Originally Posted by
Burton
Cool! Someone that's actually interested in USING their cookware rather than just talking about it!
The fiberglass stuff sounds interesting, but there may be another approach to heat control if you're interested. Fondue alcohol burners use a ring to control oxygen to the flame. The original penny stove (are you familiar with it?) used a 'simmer ring' that effectively did the same thing - reduced the heat by limiting the air flow to the burner. The output of most alcohol stoves is determined by the number of jets and the size of the jet holes. A simple ring that covered half of them might be another option.
There are a number of 'simmer' features for alcohol stoves, my favorite is the
Pack-a-feather, which is actually adjustable as you're cooking, without having to remove the pot and do all sorts of awkward fiddling.
Of course, I've even known people to carry two stoves (ok, well only one person), one to boil, and a second to simmer. Because the stoves themselves weigh so little, there isn't much of a disadvantage.
Of course, neither addresses the problem of a poor flame pattern, which, when coupled with a thin camping pan can lead to uneven heating. I ought to try
the flour test with a few of my stoves, just to get a good visualization.