Pepsi Can Stove versus Penny Stove

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I can't find any Heineken cans that look like the ones needed for the Penny Stove... so I'm thinking of making a Pepsi Can Stove instead. Is the Penny stove a better version or it doesn't really matter?
Where can I find a good tutorial for the Pepsi can stove?

Thanks in advance
 

gregorach

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 15, 2005
3,723
28
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Edinburgh
You can make a penny stove out of more-or-less any cans, they don't actually have to be those fancy Heineken ones.
 

stevesteve

Nomad
Dec 11, 2006
460
0
57
UK
Oh no. Definately Guiness rather than Tennents... in terms of emptying them that is!

I think I last used Boddingtons tins.

Cheers,
Steve
 

tommy the cat

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 6, 2007
2,138
1
55
SHROPSHIRE UK
Two fake red bull cans are a nice small solution. Burns well put with the penny stove you have to burn all the meths in the can as they are a bit tricky to empty.
I followed a tutorial on you tube.
One tip is to get one can cut and open it up a bit by using the bottom of the other can to widen the opening of the can in order so that they will fit together.... and to use a bit of loft insulation in it ....and finally use one of those plastic notice board tacks to do the holes easier than drill
Dave
Ps I didnt drink the stuff my mate did as it sucks.
 

Graham_S

Squirrely!
Feb 27, 2005
4,041
65
50
Saudi Arabia
Use a small can such as a toast-toppers/tomato puree tin as the base with a red bull type can as the top. it gives you more internal fuel space.
 

rg598

Native
The one you are looking at is the traditional design. It works very well. You might also want to look at the Tuna Can/ Cat Food stove design; it performs better, even though it weighs more. http://zenstoves.net/CatCanStove.htm (you don’t need the insulation inside-it helps only in very cold weather)

At one point in time I used to make a lot of alcohol stoves, and at the end of the day it became clear that the important thing when it comes to such stoves is the amount of alcohol you can burn with the particular design in a given amount of time. The amount of energy produced does not change based on whether you use a pressurized stove, a chimney stove or just an open container. One ounce of alcohol will produce the same amount of heat no matter what design you burn it in.

Therefore, the type of stove you should use depends on the pot you will be using with it. That is because you have to make sure the heat transfer is as efficient as possible. You can take one ounce of alcohol and place it in a pressurized stove, or in a very wide container, and it will burn very quickly, producing a lot of heat. However, if you are using a very narrow pot most of that heat will escape into the air. On the other hand, if you burn the alcohol too slowly, either through a stove that does not pressurize well, or has a small opening, then the heat will never effectively reach the pot.

I have found that the most efficient transfer occurs when it takes one ounce of alcohol to boil two cups of water in about 10 minutes. With different pots you will need different stoves to get that result. Part of the reason is that certain pots capture the heat better than others, and also because the way the pot reflects some of the heat also affects the way the stove works. For example, a wide pot will reflect more heat on to the stove, which will cause it to burn the alcohol faster. A good way to know if you are burning the alcohol too fast is to see how far up the sides of your pot the flames go. If they reach more than one inch from the bottom, you are burning it too fast.

At the end of the day I started using just an open container as a burner. (I would not use the designs on the site for open burners-they all have openings that are too wide and will waste alcohol unless you are using a very wide pot) You will see that most of the fancy designs look cool (more like a real stove), but the result is better with a much simpler, open container. For the one litter Snow Peak pot that I use, or for my canteen cup, I have found that a container with an opening the size of a tea light candle holder, one to one and a half inches from the base of the pot produces the desired result.

The reason why people developed the design you were looking at, or pressurized designs, other that looking cool, was that they create pressure (obvious with a pressurized stove). The design you are looking at creates the pressure between the two walls of the stove, forcing the alcohol out of the small holes. By using pressure you can pump out a lot of alcohol, therefore creating a lot of heat. You can however, get the same results by using an open burner with a wider opening. Instead of creating pressure, you are increasing the surface area of the alcohol exposed to the flame, causing it to burn faster and creating more heat. The advantage of the open burner is that the process and calibration is much easier to control.

If however, you are set on a fancy design, I would go for the Cat Food Stove and its variants. It produces the best results, as long as you are not trying to count ounces.
 

basha

Forager
Aug 9, 2006
242
1
64
kent
rg598, you made some very interesting points. I think the alcohol stove still has a lot of potential. I have been adapting Trangia burners and ‘mini-bull’ stoves to work with simple windshield/pot supports and more recently with the British Army hex. stove.
It is quite surprising just how small variations in pot size, burner-to-pot distances etc. can alter the efficiency. It took me a while to realise what seemed like a hot burning Trangia was in fact just burning fuel inefficiently. I have found that some of the problem was by protecting the burner from wind can also have the effect of causing the burner to overheat and burn fuel too fast. I try to incorporate some sort of heat insulation to the burner to try and reduce this.
The most efficient burn I have achieved so far is with a low ‘mini-bull’ burner in an adapted hex. stove; I have managed to boil ½ litre of cold water in about 5 minutes. with about 20cc of fuel.

I’m curious about your proposal of open burning in a night-light sized container; I’ll have a go at that.
 
I can't find any Heineken cans that look like the ones needed for the Penny Stove... so I'm thinking of making a Pepsi Can Stove instead. Is the Penny stove a better version or it doesn't really matter?
Where can I find a good tutorial for the Pepsi can stove?

Thanks in advance

You could have a look at the tutorial I made for using a Coke can. Doesn't work with a Pepsi can however... :rolleyes:

http://mungobah.blogspot.com/2009/01/tutorial-on-how-to-build-coke-can-stove.html

Mungo
 

leon-1

Full Member
If you are after a good tutorial then look at the one on british blades here. It's very clear and concise, Martyn did a good job on it.

Can size is dependent on what you want it for, if it's for a quick brew or just to boil water for a pot noodle then the mini stoves are very good. If it's for cooking a meal look at a larger stove that can give you a slower burner that does not generate so much short term heat, but burns for longer and gives you the option of not burning your food.

You could do worse than looking up "Don Johnson's Photon Stove", they are reasonably quick can be made with the minimum of tools and you can cook properly over them.
 

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