tin can meths burner help needed

[Mang]

I decided to get off my butt and have a go at a tin can meths burner.

This is what I used. the arrow indicates the small crimp and fold I put in this tin which made sliding them together much easier.

T drilled four holes in the tonic tin to allow the meths to soak through to the loft insulation (indicated by the red dots). The coke can was slit, the edges folded over to hold the drilled tonic tin, and then the lemonade tin was slid over the coke tin with extra wadding at the bottom.

The arrow indicates where the wadding comes up to because I read that the vapour needs room.

All I can manage is a polite 'pop' and that's it...The tent pegs were added after the failed trials as a pot rest. I know they need cutting down but as it's not working...

More wadding higher up? Cut the tins down? Please help!

 

[oscari]

Your problem is the size of the tin.The large area is acting as a combustion chamber and burning up all the oxygen in there (think Red Adair in hellfighters)
you need a smaller tin so that the meths burns and not the vapours.

 

[Bushcraftsman]

yes you definitely need to make the tin smaller! type in the search bar COKE CAN STOVE or go on youtube and type in Penny stove theres one particular one thats in two parts its great! either way it only needs to be a couple inches tall!

 

[Badger74]

I've made my fourth one to fit under the stand of my Crusader cooker, it's only 34mm high.

 

[Bushcraftsman]

haha now that really is a micro cooker

 

[deenewcastle]

I made my first SuperCat last night

The pot is a Wilkinsons sugar container with a bail arm made from a cut down B&Q bucket

 

[singteck]

I can see a few problem with your design.

1. The glass fiber will soke up all the meth and less of it will contact the tin wall. This prevent the heat from evaporating the meth.

2. The holes for the meth vapour is too large. There will be no internal pressure and thus air will enter and mix with the meth vapour. That explains the 'pop' that you get.

3. The height of the tin will delay the heat being transmitted to the meth to help vaporise the meth. The heat might not even reach the meth.

Not sure if they are correct.

Cheers

singteck

 

[Mang]

Thankyou all. I think had a combination of a rush of blood and a desire to reinvent the wheel! K.I.S.S. is today's mantra... =D

 

[brancho]

Austin
Look HERE

 

[Bushcraftsman]

So is it better to fill the Burner with Loft insulation or not?

 

[brancho]

So is it better to fill the Burner with Loft insulation or not?

Its not necessary. Remember liquids do not burn, gases do you are trying to heat the meths to boil it faster.

 

[FGYT]

heres some i did a couple of yrs ago i dont use meths in general but its a fun learning experiance

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25021

these ones

the one on the right was my final crusader cup solution the wire fits round the cup when not used and the tin lid the cooker sits on can be used with a little meths to speed primeing. Th eholes are put in as an oval so better to heat the base of teh cup

oh and using them in a crusader cup stand is a pain it acts as a massive heat sink making it slow to burn and really needs teh wire remade to raise the hight you get just as good tipping he meths into the cup and lighting it as is


Next Home made wood hgas stoves

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25918&highlight=stove

 

[Mang]

I think I've got my head around the basic tin can stove concept and design flaws on mine. If mine had smaller holes and size, would the inner tin have been the correct distance from the outer tin to be effective? There is about a 1mm gap or so.

Now the cat stoves (like the one earlier), are they just a drilled tin which, when primed, pushes the flames out of the drilled holes when you place a billy on it? If the holes in a tin can stove need to be small to get the pressure, why are they big on a cat stove?

 

[caliban]

Mang, are you trying out an unconventional and innovative design? If you are good luck mate. If you aint you need to look at "penny" style stove designs and start from there. I think once you've mastered the basic coke can stove you can procede from that.

IME it's easy to make a working burner, the trick is matching up your pot, potstand, windscreen and burner to make a tuned cooking unit. Good luck Mang!

 

[tenderfoot]

I think I've got my head around the basic tin can stove concept and design flaws on mine. If mine had smaller holes and size, would the inner tin have been the correct distance from the outer tin to be effective? There is about a 1mm gap or so.

Now the cat stoves (like the one earlier), are they just a drilled tin which, when primed, pushes the flames out of the drilled holes when you place a billy on it? If the holes in a tin can stove need to be small to get the pressure, why are they big on a cat stove?

'cos they are different design concepts.Some tin can stoves are pressurised and some not
have a look on the zen stoves website for many designs of different types.Small holes are used to create pressure jets of vapourised fuel. Other designs just burn the meths straight and hence need no priming- to get increased heat from these designs requires good air mix hence big holes. Hope this helps

 

[Black Sheep]

Have a look here.........

http://zenstoves.net/

I've made a few following this info and they work well

Richard

 

[Mang]

One small step for Mang...

Thanks again for the help. I know that some of you can probably make these in your sleep but I'm well satisfied to have got a working one sorted. My nine year old now wants to have a go and 'Show and tell' it at school-it would trump little Johnny's keyring collection!

I'm going to have fun with these for a while methinks...the only thing is, I'm finding that I'm looking at tin cans in a new light...

 

[Chambers]

Can these also burn unleaded fuel? The reason I ask is I already have a fuel bottle that I use for my coleman burner, just want something smaller for my up coming hobo stove.

Also can someone point me in the direction of a good tutorial of how to make one of these with pop cans? Also did you end up using the fibreglass?

 

[glyn77]

Can these also burn unleaded fuel? The reason I ask is I already have a fuel bottle that I use for my coleman burner, just want something smaller for my up coming hobo stove.

Also can someone point me in the direction of a good tutorial of how to make one of these with pop cans? Also did you end up using the fibreglass?

NO, this sort of thing uses alcohol - petrol products are no good, and very dangerous.

Stick to meths, or use a different stove.

cheers,
Glyn

 

[Chambers]

No bother, I have just seen in another thread people use simple bottles such as a coke bottle to transport the meths/alcohol

I have looked at this vid

http://lifehacker.com/software/macgyver-tip/make-a-diy-portable-stove-303864.php

I assume I can just use meths that I get for B&Q instead of heet?