i like the idea of the cat can stove, cheap, easy to make, nothing to go wrong etc. the only thing i didnt like was waiting for it to prime, seemed like a waste of meths to me, so i made a sort of priming pan which i think has a few advantages. i took a cat can stove (lots of videos on you tube showing how to make these), put it next to an empty tuna can and marked the tuna can just below the level of the holes. next i cut down the tuna can and placed the cat can roughly in the middle. inbetween the two i pushed in some fibreglass insulation. to use the stove i put a small amount of meths into the fibreglass and then into the cat can.......by lighting the tunacan the cat can will light and your billy can/pot can be put on the stove right away.....no waiting. the wider base also gives a little more stability....and after making sure the stove has gone out more meths can be put into the fibreglass and this can then be used as a slower cooker/simmer. im sorry i dont know how to put a pic up but i have managed to get one on my profile.....it will bring two cups of water to the boil in around 4 and a half to five minutes depending on conditions using one fluid ounce of meths....as with most alcohol stoves it is better out of the wind so i made a wind shield out of a few folded strips of aluminium foil
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