Ok Sue. Here's the skinny. All this time, and I never thought of doing this before......

You can literally burn the beer can stove on your hand!! I did it and, while it's certainly not safe because of spillage, it proved to me that the bottom of the can stays cool. The sides are of course too hot to handle while burning, but the fuel in the can, because it burns from the top and through the sides (interior walls), keeps the bottom cool.

So..... nearly ANY surface, as long as it's level and stable, can serve as a base for the stove. Now, at the very end of the burn, the last minute or less, the bottom gets very warm, becasue the fuel is burning at its lowest level....at the bottom. But it's still not too hot to touch.

No pictures becasue I can;t find where my daughter has the camera! Maybe tomorrow night...after dark.