shown

• Drill a 1/8 hole in the centre

Push pin

Design #2: Closed Top Alcohol Stove: Top

• Can #1– Put a pen on the top of a block of wood

that is approximately 2 ½ inch high.– Spin the can around to make a line around

the can

– Using an exacto knife, cut through the can at the line.

– This is the top part of the stove– Use sandpaper to dull the edges of the cut

Design #2: Closed Top Alcohol Stove: Top

• Can #1– Using a pair of needle nose pliers, crimp the edge of

the can. – Crimp at least 10mm.– Crimping reduces the diameter of the can, which

makes it smaller than the base.

– The top part of the can must be crimped as it must fit inside the base of the stove.

10 mm

Design #2: Closed Top Alcohol Stove: Bottom

• Can #2– Put a pen on the top of a block of wood

that is approximately 2 ½ inch high.– Spin the can around to make a line around

the can

– Using an exacto knife, cut through the can at the line.

– This is the bottom part of the stove– Use sandpaper to dull the edges of the cut

Design #2: Closed Top Alcohol Stove

• Gently work the crimped end of Can #1 into can #2

• Once the crimped end is completely inserted into can #2, push can #1 into can #2 as far as it can go.

• Your alcohol stove is now complete

Can #1 (Top) Can #2 (Bottom)

Can #1 (Top)

Can #2 (Bottom)

Grill for canister

• Two metal coat hangers (not plastic coated)– Using pliers cut 6 x 5 inch length pieces of metal

(metal stakes) from two metal coat hangers

– Using pliers, a right angle bend ¼ from end.

– The six metal stakes will form the grill inside the metal canister

• Alternate option: Use 6 x metal Tent Pegs

Metal Canister: Upper Grill

• Metal canister– Small coffee tin is ideal (approx 4in width x 5in height)

• The open end is the top.

– The alcohol stove is positioned in the can such that the top is approx ¼ inch below the top of the can.

– Using an awl, punch 3 x holes approx 1/8 in below the top of the as shown

• Punch holes through centreline of can• And approx 1-1/4 inch either side

Centre line

1 ¼ in above centre

1 1/4 in below centreAwl

Punch through can using sharp point

Metal Canister: Stove Grill• Measure height of your alcohol stove and add 3/8th of an inch

– This can be called stove height “X”• Punch 3 more holes through the canister

– From three original grill holes + Height “X” as shown

• Punch holes through centre• Approx 1-1/4 inch either side

• Using a can opener, punch several holes in the base of the metal can. These are the air holes which allow air to pass upwards through the can and encourage the stove to burn.

• Using the Awl, punch one larger hole through canister three inches from the top. This is the hole where a match is used to light the stove

Height “x”

Top Grill

BaseAir holes

Stove Grill

Tin Foil Tray

• Obtain a small round Tin Foil Tray – (approx 5 inches in diameter)

• Using scissors, cut the edges of the tin foil tray to about ¼ inch above the base as shown. – NOTE: You can cut as many tabs as you feel are necessary.

Testing has shown that about 12 slits will easily work.

• The alcohol stove sits on the tin foil tray

¼ inchBase

Base

Fueling the Stove• Fill stove with fondue fuel

– Fuel through the centre hole• Caution: Do not overfill. • Care should be taken to not spill the fuel when carrying the

stove.

• FUEL TYPES– Fondue fuel is best

• Low ignition temperature• Easy to light in all temperatures• Burns clean – no oily smell or reside• Evaporates quickly when not ignited• CAUTION: BLUE FLAMES ARE HARD TO SEE IN DAYLIGHT

– Naphtha• Higher ignition temperature• Harder to ignite in cold temperatures• Burns clean – no oily smell or reside• Evaporates quickly when not ignited• CAUTION: YELLOW FLAMES ARE HARD TO SEE IN DAYLIGHT

– Lamp Oil• Low ignition temperature• Easy to light in all temperatures• Burns dirty– generates smoke and gives off oily smell or reside• Does not evaporates as quickly as other fuels• CAUTION: YELLOW FLAMES ARE HARD TO SEE IN DAYLIGHT

Fill stove using a small pouring spout

Caution: Never re-fuel a hot stove. Wait till it has cooled off and you can touch it.

Closed top Alcohol stovesPlace penny over the centre fuel hole when fuelling is completed

Assembling Cooking Stove• Add fuel to the stove prior to assembly (see previous slide)• Push 3 metal stakes through the holes in the centre of the metal

canister. This forms the stove grill.• Push the tin foil tray through the top of the canister and lay it flat on

the stove grill• Place the alcohol stove on the tin foil tray and make sure it sits flat• Push 3 metal stakes through the holes in the top of the metal

canister. This forms the upper grill.

Upper grillAlcohol stoveTin foil tray

Stove grill

Air holes

Air hole (ignition hole)

Lighting the Alcohol Stove

• Remove all cooking instruments from top grill

• Add 1/8 depth of fondue fuel to tray– Squirt fuel through the ignition hole

• Strike a match and ignite fuel in the tin foil tray by passing match through the ignition hole– The fondue fuel in the tin foil catches fire

and heats up the stove. The fuel in the stove vaporises and the gas escapes through the jet holes in the top of the stove and ignites

– Do not place cooking pots on stove for at least 30 seconds to allow all of the jets to fully ignite

References

• Youtube www.youtube.com– Search for alcohol stove / penny stoves

• Wikipedia– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage-can_stove

• Alcohol stoves– http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm

• And many more freely available articles on the web– Google search item “alcohol stove”