How to Make a Portable Stove From Beer Cans
For many campers, reducing the weight they must carry and the amount they must spend on their gear are important considerations. Some campers turn to do-it-yourself solutions to solve both problems. A staple among these solutions is the beer can stove, an ultra-light and nearly free portable camp stove. There are many different designs of these stoves, most of which burn alcohol and provide sufficient heat for one person nearly as well as expensive commercial camp stoves.
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Things You'll Need
- Two empty beer/soda cans or one unopened beer/soda can (other beverage cans may be used as well)
- Craft knife
- Sandpaper
- Single-hole paper punch
- Quarter
- Pen or marker
Instructions
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1
Cut the bottoms off of two identical beer or soda cans with a craft knife--one so that the bottom section is 3/8-inch high, the other so that it is 1 1/2 inches high. Cut carefully and make the cut lines as smooth and even as possible.
Discard the rest of the cans.
Use fine sandpaper to smooth the sharp edges of the bottom sections.
Alternately, you can use one unopened beer can and cut off the top inch and a half to replace the larger bottom section. If you do this, remove the pull tab without opening the can to make it less likely to accidentally open and spill stove fuel later, and be sure to cut the unopened can over a sink, as the beer will drain out of the can once it is cut. -
2
Punch six holes in the sides of the larger section with a standard one-hole paper punch. With the open end of the section facing up, the holes should be slightly above the middle of the section and should be evenly spaced all the way around it.
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3
Place a quarter in the center of the smaller section and trace it with a pen or marker. Remove the quarter and cut out the circle with a craft knife. Make the hole as even as possible, and avoid making it larger than the original circle. Use sandpaper to smooth out the edges of the hole.
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4
Turn the smaller section over so that it is oriented the way it would originally have been (cut sides up). Place the larger section, oriented the opposite way (cut sides down) over it and press the smaller section into the larger one. This may require some effort, as the two sections have the same diameter, but the metal will flex enough to allow it. Press the larger section down until it is resting on the surface that the small section is resting on, and turn the whole completed camp stove over.
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5
Fill your completed stove with grain alcohol or denatured alcohol and simply light the fuel through the center hole to use it. Other fuels can be used if necessary, but most other available fuels are either toxic or will leave a lot of soot and residue behind when burned in this type of stove.
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