Help choosing a brew kit stove.

[BigMonster]

ok. Meths is a no go for me. Stinks, soots, leaks and STINKS. The whole trangia burner with fuel is a great idea but meths is just too crappy as a fuel.
BUT, got myself bio ethanol from BQ (5 quid for 2 litres) and it's beautiful:
-no soot, just water and blue tint on my ti pot (only one black spot where the pan support was blocking the flame).
-smells like vodka (and evaporates without leaving stink behind my bag).
-I can't measure power outpoot but it does boil water pretty much with the same speed as meths
-much cheaper compared to 3 pounds for 500ml for meths

Love it, for a perfect soot free blue flame experiment with distance between the pot and burner

 

[andibs]

Might be bit bigger than you want but netbook is brilliant

 

[andibs]

Sorry should have said jetboil - bloody predictive spelling

 

[BigMonster]

I don't think it would fit in a 450ml mug with coffe sugar and hot chocolate

 

[Andy T]

I've tried that bio ethanol fuel from b&q and yes it's good in stoves like the monkey boy stove or the flat cat but i haven't found it to be any good in a w.b.s. or a trangia. Unlike meths, which after it blooms seem to burn at a steady rate that bio ethanol fuel just seems to burn hotter and hotter until it's all gone. When i tried it in a trangia it also left alot of soot on my pot. Maybe it's just me but i'm sticking to meths.

 

[BigMonster]

It was very sooty for me to begin with. The trick is to keep your pot very low over the burner like 12-15mm so you "cut off" the yellow part of the flame leaving nice blue one. If you add water you get the same brown discolouraion on the bottom of your pot as with meths.
No need for that, just don't let the flame go yellow. And yes, it does burn a bit hotter/bigger flame.But that's even better for me (boiling water). What I love about bio ethanol is the lack of smell/taste on your hands and in your bag. Any spill just evaporates leaving nothing behind.

 

[PDA1]

Bio Ethanol and Meths are both denatured alcohol, i.e.Ethanolwith added contaminants to make it undrinkable. Here is the UK formulation from the HM revenue and Customs document:
"Completely denatured alcohol (CDA) is the most heavily denatured alcohol. The standard formulation for CDA produced in the UK is with every 100 parts by volume of alcohol mix 3 parts by volume of isopropyl alcohol, 3 parts by volume of methyl ethyl ketone and one gramme of denatonium benzoate."
here's the complete document:
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channels...HMCE_CL_000263&propertyType=document#P27_1643

"Meths"no longer contains methanol in UK produced denatured alcohol.

 

[EdS]

Don't mess about - Primus Crux

 

[ateallthepies]

Anyone know if it's possible to re-fill a screw on gas cartridge? If so I was thinking of taking the valve off of a 100g cartridge and silver soldering it onto a 50g container of some sort?
This would give a much smaller gas stove set-up for day hikes and the like.

Steve.

 

[copper_head]

Anyone know if it's possible to re-fill a screw on gas cartridge? If so I was thinking of taking the valve off of a 100g cartridge and silver soldering it onto a 50g container of some sort?
This would give a much smaller gas stove set-up for day hikes and the like.

Steve.

Sounds dangerous ! I seem to remember refillable gas stoves that run on lighter gas.

 

[Shewie]

Anyone know if it's possible to re-fill a screw on gas cartridge? If so I was thinking of taking the valve off of a 100g cartridge and silver soldering it onto a 50g container of some sort?
This would give a much smaller gas stove set-up for day hikes and the like.

Steve.

I'd just stick with the little 100g and save the hassle

 

[Nonsuch]

If all you want to do is boil water and can manage the space I reckon the Jetboil is the way to go. Pot can double up as a mug and has a nice handle and lid with slurping hole, with cylinder dropping inside pot along with sachets. Alternatively Primus Crux or similar with piezo ignition inside a Ti Mug (no lip-burning) or similar also holding a small gas cylinder and coffee/milk sachets - smaller than the Jetboil but less efficient. SVEA 123R for something a bit retro and special but lot more faff.

 

[lannyman8]

i have enjoyed reading this thread as i like my meths stoves, i tend to make my ones though, mostly...

all though i did buy an esbit stove but made mods to make the burn time faster,i also use a polish tin or Vaseline tin stove instead of esbit because it stinks and meths is cleaner. have a look at the thread below, it might fit inside your cup. or you can make a pot stand from a tuna tin for the polish tin stove.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91539&highlight=esbit+stove+mod

in fact it makes me want to make one now...

 

[Uilleachan]

I have a preference for spirit stoves and I still use my now rather old and battered trangia in various combinations of the components, it's seldom I take the whole stove preferring for the most part to cut it down to just the spirit burner kettle pot and handle. I carry the spirit burner as a just incase fuel source preferring to burn a small amount of wood (usually dry heather & myrtle on the hill). Where thats not possible or practical a spirit burner full of meths will do a couple of brews if one takes care improvising a shield, from stones etc.

I like the flexibility of the trangia but more importantly the reliability and manageability of the fuel source.

The kelly kettle has an appeal but it wouldn't be often enough that I'd consider it worth the effort for brews alone, when the trangia kettle is way smaller and compact. I can stash my entire brew makings in the kettle for transport, pop in in a wee bag and it'll fit in my jacket pocket if need be.

View attachment 23313

 

[demographic]

Hate to sound boring but I'd be inclined to just take a flask.
I work all round the county (well not at the moment as I'm working in Scotland now) and various places I'm at don't have much in the way of facilities.
Rather than wait five minutes for water to boil I'd rather be sitting in my van eating my sarnies and sipping my tea.

If I'm camping I take a stove, at work I use a flask.

 

[BigMonster]

One mor thing, after 24 hours in my bag I discovered my trangia is leaking. Internet says it's common nowadays. "Firegum" (exhaust sealant) did the trick.

 

[widu13]

Anyone know if it's possible to re-fill a screw on gas cartridge? If so I was thinking of taking the valve off of a 100g cartridge and silver soldering it onto a 50g container of some sort?
This would give a much smaller gas stove set-up for day hikes and the like.

Steve.

You can buy the adapters on eBay, I've got one to refill my 100g carts. Don't get the adapter that refills from a propane bottle- those things are dangerous, but mine refills from other cartridges.

 

[ateallthepies]

That's good to know, thanks widu13!

The price of 100g cartridges is crazy when compared to the bigger sizes.

Steve.

 

[BigMonster]

Also you might like this little thing:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_t...r&_nkw=gas+stove+converter&_sacat=0&_from=R40
Allows you to use cheaper cartridges.

 

[ateallthepies]

That's an interesting bit of kit as well BM!

I'm gonna have a go at making a smaller cartridge, don't worry, i'll be careful I have just acquired a High Gear Blaze stove and like the OP would like a brew kit that fit's in my Snow Peak 600 mug. I love my Meths stoves but fancy a change!

Will start a new thread on this if I don't blow myself up!!!

Steve.