How to Construct a Denatured Alcohol Stove
If you want a stove that's lightweight, user-friendly and safe to use, an alcohol burning design is ideal. Denatured alcohol is readily available, cheap and non-explosive. It burns cleanly and quietly, and it doesn't smell. Since denatured alcohol uses ethanol, and other chemicals, as denaturing agents, the purity of different brands will vary widely. To test the quality of a brand, burn a small amount and reject those that leave a residue. The right alcohol, in a pressurized jet stove, will heat your food quickly and efficiently.
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Things You'll Need
- Two aluminum soda cans
- 1/4 cup of perlite
- Block of wood
- Wire coat hanger
- Denatured alcohol
- Ruler
- Marker
- Heavy scissors
- Cordless drill
- 1/16-inch drill bit
- Ice pick
- Wire cutters
- Sandpaper
- Needle-nose pliers
Instructions
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Turn Your Soda Can Into a Stove
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1
Use the ruler and marker to measure and draw a line 1 1/2 inches up from the bottom of the first can. Carefully puncture the can, at this mark, with your scissors. Evenly cut around it to create the base of your stove. Create the top of your stove in the same way with the second can, but start one inch from the bottom, instead of one and a half.
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2
Drill 18 to 30, 1/16 inch, holes around the edge of your top piece. Drill five more holes in the center.
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3
Add enough perlite in the base to fill it just over half way.
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4
Cut six to eight slits around the side of the top piece, using the scissors. Your cuts should stop just before the rounded edge. Use the block of wood to evenly press the top piece into the bottom piece.
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5
Pour enough alcohol into the top piece of the stove to fill it halfway. Move a match across the edge of the burner, to light it. Make sure it stays lit. If it goes out, you can tip the stove, to leak some alcohol onto the top, and relight it. If it burns evenly out of the jets, go on to the next step. If it doesn't, widen the holes, with your ice pick, and try again.
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6
Cut a coat hanger with the wire cutters and straighten it with your pliers. Use the sand paper to remove any coating or paint. Bend the coat hanger into a platform that will hold a pot several inches above your stove.
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1
Tips & Warnings
A wind screen and reflector will greatly improve the efficiency of your stove.
Alcohol is a clear-burning fuel. Make sure there's no flame before handling your stove.
Don't step on your stove or set heavy items on it. If it gets crushed, you'll be eating cold meals.
