Gunplumber Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/index.html Quote Link to comment
Amishway Homesteaders Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Great Site! Thanks. It covers just about everything in making and using them. In mine, most of the time I use good old 'rubbing alcohol' (cheap) but you have to watch it as the flame is hard to see. Sometime you don't know if it is lite or not? I keep a block of wood handy to cover mine with to put it out when done- You CAN"T 'blow' out the flame like a candle or oil lamp! AND wait until it cools down before picking it up .................................. trust me I KNOW! Quote Link to comment
sassenach Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks, nice web page for this subject! Quote Link to comment
Crazy4Canning Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Currently my husband is playing with 2 types of lightweight alcohol stoves - the SuperCat (made from cat food cans) http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/SuperCat/ and one made from pop cans http://www.jureystudio.com/pennystove/ He has used heet for both and likes the SuperCat best because it's more durable. He uses the small white bottles from the 5 hr energy or bottled vitamin drinks and labels it "HEET for stoves". There's enough for 1 stove burn to heat up something or boil water. Quote Link to comment
vinelady Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 If you have access to second hand marine stores check there for larger versions of alcohol stoves. My everyday stove is a two burner alcohol stove. Quote Link to comment
Crazy4Canning Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Just bought my husband one of these because his pop cans are mostly one-shot deals. It's the Vargo Decagon Titanium alcohol stove. You can use HEET or other alcohols. I've seen people in combat boots kick these around and then use them to boil water for coffee. They're amazing and virtually weightless, not to mention indestructible. ;0) Here's the link to Amazon. We got a coupon at a local outdoor store (REI) that was cheaper than buying online, and cheaper than shipping! http://www.amazon.com/Vargo-Outdoors-Titanium-Decagon-Stove/dp/B001G61KLU Quote Link to comment
windmorn Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 DS made a Fancy Feast cat food can one after we attended a presentation by Andrew Skurka presentation. Andrew hike 4700 miles around Alaska and they Yukon. He said he only used one stove. Here's the link. http://andrewskurka.com/how-to/how-to-make-a-fancy-feast-alcohol-stove/ Quote Link to comment
Crazy4Canning Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 My husband tried the SuperCat stove as well (the cat food tin) and the Vargas was based on it. He's a gadget guy and wanted something that would not bend, no matter what. Quote Link to comment
The WE2's Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 We recently purchased some alcohol "cannisters" for 25 cents each, so we're looking for ways to use them. Also bought some cans of sterno for 50 cents a can. Never know when things like that would come in handy? Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 This thread gives me the creeps. An old friend who has renovated and converted these for thirty years or more made one stupid mistake. One is all it takes. Quote Link to comment
The WE2's Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Like you Ambergis...not fond of playing with fire....or fireworks. We like the sterno cans because we can set them under a chaffing-type dish and it will heat and keep heated, whatever is in the pan. The alcohol cannisters resemble candles in that the tops are sealed, you can't refill them etc. Again, restaurant quality. Quote Link to comment
WolfBrother Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 I don't get to get to this forum very often any more. Here are the results of a test I did using one specific alcohol stove with various types of alcohol: Note that denatured alcohol from the paint store and Everclear returned the best results. Trangia Westwind Alcohol Stove Evaluation.Short version:IMNTBHO - This is a VERY GOOD BOB burner/stove. Using either Ever Clear grain alcohol or Denatured Alcohol from a paint store, it raised a quart of water from 69 degrees F to a rolling boil in 15 minutes. Packs light, small, and if using Ever Clear - you can drink the fuel.Long Version:Evaluation consists of Trangia alcohol burner and Westwind "stove".Trangia burner is about 3 inches in diameter and is about 3 inches tall.The "stove" is three flat shaped pieces of thin aluminum that hooks together to form a triangle that has a place to put the burner and put a pot on top of.Evaluatedhttp://hitthetrailnewnanga.stores.yahoo.net/westwind.htmlMay be a better "stove" - uses the same burnerhttp://hitthetrailnewnanga.stores.yahoo.net/minitrangia.htmlMilitary surplus contains Trangia burner with Swedish military messkithttp://www.omahas.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=363Testing conditions:1 1/2 quart covered pot, slightly wider than tall - at room temperature.1 quart of water - temperature measured after sitting in the pot for 5 minutes. Pot was covered during heating tests except for 30 seconds every 5 minutes for temperature check.3 oz of alcohol in trangia burner positioned in Westwind stove.Time check - to fully vaporized flame and thenEvery 5 minutes until 30 minutes or rolling boilTested fuel70 % Isopropyl Alcohol - purchased at a local Walgreens70 % Ethyl Alcohol (ETOH) - purchased at a local WalgreensDenatured Alcohol - purchased at a local Paint store190 proof Ever Clear - purchased at a local liquor storeTest ResultsTime to heat stove before a fully vaporized flame appeared varied from 10+ minutes with the isopropyl alcohol to 8 minutes with the ETOH to less than a minute with either one of the other two.Isopropyl Alcohol - 30 minutes - 69 degrees to 197 degrees. Significantly noticeable fume smellETOH - 30 minutes - 70 degrees to rolling boil. 25 minutes to 197 degrees. Significantly noticeable fume smellDenatured Alcohol - Ever Clear - identical results. No real noticeable fume smell5 minutes from 70 degrees to 100 degrees.10 minutes went from 100 degrees to 150 degrees15 minutes rolling boil.The Westwind triangle is not a good wind break. To effectively heat/cook with the burner, you'll need to provide a wind break or a lot of heat will blow away.Why do I think it should be in the BOB? 1. In wet or cold or wet/cold weather the ability to have a warm to hot cup of water/tea/soup/whatever could be the difference between just being miserable and dead. Plus the occasional hot drink/food is a significant moral booster.2. It packs small and light.3. Most any alcohol will work in it - including whiskey/vodka/rum. It takes longer to get a fully vaporized flame but as it's getting going, you can too with the same alcohol. One "advangtage" the Everclear has over any of the rest - if it leaks onto your food, it does not poison the food. Quote Link to comment
The WE2's Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 Found a really neat, single burner, fold up stove that used the really, really small propane cyclinders. The cylinder will probably only last long enough to cook one or two pots, but it's aweful nifty to our way of thinking, if you're in the bush and need to cook "something" to eat. The chinese restaurants (and golden corral's) use them when they're cooking omelets etc. while you wait. Quote Link to comment
sassenach Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 Has anyone run across anyone with vision difficulties using them and getting burned more easily than using propane or wood fires stoves ( because I am wondering about that as I have vision difficulties and alcohol flame is nearly invisible isn't it? ) I am just wondering about that and have not invested in any of these alcohol stoves but would use a make do one , like old coffee can and toilet paper roll soaked with rubbing alcohol or vodka if i had to and had nothing else I guess. I have to be careful of using alcohol like rubbing alcohol because I would rather keep it for medicinal topical usage if need arises and dont have a great budget , or room to store cases of such when there are natural materials outside, like plenty of wood even though it burns clean and thats good. But not being able to see the flame is what bothers me the most as a safety factor. Quote Link to comment
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