Touring - my quick-cup stove for cycling

thought i'd share a quick rendition of my 15-minute alcohol stove
build - this is a lightweight stove that boils 16 oz of water in
less than four minutes - YMMV

i use this stove, a semi-pressurized sideburner, for making
quick cups of java or cup-o-noodles while on the trail

will follow up with several reviews and setups of stoves and cooksets
for cycling daytrips, overnighters or weekend jaunts

i'm sure that this is old stuff for more experienced hands here

first step was recycling an unfortunate purchase by madame for sun
protection (i normallly don't buy these types of products, but figure
it's better to recycle to usefulness than consign to a landfill)

use your Dremel to cut the empty canister into three sections:

http://www.tux.org/~bball/biking/stove/1.jpg

cut the middle section in half, flatten, then trace and cut a
smaller diameter circle to fit into the bottom of the bottom
section using a heavy pair of scissors:

http://www.tux.org/~bball/biking/stove/2.jpg

cut four notches in small end of top section; this allows
alcohol to boil, vaporize between outer and inner wall:

http://www.tux.org/~bball/biking/stove/3.jpg

take a piece of string, cut after wrapping around base section,
then mark equally (i ended up with 14 marks, each 1/2" apart),
then re-wrap string around base and mark your jet holes:

http://www.tux.org/~bball/biking/stove/4.jpg

use a 1/16" drill to hole each mark; note that the holes should
not be too low or you'll have boiling alcohol shooting out of
the stove; too high, and no flames will come out of the jet ports:

http://www.tux.org/~bball/biking/stove/5.jpg

drop the circle into bottom section, then push the top section into
the base, notches down; note that you can attempt a modified
'cope roll' by rotating the outer lip against a small-diameter
curved corner of smooth metal:

http://www.tux.org/~bball/biking/stove/6.jpg

for an example of a commercial variant with a cope roll,
see:

whitebox stoves (http://www.whiteboxstoves.com/)

(i have one, and it's a quality product)

pour in 20 ml of denatured alcohol (such as from a
yellow bottle of HEET, or SLX from your local home
improvement store); you can then prime if in a pan,
or simply light the inner well and wait for flames
to jet out the holes - and *then* place your pot
on top of the stove (i used a small brass base here):

http://www.tux.org/~bball/biking/stove/7.jpg

this is a lightweight, foolproof stove with no moving
parts; you will need a windscreen; match the stove
jet diameter with the diameter of your cook pot for
best results

i hope this helps someone here looking for a lightweight
solution to making a quick cup on the trail

Sssssswwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

love this for so so many reasons!

Here's another ultra-light tip. Last year I bought a camping french-press-mug. It had a stainless steel inner shell surrounded by a plastic insulating outer shell. I broke apart the plastic and was left with just the stainless mug. My alcohol stove is made from a tomato paste can which casts a narrow enough flame for the mug. Thus I have my pot mug and bowl all in one.

yay.

having made a bunch of alcohol stoves for fun, I must say that is a really sweet design. thanks for sharing.

beautiful!! i like the look of that whitebox stove -- but how does it compare to the brasslite? i need to buy something (and do not have the tools like you!) and was wondering between the two of those..

beautiful!! i like the look of that whitebox stove -- but how does it compare to the brasslite? i need to buy something (and do not have the tools like you!) and was wondering between the two of those..

i have the larger Whitebox and the Brasslite Turbo IID... both these stoves require a pot with a 5-inch+ bottom... the Brasslite (as you know) can simmer, while the semi-pressurized sideburners cook steadily until the fuel is exhausted..

both self-support pots; the Whitebox comes with wind screen and priming plate (foil), and sometimes [if you buy from the builder] includes a fuel bottle...

i got my Brasslite for $30 (at the source) and my Whitebox for $15.96 (on sale at the time from campsaver)

if i were looking for a smaller stove for making hot water during short cycling excursions, i'd go homebrew, the new Whitebox Solo, or the Brasslite Turbo ID (as they're smaller stoves)

i also have an earlier effort alcohol stove that is much smaller than the one here - it's good for boiling 8 oz of water in three minutes

linux: thats amazingly exhaustive.. but if i have the msr titan kettle and am doing about a month trip solo... which is a better stove for making some coffee/tea in the morning, maybe a little pasta or couscous in the evening, etc...

Has anyone tried using an aluminum beer bottle for this? Any plans?
I too have a small pile of homemade stoves in the garage.

linux: thats amazingly exhaustive.. but if i have the msr titan kettle and am doing about a month trip solo... which is a better stove for making some coffee/tea in the morning, maybe a little pasta or couscous in the evening, etc...

if all you're going to do is boil water, then the whitebox... but if you have to simmer, then the Brasslite

alternatively, if you build your own pot support, the Trangia would work (it has a 'simmer ring'):

http://www.campsaver.com/mmWINTERFIXCOM/Images/a/trangia_spirit_stove.jpg

Linux Rocks ;)

Thanks for this article. When my stove will break, this will be the next thing to do.

Again thanks,
Kfir

Has anyone tried using an aluminum beer bottle for this? Any plans?

What about this:thumb:
http://www.minibulldesign.com/vidminiin3.htm