minibulldesign

[mojofilter]

At. My last attempt was a pressurised lamp! See sketch attached (hopefully, but I’ve not done this before). It looked great and, at the first burn, started to work, then turned into the second stage of a Saturn V rocket, went through an unplanned change of shape and produced a fire ball which took out the entire population of midges in the Oak tree at the bottom of my garden, which was nice. Not 100% tent safe.

Have fun.

AJB

Here is Andys lamp design!

If you look at the picture, that is one can, up side down. I cut out three oval panels from the sides and took off the ring pull.



I then essentially made a pressurised alcohol stove at the top of the can by inserting a cylinder, to form an inner wall, and the base of another can, with the edges crimped, through the oval hole I had made, then fixing it in place in the top of the can. I then drilled a couple of fuel filler holes in the top, which I sealed with matchsticks, in this first version. In retrospect it didn’t need the inner cylinder; I was just used to making none pressurised stoves and put it in automatically.



This gave me a pressurised stove standing on three legs. My theory was that instead of making jets around the perimeter of the can, as in a stove, I would run the pressurised vapour via a narrow pipe, which was a bugger to find, from the top of the can back down underneath the stove. So when it started to burn, the heat from the gas flame would heat the can above, so perpetuating the cycle.



After adding a gas mantel to the end of the pipe, I placed the bottom of a third can, under it. This acted as a shallow tray which was filled with alcohol and used to pre heat the whole can.



So in theory, once the tray right at the bottom was lit, that would heat the pressurised stove at the top. The vapour it produced would be forced down the pipe to a point directly below the pressure vessel where it would burn in a gas mantel. The heat from that would drive the system. QED, no problem, safe as houses!



It started to work and, I think, the mantel ignited properly, then it turned into the kind of thermal lance which they use to cut through safe doors in heist movies. This didn’t do much for the structural integrity of the coke can. It stood up to it for about twenty seconds then flopped, dropped the hot Meths, in the top, onto the gas mantel and the whole thing went off with a satisfying WOOF.



I may try again when I stop getting the flash backs.



Andy

Has a bit of potential methinks!

 

[Great Pebble]

Every time I make a "proper" coke can stove it refuses to work, whenever I do one rough handed it's the meths equvalent of a jet in afterburner.

As I've seldom been anywhere where I didn't find some sort of empty can I've determined to "make as I go".

 

[maddave]

All the home made stoves you could ever wish to build can be found here......

http://wings.interfree.it/

Have fun kiddies, and be safe

 

[marcja]

Tried this last nght and failed miserably, all I got was a ball of flames. I think I know where I wen wrong though. How does the strip inside work then is it meant to go tight to the top and bottom section or what??? ALso, only fuel I could find was lighter petrol for my Zippo but fuel is fuel isn't it.

 

[AJB]

Hi, the cylinder inside is locked in place by the rims on the inside of the top an bottom of the can. The tighter the fit the better as, within this double wall is where the pressure is built up to force the vapour out of the holes you have made. (Don’t forget to add a couple of small hole in the bottom of that cylinder wall to allow the fuel into the double wall.) I’ve never built one that doesn’t work, I think where you are going wrong is the fuel. These work with denatured alcohol (Meths). Zippo fuel is virtually petrol, as I understand it, as Zippos work on either, so I’m not surprised you got a fire ball. Meths will burn at a lower temperature and is less volatile. If you put Meths in the one you’ve made you will probably find it works.

Good luck.

 

[VIRULENT SALAMANDER]

I see from the pic's that RB put up that he never used the high temp. aluminum flue tape.
I was of the belief that it was needed after watching; http://www.minibulldesign.com/vidminiin3.htm
its nice to know that it can works without as the only place I have found the tape is Jewsons @
£14 per roll.
Thank's for posting.
Good work again RB.... ..

 

[capacious]

One rep point coming your way

 

[filcon]

Give that a try,what other fuels have you tried.cheers fil

 

[rapidboy]

I see from the pic's that RB put up that he never used the high temp. aluminum flue tape.
I was of the belief that it was needed after watching; http://www.minibulldesign.com/vidminiin3.htm
its nice to know that it can works without as the only place I have found the tape is Jewsons @
£14 per roll.
Thank's for posting.
Good work again RB.... ..

I had forgot all about this thread.
I can't coment on how the stove would perform with the tape, it might work better but i liked the idea of being able to make this stove if you got caught out without your burner.

My father was walking in the mountains a couple of months ago and he had just set up his Swedish Army Trangia to brew up for lunch and his dog knocked the whole thing flying.
Trangia went over the edge of a cliff and he returned homethat night freezing cold, hungry and more than a little browned off.
He was telling me all this as we ate our lunch together the next day and as we ate i made one of these to show him how easy it was.
If he had known how to make it he would been able to heat a can of soup and his walk would have much more comfortable.
In other situations it could be life saving so i think it's worth making one of these at least once and locking that knowledge away in case it's needed.

rb.

 

[VIRULENT SALAMANDER]

yes, its the simpleness that make it so great . They take less room than many store bought stoves that I have seen and there's so many tin cans laying around these days.

​

 

[MickG]

DO NOT USE PETROL PRODUCTS AS THEY MAY EXPLODE
Use METHS
Mick