Question on a swedish military stove

[oldsoldier]

I have used the homemade alcohol stoves in the past, & am familiar with how much alcohol to put into them (mine, about 1/4 full, will boil water). However, I have been trying to figure out how much to put into the trangia stove to adequately boil water. I JUST got my stove in th3e mail today. Its hefty, being brass, and I am assuming, reading numerous posts, has some sort of wick in between the two walls (my alkie stoves do not have this, and rely strictly on pressure). So, how much should I put in, assuming that a certain amount will be absorbed by the wicking material? Should the cup be 1/2 full, 1/2 full, or not full at all? Assuming its a nice day, and I want to boil water for, say, maiking mac & cheese. A roundabout idea is what I'm looking for. I am taking it out tomorrow, and am hoping to get an answer before then. Thanks!!!

 

[Wavey Davey]

When you first put some in it gets absorbed and the level will drop. I just keep adding fuel until the level stops dropping so you know the reservoir is full. With the fuel level 1/4 inch or so from the top it will easily burn for long enough to boil your water. You should then have plenty of fuel left in the burner which you can pour out if necessary when cool, although there should be a seal in the lid which will keep the fuel in until you need it next time. I would suggest that if you only want to add enough fuel for your brew up that you fill it up from a full bottle, boil your water then put what's left back in the bottle. You can then see roughly how much you've used so you can use the same amount next time. One thing to bear in mind is to make sure that the burner is cool before you put the lid on and don't use the lid the right way up to extinguish the flame otherwise you'll melt the lid seal and you'll get fuel in your kit unless you empty the burner each time.
Cheers, David.

 

[oldsoldier]

thanks! Just tried that out, and it boiled half the tin of water in 10 minutes, in my kitchen. So, outside, I can reasonably expect about another 10 minutes for the current weather. I filled it until there was about 1/4" in the bottom, and, am left over with a little left at the bottom of the cup. This gives me a good idea of where to start with this tomorrow. thanks for the info!