My old paint can stove is starting to wear thin in places after too many fires over the last 4 years. I prefer using a paint can rather then a pop can stove etc as the paint can is thicker and much stronger then the thin aluminum cans.

Below is the same stove as the old one. I chose this type of stove for it's:

- Cost: ($1.99) for a new paint can from the HW store.

- Simplicity and time to make: Less then 15 minutes. Taking the photos took up about half the time today.

- Durability: As above, the old stove is 4 years old, I could of got another season out of it but decided to replace it anyway today.

- Usefulness: With the small can size, this stove goes into the pack on all hiking trips, regardless if it is used or not. Many times we take a multi-fuel stove but they only last as long as how much fuel you want to pack for multi-day hikes. Also as you will see below, the holes drilled into the paint can are fairly small. On two separate occasions, we had a visit from the forestry people when there were open fire burn bans and they let us use the stove anyway as it was not likely to cause a fire from an errant spark emanating from the small holes.

So onto the photos, the first few are B/W as I did not notice that the camera had not been changed back to color after the last time I used it.


Start with a new empty 1 quart paint can from the HW store.


Measure out drilling points 1 inch apart on the top and bottom of the can. A cloth tape measure works great for this.


Drill the holes out. I have a drill press so it is much easier. It is hard to tell from the following photos but there are 2 sizes of drilled holes alternating.


File off the rough edges if you want.


Thats it, the stove is done.

Gather up some scrap wood and light it up. Out in the woods, I like using old dry pine cones as they burn hot and smoke free.


The new paint cans have a lining which needs to be burned off first. Don't breath these fumes...


Put the 6 cup coffee percolator on. It is a perfect fit on this stove.


As you can barely see, the fire burns nicely underneath the pot. Notice the remnants of the paint can liner on the rim of the can.


After the fire catches on, there is hardly any smoke. Of course this all depends on how dry the wood is to start with. In this case, the wood is dry as it has been sitting in my woodcarving room for a few weeks now.

The water in the percolator took 8 minutes to come to a boil after this photo was taken.

It looks like a good little stove.

Nice burner!! It would seem that more/bigger air holes would do better.

We used to put holes around the bottom using a juice can opener - the thing on the other end of some bottle openers that were used to punch holes in Hi-C juice cans. Does such a thing even exist anymore??

We would put a series of triangular holes around the entire bottom and top.

Many many moons ago, when a young Boy Scout, 100% of our cooking was done on charcoal grills made out of steel buckets the same size as those orange buckets you buy from Home Depot. The steel buckets came from a local candy factory - doubt you can even get them anymore.

Its hard to recall the details, but there were holes around the bottom, a grid of heavy wire w/ mesh above that (that's where the coals went, and then a wider grid of heavy wire above that (the pots/pans went on that).

Quart paint can... How big is that compared to a small coffee can? Not volume, diameter.

I'm thinking that with some minor changes, some stout wire and bit of hardware cloth to make an ash grill, this could be even better. But if I'm remembering the size of these can right, the rims might fit well together, so the coffee can could be a good pot

Ken:

The small holes are 5/32" and the larger holes are 1/4". The can is 13-1/4 inches OD so there are 26 holes total.

The wood burns quite well....possibly because 90% of the wood we have around these parts are pine, fir and cedar. As you know, these softwoods burn fairly fast and don't leave much of an ash pile. As I wrote earlier, I use pine cones over any other wood as it is superior in this type of stove.

I bought 2 paint cans so I may experiment with the other to see if larger / more holes makes any difference.

Ironraven:

Paint can measurements:

Circumference: 13-1/4"
Lid width: 3/1/4"
Height: 5-7/8"

Coffee Can:
Circumference: 12-1/2"
Lid Width: 3-3/8"
Height: 5-1/2"

I tried the coffee cans a few times previously. They use a different metal composition that does not hold up very well at all to prolonged high heat / cooling cycles as compared to the paint cans...in my experience that is. However this is a matter of preference, coffee cans are free....so to speak, once the original contents are used up.

What exactly is the coating and how long does it take to burn off? I assume one fire does the trick on removing it?

I am not sure what the coating is made from, but when it burns it has a real acrid odor and accidentally breathing in the fumes will give you a good coughing fit for awhile...much like burning Teflon does.
In regards to burning off the coating, it only took 2-3 minutes. I also checked the can afterwards when it cooled off and there was no trace of the coating left.

Those ODs look a little large, might want to re-check. Something less than 6 inches would be closer.

Thanks...I changed the OD to circumference.

May I suggest the Littlbug Stove...

Littlbug Stove

I have the 'Junior,' which, when assembled, is 6" tall x 5.5" in diameter, weighs 5.1 ounces and is made of stainless steel. Unassembled, it packs easily around my sleeping pad. It can burn wood (pinecones, etc.) or alcohol. It's not the quickest heating stove I've ever used, but it's fuel supply is endless.
I haven't tried it yet, but I want to see how it works with a Trangia meth burner.

- Dave

Wonder if a smaller can set up to burn alcohol would work if it were dropped inside the paint can? Or a can of sterno for that matter, use the paint can as the pot holder.

Think I'll have to head down to the local paint store later today...

JohnE

"...would work if it were dropped inside the paint can..."

Should work just fine, as long as you cut come air holes in the "pot holder" can. If you don't do that, putting your cooking pot on top will probably snuff out the fire...

I was starting to wonder how well it works with charcoal?

What I was thinking was making up the paint can as described but using a burner instead of wood. Think I'll just make one and see what happens.

I've looked into making some of the really small alcohol/can stoves but none of them seem like they'd be very stable with a small pot of water sitting on top of them.

JohnE

Are you planning on packing extra charcoal to fuel the stove? You might as well carry a gas stove and extra fuel instead.

My friend has made a denatured alcohol stove using the same paint can and a smaller can with lid to fit inside of the paint can. This works not too bad...the only one drawback is the smaller can may warp from the heat and makes for some difficulty in putting a lid back on. Usually a good couple of thumps from a rock will suffice. Also keep in mind in using this method, the lid never seals 100% and there is always a chance of leakage and evaporation.

Never had a problem with them for stoves unless I fill them with charcoal. Then they turn into a self forge. *laughs* Then again, I usually fire them and toss them in a snow bank or bucket of water while they are still hot.

Still thinking I'm going to have to do some experimenting.

I am trying this out this weekend. This is a nice little backup to my meth stove in my jeep.

I'm thinking on building one of these myself.

Ok, so I've got the parts assembled pretty much. What I'm thinking is making the paint can stove as described earlier but instead of using it strictly as a wood stove, I'm gonna make an alcohol stove insert to drop into it. Hopefully the paint can will become a pot stand/windscreen that will also allow me to use it as a wood stove if needed/wanted.

I'm going to use the can I got today which is currently holding some sliced black olives, once I eat the olives I'll convert it into the burner. Thought about using a tuna can but found out they won't fit down into the opening of the paint can. Another possibility is a small soup can which I also purchased earlier today.

I want to try and make up the type of alcohol burner that uses fiberglass insulation as a wick, soak it in alcohol and put some sort of screen on top to hold the wick in.

Off to finish making supper and then to the drill press!!

JohnE

That video with the axe makes me very nervous, and it takes a lot to make me nervous.

"Usually a good couple of thumps from a rock will suffice."

Had a boyfriend like that, once.

"I'm going to use the can I got today which is currently holding some sliced black olives ... Thought about using a tuna can ... Another possibility is a small soup can which I also purchased earlier today."

The number of people from all the survival sites who buy stuff just for the container is probably what is maintaining the economy.

Sue

LOL!!!

You have a very good point Susan, about the rock as well as the cans...;^)

The experiment continues, still figuring out the best way to make the can/burner work in the larger can...

JohnE

Yup, I have several bags of charcoal for the barbecue, and sometimes I need to park vehicles where they can not be plugged in.

If I could stuff your can stove with charcoal, light it and put the lid on it, then it might be fine for thawing out a cold engine.
It could be prepacked and ready to light.

Just so long as it does not get too hot.
More like one of those handwarmers where you light the charcoal stick and close it.
Yup, like a large size handwarmer for my truck's motor.
Shove it under the oil pan and hopefully an hour later vroom, vroom, vroom.

I must build one and test it out.
I really don't want to be setting my truck on fire if your little stove turns out to be a raging inferno.

"...video with the axe makes me very nervous..."

I have been splitting kindling that way with an axe or hatchet my entire life, and altho I always wear leather gloves, I have never cut myself. Practice and good hand/eye coordination is all it takes...

I'm not that good with one, I'd have three fingers laying on the ground trying to do that.

When the piece of lumber was larger, is it just a matter of hitting away from your fingers. Once (the wood, not your fingers) are in smaller pieces, you place the edge of the blade where you want it, then lift both axe/hatchet and wood together, then bring them both down with enough force to imped the blade in the wood. Next whack, fingers are out of the way, wood gets split. You can do it when the wood is larger, altho it is not as easy then. Gloves and eye protection a real good idea too...

Used this technique for years as well. Don't know if I developed it on my own or picked it up someplace, but only one small knick.

However, I won't do it if I'm the slightest bit dingy. Over tired, dehydrated, sick, anything that dulls the brain rules this out pretty quick. I know I'm a klutz.

At the offroad park, we hand the axe to one of my buddy's sons, who's underage, and therefore hasn't been drinking like the rest of us.

Wel, had a chance to try this out today. Upside; insanely simple, dont have to search for a place to put it, if you can build a fire, you can use this. Downside; feeding the fire, and the size of the fuel. Now, neither of these are really a downside IMHO. After all, it IS a fire. But, it takes some prep time to get the fuel ready. And, boiling time is a little longer (I got it in about 15 mins from ignition) as you have to constantly pull the cup off to put more fuel in.
Another HUGE upside; no mess!! Its a self contained fireplace! When youre done, no fire scar, no ring! Just ashes, that you can either pack out or scatter! I punched a couple holes through the lid, put some baling wire through it, and packed out the ashes. This is so KISS I am kinda surprised I hadnt seen this before. I wrote a little more in my blog in my sig, if interested.

Glad you liked the paint can stove. Yes there is bit of downside with the feeding the wood to the fire. How much water did you have in the cup?

There also a lot of factors or any fuel or wood powered stove of this sort. These factors include ambient temperature, wind, type of fuel (some wood and petroleum gases burn slower/hotter or faster/cooler), how cold the water is to begin with etc. For example our multi-fuel stove as good as it is, claims a 3 minute time for boiling 1 LT of water. We have never come close to this yet...

The idea behind the paint can stove came from my outdoors mentor. I mentioned him a previous post and thread and I will repeat it here. When I was a young teenager, my outdoor mentor was one of the last modern day mountain men IMO.

This man eschewed many (but not all) modern day conveniences in the dawn of an era that saw many gadgets and products designed to "help" the modern day outdoors person survive.

His philosophy was simple, "Use what you have on hand and don't do wasting your money on all the hi-tech stuff". Although I did not always agree with this philosophy, I adopted much of it and the credit for the paint can stove that I demonstrated here last week, belongs solely to him. It is heartening to see that someone else has found that a simple design can work so well.

Its one of the Nato canteen cups, like 3/4 way full. Water was cold...was sitting in my jeep from the day before. And, yeah, stove times vary greatly from what is claimed, to what they actually produce. I have a nice little high speed canister stove I use for backpacking trips that claim a 3 minute boil. I usually get it between 3.5 & 4. Which is fine for me.
Your outdoor mentor sounded like a smart man. Mine I learned mostly on my own, with the exception of some classes in the army.
The boiling time doesnt really matter to me, as, well, again, this is essentially a fire I was cooking over. I still like being able to cook on a fire, with no mess afterwards. You've done your mentor well, and thank you for sharing this neat little stove with us!