I love little bits of kit – knives, stoves etc they all have their own place in the kit store. I have a few stoves from the very complex multi fuel expedition varieties to the super simple drinks can. Search the net for penny stoves/alcohol stoves and you’ll find loads of guides on how to make a stove out of an old drinks can.
I’ve made a few with mixed success but have been really happy with the whitebox stoves I purchased on line via ebay.
The stoves are made from Aluminium beer bottles that have been cut down and then compressed to create what is essentially a double skin cup. Several small holes are then drilled around the top edge of the cup.
In the US and other countries denatured alcohol or methyl alcohol which is widely available as antifreeze (HEET) and is used as the fuel. In the UK “meths” is the best bet and this is what I use. You do need to be careful as sometimes a flame cannot be seen even though the meths is well alight (as in the image below).
The stove is partially filled with fuel and lit. As the unit heats up the pressure within the skin of the stove increases and eventually produces jets of blue flame from each of the holes. You aren’t going to get a boil rate of a full on gas or bottle pressurised system but this simple engineering at its best. No fiddly parts, nothing to snap or break. I’ve been using mine in all weathers and at various altitudes for the last five years without issue.
Leave a Reply