I have seen a U-tube about Bongo alcohol stove, and was surprised at its (relative) complexity compared to a straight penny stove.

So, please someone tell me: Does the Bongo stove have any advantage over the sterno can (which is basically a ready-made alcohol stove)??

Question #2 :
Can a sterno can be refillable ?? I mean the alcohol is consumed, and maybe the gel is left, can I just add HEET and reuse ???

Question #3 :

In my country/community, we have no HEET. We do have lots of other auto-related fluids from several maufacturers. How do I know where to get (methyl alcohol) which is yellow HEET.

Paint thinner ??
Gasoline additives ??

I haven't seen it, but I'll take a look if I get a chance tomorrow evening. It's helpful if you can provide a link.

One general comment: Sterno cans do not have a good reputation for putting out heat. They're fine for keeping things warm, but not for cooking. The Trangia stove is probably the most well known stove for running on alcohol.

Sterno is gelled alcohol. When you burn Sterno, you generally consume the gel. You could pour liquid alcohol into the Sterno can after you've burned all the gelled alcohol, but you'd lose the advantage of having gelled alcohol which doesn't spill.

First off, if you can get it, pure (or relatively close to it) ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is the best stove fuel. Ethanol is less toxic and has more calories per gram than methanol (methyl alcohol). You have to carry more methanol to get the same amount of heat as you would get from a smaller quantity of ethanol. Examples of high grade ethanol include lab grade ethanol and high proof (e.g. 190 proof) grain alcohol like Everclear. Pure ethanol is generally fairly expensive and/or hard to get.

Second best is denatured alcohol with a high ethanol content. You need to check the MSDS to see what is in denatured alcohol if you live in the USA where the term "denatured alcohol" is not regulated. In many countries, there is regulated version of denatured alcohol called "methylated spirits," "meths," or "metho." Methylated spirits is ethanol with methanol added as a "denaturing" agent (an agent that renders the ethanol undrinkable). Methylated spirits is generally an excellent and safe stove fuel.

If ethanol or some form of denatured alcohol are not available, then methanol (methyl alcohol) can be used. Where to get it? Perhaps paint stores, hardware stores, industrial supply stores, or automotive supply stores will have it. It really depends on your area. In Canada, it's sometimes sold as "methyl hydrate."

Last choice should be isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol). Isopropanol does burn, but it's a smoky, nasty mess. Not recommended unless maybe you're just desperate.

HJ

Jim look Herefor the bongo stove.

Lee

Thanks. Didn't realize that the Bongo was one of Tinny's. He does good work.

Chisel, I haven't tried the Bongo, so I can't comment on it specifically except to reiterate what I said yesterday: Sterno cans don't have a good reputation for high heat output.

However, having said that, Sterno is cheap enough. Buy a can, burn off the gelled alcohol, fill it with liquid alcohol, and try it out. Let us know how it goes.

HJ