Home made tin can stoves

[Stanleythecat]

Hi all

That crafty secret Santa popped a small alcohol stove in my stocking and it has fuelled my curiosity about these stove and small woodfuelled ones too.

What is your prefference and why.

You obviously have to carry alcohol whereas wood you don't...

Is there a prefered design? I have seen a lot of Ikea drainers being used but I have limited funds even for that. If there are trusty designs using tin cans etc I'd love to hear about them. Pictures would be great if possible.

New Year New Project!

Many thanks in advance.

Leo

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

In his excellent book 'Survival Advantage' ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Survival-Ad...onment/dp/0952282402/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top ), author Andrew Lane describes a few improvised cookers made from tins of one sort or another. Most are pretty simple affairs, usually with a few holes punched around the bottom edge and a few flaps bent down from the top edge (of a cylindrical can with one end open & standing on the closed end if that makes sense!)Hope that helps

 

[lamper]

Leo,

A great website for all things alcohol stoves is http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm - including basic construction.

Mike

 

[jeffz]

I love my home-made hobo-stove made from a stainless steel drainer and a couple of nuts and bolts for its feet, but it's a bit heavy for a big trip that involves hiking. That's where my Evernew DX comes in - similar principle, but an ultralight and super-compact titanium multi fuel stove that can use twigs, or a small alcohol stove made from Red Bull cans, or an Esbit. Lots of fuelling choices, and fits inside a 700ml titanium mug.

 

[dazcon]

I've tried quite a few home-made stoves over the years,but this is my favourite. Tin can woodgas stove.

Perfect for my needs.

Darren.

 

[copper_head]

If anyone wants large 2.6kg baked bean tins let me know...

 

[lannyman8]

i have been messing around lots of late with tins and alcohol burners, i have 2 wood gas stoves to trial when finished, and when i get my bits from the internet a copper coil high pressure alcohol stove....

i made a coke can high pressure stove the other day, works a treat, boiled about .75 of a litre in about 3-4 mins, its only the prototype and needs a few things changing though, when i get time i will post some pic's....

 

[Stanleythecat]

I've tried quite a few home-made stoves over the years,but this is my favourite. Tin can woodgas stove.

Perfect for my needs.

Darren.

That looks pretty nifty Darren. Please could you explain the parts and where you got them... if that is not infringing copyright of your design of course!

Leo

 

[Elines]

That looks pretty nifty Darren. Please could you explain the parts and where you got them... if that is not infringing copyright of your design of course!
Leo

Yes please

 

[dazcon]

No problem. There's plenty of info on the net about woodgas stoves,thats where i got the idea from. The inner stainless can was a tea/coffee/sugar can from Tkmaxx £3. The outer was a tin of pear halves and the top is a piece of waffle type stainless i got from work. I cut a big hole in the outer can that the smaller can would snugly fit, then just drilled some holes. The hole placement is important as the upper holes are for the woodgas to ignite giving a gas-jet effect. Simple but effective. Study the second picture.Darren.

 

[jeffz]

That's really beautifully made!

 

[mountainm]

That's really beautifully made!

I agree, you should be selling them to lazy folk such as myself.

 

[Elines]

No problem. There's plenty of info on the net about woodgas stoves,thats where i got the idea from. The inner stainless can was a tea/coffee/sugar can from Tkmaxx £3. The outer was a tin of pear halves and the top is a piece of waffle type stainless i got from work. I cut a big hole in the outer can that the smaller can would snugly fit, then just drilled some holes. The hole placement is important as the upper holes are for the woodgas to ignite giving a gas-jet effect. Simple but effective. Study the second picture.Darren.

Thanks for this- I'm nearly there.

The third picture seems to have some 'waffle type stainless' at the bottom - are there actually two pieces - one at the bottom whose purpose is ???(don't know) and one at the top to serve as a pot rest.

Why is the bottom bit of waffle there and how is it held in place? If the bottom bit is simply to support the inner can why can't you just put two tent pegs through.

For those who don't have waffle stuff at work can you suggest an alternative please - for the pot rest part I'm sure most people could use something they have around - not so easy with the bottom bit as purpose is not (yet) clear

Part of my confusion may arise from their being two outers in the pics - the bottom holes in the last picture look different to those in the first three

(bet you wish you hadn't posted it now)

 

[Bones]

.........................

 

[lannyman8]

Thanks for this- I'm nearly there.

The third picture seems to have some 'waffle type stainless' at the bottom - are there actually two pieces - one at the bottom whose purpose is ???(don't know) and one at the top to serve as a pot rest.

Why is the bottom bit of waffle there and how is it held in place? If the bottom bit is simply to support the inner can why can't you just put two tent pegs through.

For those who don't have waffle stuff at work can you suggest an alternative please - for the pot rest part I'm sure most people could use something they have around - not so easy with the bottom bit as purpose is not (yet) clear

Part of my confusion may arise from their being two outers in the pics - the bottom holes in the last picture look different to those in the first three

(bet you wish you hadn't posted it now)

the reson for the 2 outer layers it to cause air flow, this air is heated between the layers and then drawn into the stove at the top, this causes the waist gas and smoke (from a normal fire) to burn causing less or no smoke, saves fuel burns better etc etc etc... the pot stand is not a pot stand, it is an area for the gas to burn, with out that gap and extra bit of air, more smoke would be caused, it does how over make a very good pot stand...

the pot stand can be improvised by another tin or fence wire mesh etc etc etc, anything that will allow air in and hold a pot basicly...

the mesh in the bottom of the tin is not needed, you can just punch holes in the inside tin... you can use tent pegs or bolts to hold the tin up, or even punch some very small holes on the inner tin going inside out so it sits on the lip, think centre punch type dent/hole...

i have been messing around with these for a while but still not got my perfect stove... i also had my bits for my alcohol high pressure stove delivered today, i should have a prototype sorted by the end of next week.....

hope the above helped..

regards.

chris.

 

[Robbi]

i would suggest that the mesh you are seeing at the bottom is in fact the pot stand in it's stored position.

the mesh pot stand would fit into the outer with the metal loopy bit at the bottom, then the inner slid inside that and the loopy bit stops the inner falling straight through.

could be completley wrong though

 

[dazcon]

Robbi's right. The waffle bit at the bottom is just the pot stand in the stored position. The extra holes you see in the outer can are there because i was still experimenting with it and decided to add them for better air intake. The waffle pot stand could just as easily be another small can with drilled holes,tuna can,small bean tin etc. It's just a can fitted snugly within another can.

Darren.

 

[Elines]

Ahh ...thanks - I understand now!