Alcohol Stoves

[AZ Prepper]

Alcohol Stoves - An Alternate Source
http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2008/10/alcohol-stoves-alternate-source.html (http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2008/10/alcohol-stoves-alternate-source.html)

The popularity of alcohol stoves by backpackers and campers is due mainly to their light weight, portability and ease of construction. Another advantage to alcohol stoves is the ready availability of alcohol for fuel. Unfortunately not everyone is as adept at making their own alcohol stove, but there is an alternate source of ready-made alcohol stoves that everyone can obtain at a relatively low cost that are lightweight and portable.



In my opinion, one of the best alcohol stoves ever made was the Jiffy Heat model. Unfortunately, these haven’t been manufactured in quite some time and are now considered antiques. Being almost an antique myself, it seems quite fitting that I would be the proud owner of one. It is an excellent little stove. Lightweight and compact with its own stand to hold the stove off the ground, it comes in its own self-contained box which makes it extremely portable. The main problem is that they are no longer being made and therefore the chances of finding another one that is intact and in good working condition is very low. Having a back-up is considered to be of utmost importance to me. You can never have enough back-ups. Things break, get lost, quit working for unexplained reasons or get hauled off by little gremlins that are lurking about. An alternate source for a good back-up to my Jiffy Heat alcohol stove was therefore required.

My efforts at making my own alcohol stove failed to produce a satisfactory and efficient alcohol stove. With limited success at making my own alcohol stove, a source of ready-made alcohol stoves that were inexpensive and could be found virtually anywhere was needed. Then came the solution and a source of inexpensive and ready-made alcohol stoves was found. The source was the old favorite of everyone – the fondue set fuel burner!



Not only do they come with a neat little alcohol stove, complete with cover and adjustable vents, you also get a pot stand (with built-in stove holder), a pot (with lid), and an insulated base on which to set everything. You also get those cute little fork things to stick in your food. They can also be used to warm or heat your food during a power outage and they’re portable!

The best part is they are extremely cheap. I have purchased several fondue sets at garage and yard sale for only a buck! Several were new in the box and had never been used. You may even have a fondue set with a good little alcohol stove in it that you weren’t even aware that you had! No hassle at making your own and cheap enough for what is actually a high quality, usually stainless steel alcohol stove that can be used outdoors or even indoors with proper ventilation.

Need an alcohol stove? Check the yard sales, garage sales, and flea markets! Find a fondue set and you’re ready to cook! New replacement fuel burners can be found for as little as $15.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

[AZ Prepper]

Denatured Alcohol - Fuel for Your Alcohol Stove
http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2008/12/denatured-alcohol-fuel-for-your-alcohol.html (http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/2008/12/denatured-alcohol-fuel-for-your-alcohol.html)


Denatured alcohol (ethanol with methanol added as a denaturing agent) is known by a variety of names. This is probably the best choice of fuel for your alcohol stove because it burns cleaner and produces more efficient heat.

It is also called methylated spirits, shellac thinner, marine stove fuel, liquid fondue fuel, or chafing dish fuel. It is easily found in marinas, boat shops and in the paint departments of most hardware or big box stores. Many brands of this alcohol are specifically marketed for use as marine stove fuel, fondue fuel or chafing fuel.

This form of alcohol fuel contains a high percentage of methanol and other poisonous chemicals. There is a large variety of chemicals in the contents of denatured alcohol that will affect the burn rate and cleanliness when being used as a fuel for your alcohol stove. You can test the quality of any brand of denatured alcohol by burning a small amount in an open metal or ceramic dish and then checking for any residue afterwards. If there is a large amount of residue, you will probably need to use a different brand.

It is an unsafe practice to store even the small propane cylinders in a vehicle. Because of this, an alcohol stove is a much better choice for an emergency heat source that can be kept in your vehicle with your other emergency supplies. Its main advantages are its low cost, its ability to be extinguished by water, and it is easily transported without the use of special containers.

Denatured alcohol will also be easier to find in an emergency situation and will probably be more readily available over a longer period of time. Retail stores often run out of propane cylinders or other forms of stove fuels very quickly in an emergency situation. The probability of a loss of electrical power may make other fuel sources scarce or unavailable.

Most types of alcohol, such as isopropyl alcohol (“rubbing” alcohol”), can be burned for fuel as well. They may be more costly or they may not burn as clean but you will probably be able to find it still on the shelf in an emergency.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

[AZ Prepper]

J. Falk's Base Camp Stove
from: http://www.TrailGear.org (http://www.TrailGear.org)
http://site283.webhost4life.com/afmservices/trailgear/falk-base-camp-stove.htm (http://site283.webhost4life.com/afmservices/trailgear/falk-base-camp-stove.htm)


The Best Base Camp Stove You'll Ever Build!

Backpackers, Hikers, Campers and Survivalists are discovering this powerful camping stove. Tired of cooking on small survival alcohol stoves? Want to make a meal for a few people? Here's an alcohol stove perfect for preparing full size meals using your household cookware.


NOTE: For those of you living in hurricane areas, this is a must have emergency stove!

TOOLS & MATERIALS:


Safety glasses.
Hammer & Center punch or Drill with small drill bit.
Bottle opener (church key) or Uni-Bit with drill.
One gallon paint can. (New never used)
One quart paint can. (New never used)
Roll of toilet paper.
Denatured alcohol. (Warning: use only denatured alcohol for fuel)
3 wire coat hangers.

Cost - Less than $5.00.
Build time - 15 minutes.


STEP 1. PUT ON YOUR SAFETY GLASSES!!!. Always use eye protection when working with metal. Take your (new, clean and never used) gallon paint can and drill or punch a few small holes on each side of the rim of the can. Here I used a hammer and center punch and made three small holes on each side of the rim (evenly spaced across from each other). These holes will hold the cooking grill. Note: only make the holes large enough for the wire coat hanger to slide into. You can add more grill supports if you like.



STEP 2. Make the cooking grill. Take your wire coat hangers, cut and bend each support so they fit in the grill holes you created in step 1 above.



STEP 3. Make the air holes. Using your Uni-bit, drill 4 air holes (about 1/2" diameter) around the top rim of the gallon paint can. Then drill 2 to 4 air holes around the bottom rim of the can. Note: you can also create the air holes using a church key can opener.



STEP 4. Make the burner. Take the roll of toilet paper and remove the center cardboard insert. Also strip off excess toilet paper so it will slide into the (new, clean and never used) quart paint can.



STEP 5. Add Fuel. Slowly pour denatured alcohol into the quart paint can. Note: the toilet paper acts as a giant wick and will slow the burning of the alcohol, conserving your fuel. Let the fuel soak into the toilet paper. Continue filling until a small puddle remains just above the top of the toilet paper. Once filled this stove will give you hours of cooking before you need to refill.



The toilet paper acts like a giant wick, which soaks up the denatured alcohol. With this stove its the fumes that burn. As long as the toilet paper is moist, it will create a big hot flame. When the top of the toilet paper dries out it will become burnt and crusty, simply take a razor blade and cut off the thin layer of burnt paper. To determine if you need more fuel simply touch the toilet paper, if it's not wet or moist and feels a little dry (or won't stay lit) then add more fuel.

WARNING: Everything described here is dealing with a cold (not ignited) stove, we want to avoid any Darwin Award incidents!



STEP 6. Assemble and use the stove. Place the quart paint can (the burner) into the bottom of the one gallon paint can.

Place the grill supports in the rim of the gallon paint can.
Place the stove outside on a safe, flat noncombustible surface.
Light the burner (quart paint can) with a long neck lighter or long match.
Place your cooking pot on the stove and start cooking.

STEP 7. Adjust the flame. You can control the flame by placing the lid for the quart paint can (before igniting) half way over the opening. Using a long stick or screw driver slide the lid back and forth over the burner opening to adjust the flame.

TIP: Make a support for the lid. Punch a small hole in the side of the gallon can, level with the top of the burner. Take a short piece of wire coat hanger (bend the end so it won't slide into the can) and slide it through the hole, resting on the rim of the burner and extending half way over the burner opening. This allows for easy adjustments of the lid over the burner's opening.



OR, make a few simmer lids. Get a few extra quart can lids and drill various holes to allow for different flame sizes.



STEP 8. Extinguish the stove. Remove the cooking pot from the stove. Using a pair of long nose pliers remove a few support grills. Using the pliers again grab the lip of the quart can lid and carefully place it over the burner, smothering the flame. Wait a while allowing the stove to cool down before touching the stove.


WARNING:

After the stove is ignited it's HOT. Never touch any part of the stove, it will burn you!
Do not attempt to blow the fire out and do not throw water on the burner this will only spread the fire.
Smothering the burner with the lid is the only safe way to put the flame out!!!



STEP 9. Storage. Make sure the flame is out and the stove and burner are cool to the touch!

Place and seal the lid on the (burner) quart paint can. This is important in order to save your fuel for the next time you need to cook.
Place the burner into the gallon paint can.
Place the extra quart simmer lids and the grill supports next to the burner.
Place and seal the lid on the gallon paint can.
Store in a safe place.





TIPS:

Always use stoves outside! Never use a stove inside a building, tent or survival structure.

1) This stove is designed for use with household cooking pots!!!
2) Place the stove outside on a safe, flat noncombustible surface.
3) This stove uses denatured alcohol only. Be careful with alcohol stoves because the flame may not be visible in the light. WARNING: Never use gas or petroleum based fuels in this stove, doing so will melt and destroy the stove.
4) Always wipe you hands of any spilled alcohol before lighting the stove. Failure to do so could cause injury when you ignite the stove.
5) Always place the cooking pot on the center of stove.
6) Keep all body parts and clothes away from the stove at all times.
7) To avoid flare ups, always remove the cooking pot slowly from the stove.
8) Always remove the cooking pot from the stove before stirring its contents.
DISCLAIMER:
Use common sense and safety at all times when using any stove. The author of this web page will not be responsible for any injury or damage resulting from constructing or use of this stove design. If you choose to build, use or experiment with this design, do so at your own risk.


Send the author an e-mail: jfalk@pobox.com
Visit us at ... http://www.TrailGear.org

[AZ Prepper]

Some useful videos from YouTube on the subject...

These Alcohol Stoves can be used for both cooking and keeping you warm.

Emergency Heater
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OPABQW9gN2Q&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></object>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPABQW9gN2Q

Link to download instruction manual: http://www.box.net/shared/iepvf7c2tj


FIELD TEST - Emergency Car Heater
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YoaVqfwnv3g&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></object>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoaVqfwnv3g


Winter Box Review
(This is regarding the winter box from the previous video where the heater was kept...just some extra information)
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6QF75tPNtzI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></object>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QF75tPNtzI