I originaly posted this on another forum and someone asked me to post this here (sorry I forgot who you are as deleted the e-mail already <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />). It is a new and improved, but even more important - an easier to make, alcohol stove. I've tried to make the Soup can, the soda can, and even the cat food can stoves with no success. I don't do well with complicated directions-heck even had problems with plastic airplane models as a kid. So I've been on a never ending quest for a simple to make alcohol stove and my contirbution to this archane art is the Altoids "sour" stove.

Tools need: One round "Altoids Citrus Sours" tin, a drill and a 5/64th drill bit. Thats it for the basic stove. No cutting, no measuring, no tape, no making of tiny flaps, no cutting one's self on razor sharp pieces of aluminum. (total time: 2 min)

Directions:
Step 1: Eat the sour candy (this may take some time or you will age prematurly )
Step 2: Drill holes around the outside of the lid (I did 23 more or less evenly spaced holes-used a carbide drill bit)
Step 3: Fill the bottom half with about half an ounce of denatured ALCOHOL ONLY-no kidding use only Alcohol.
Step 4: Put on the lid-with holes drilled.
Step 5: Light
Small print: you do need to preheat the unit-so I use an Esbit stove. fill the bottom tray where the Esbit tab goes (its a small indentation) with alcohol and dribble some towards one of stove "wings". Place your Altoids "sour" tin on the Esbit stove, pour a little more alcohol on top. To light, place the flame so it catches the dribble at the wing (which will light the fuel under the Altoids "sour" tin) and then light the fuel on top. This will preheat the stove.
With about half an ounce of fuel in the stove it will burn almost 12 min and bring a half liter of water to a boil in about 9min. I did this with 50 deg water indoors calm conditions. I have yet to test it outside in wind (but thats what a wind screen is for). If you want to get fancy, fillthe bottom of the stove with "pearlite" (avalible from your local garden store). Now you have a simple duel fuel stove with pot support!
For an image of the stove in full blown torch mode go here and click on the attachment link
Stove at full bore

DJHall,

Here is your image from the other site. Thanks for posting this here.

DJ is right about one thing - do NOT attempt to eat all the citrus sours at once ... or you may be delving in to your PSK for a water bag to pull over your head to end your suffering. Just one of those little guys had me puckered up for an entire morning. At this rate, it'll be September before I can try to make the stove!