Slow burning DIY meths stove

[Carbuncle]

A bought a caldera cone a while back and really liked it. But last spring, in a rather embarrassing, yet entirely sober, incident I crushed it. After that, I tried my whitebox, and while it worked it burned like billio, presumable due to the chimney effect of the cone.

Now, all the posts on here re. DIY stoves have got me wanting to make a Lynx stove to fit, but I was wondering, what parameters do you vary to make it burn slower? The size/number/position of the holes?

Cheers.

 

[Chinkapin]

Some people seem to have good luck with "simmer lids" to slow things down. Unfortunately they don't seem to work well for me on a pressurized stove. Someone else may have had better success than I. Mine either are still too hot or just cause the stove to cool, quit pressurizing and then go out.

I think it might not be bad to make a stove just for a low heat / simmer. In my experience, larger holes, which keep pressure down, and fewer of them, perhaps just 4 seems to work fairly well.

There are a lot of variables on these stoves (none of us make them the same height or diameter, necessarily and thus the pressure in them varies.) Also, the quality of your alcohol (which can vary a lot) will effect pressure, heat, etc.

For a HOT burning pepsi can type stove, I use the smallest drill in the Dremel tool drill kit. I use 24 holes. This has been the best combo that I have come up with. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Carbuncle]

Cheers John, I'll have a pop at a pepsi can stove with larger holes.

 

[conall]

A bought a caldera cone a while back and really liked it. But last spring, in a rather embarrassing, yet entirely sober, incident I crushed it. After that, I tried my whitebox, and while it worked it burned like billio, presumable due to the chimney effect of the cone.

Now, all the posts on here re. DIY stoves have got me wanting to make a Lynx stove to fit, but I was wondering, what parameters do you vary to make it burn slower? The size/number/position of the holes?

Cheers.

You can dilute meths with about 10% water which reduces the amount of heat it produces, you could try experimenting with that

 

[salan]

In my opinion, the best type of alcohol stove for slow burning is a wick stove.
Have a look at here. for ideas www.minibulldesign.com
Tiiny has really developed the alcohol stove well.
I am not saying buy his (although thats not a bad idea), but the principle is worth looking at. I have tinny stoves that I bake with and they last getting on for 1 hr on one fill.
Alan

 

[rik_uk3]

Just buy a Trangia burner with simmer ring, one fill and you get about 50 mins of simmering. Home made alcohol stoves are fun to make but in reality pretty much crap to use; no offence to anyone meant.

 

[beamdune]

The caldera cone was designed as a system with the stove it comes with - a chimney stove.

A guide to something for something here http://users.sisqtel.net/losthiker/pikastove

 

[rik_uk3]

The caldera cone was designed as a system with the stove it comes with - a chimney stove.

A guide to something for something here http://users.sisqtel.net/losthiker/pikastove

I'm very aware of the Caldera system but did not realise this thread was limited to it looking at the title. I must read more in the future

 

[slammer187]

A few questions to ask yourself first would be:

What pot are you carrying?

What's your weight limit?

Where will you be using your stove...at camp...on the trail?

Maybe a meths stove is not for you, I like to carry a clean burning wood gas stove...but remember most wood gas stove designs are useless so you may want to adapt your own design to what you want to make....I also carry an MSR Pocket Rocket stove when traveling fast and light...IMO meths burners are messy, sensitive and a bit dangerous if not used properly.

I used to carry a meths burner which worked well but gas and wood gas is easier for my needs!

 

[Carbuncle]

Cheers all. Just to say, I _loved_ the caldera and used it for a good while, before I nearly set a sun baked welsh hillside on fire, and stamped the poor stove out with the flames. As has been said, it's a system, as I've found out when trying to substitute other (commercial) burners. The best was, as Rick suggested, the trangia (well, actually tatonka) with simmer ring, but that is a faff and a half with the cone, and I gave up after a handful of trips.

I could of course just bin the cone and buy another caldera setup, but the talk of diy stoves has got me wanting to do one. The pika looks closest to what I remember the original to look like - cheers salan.

Beamdune - those minibull burners look very nice - variations on the penny stove (the atomic anyway - some funky space age designs too).

Conall - The dilution might be a good idea, it keeps the pot cleaner too - not theat I've ever tried, I like black pots.

Cheers Gents, a few things to play with at the weekend.

 

[beamdune]

I'm very aware of the Caldera system but did not realise this thread was limited to it looking at the title. I must read more in the future

No need to be sarcastic Rik, I was a bit hurried with my post but was just trying to point out the caldera was conceived as complete system not a generic windshield. Using other, different types of stoves*, change the height from flame to base of pan, give out too much heat within the confines of the cone etc etc

* big trangia fan by the way

 

[salan]

Just buy a Trangia burner with simmer ring, one fill and you get about 50 mins of simmering. Home made alcohol stoves are fun to make but in reality pretty much crap to use; no offence to anyone meant.

The Trangia burners are robust and work.
BUT the amount of fuel that will use could do me a good few meals in another style of stove.Doesnt mean to say I don't use them!
but then again using a petrol stove etc wastes a lot of its energy heating the air as well as the pan.
Alan

 

[conall]

A bought a caldera cone a while back and really liked it. But last spring, in a rather embarrassing, yet entirely sober, incident I crushed it. After that, I tried my whitebox, and while it worked it burned like billio, presumable due to the chimney effect of the cone.

Now, all the posts on here re. DIY stoves have got me wanting to make a Lynx stove to fit, but I was wondering, what parameters do you vary to make it burn slower? The size/number/position of the holes?

Cheers.

Hey Carbuncle, bit late in the day probably but I have seen a cat stove made that would be ideal for a replacement stove and nearly the same as the one you squashed, they used a small tuna can and instead of opening by pulling the ring pull lid off they cut out the small ring from the base and emptied the can and then drilled required holes around the outside. may have been on zen stoves or homemade outdoor gear.

 

[Carbuncle]

Hi,

Just to update, made one today. Baically, an unpreassurised stove, as per conall and beamdunes links (as opposed to the lynx stove for e.g.), Basically, a rough version of the pica stove (the same priciple as the tuna can stoves conall reffered to, if I got the right link).

The good news, id that with _under_ 30 ml of fuel (about 28ml I think, it was dark), 500ml of water was at a full rolling boil by 7 minutes, and the stove burned for 12 minutes. Perfect for a brew/rat pack meal.

Cheers Gents for all your help. I'd put up photos, but I can't find the gallery (anyone know where to go?). Now on to do a neat version, there's only so much you can do with a mora!

 

[Carbuncle]

Here it is: