Started playing around with making some light weight stoves and was wondering if anyone else has looked into home made stoves. I made a stove out of two soda cans and a Red Bull can that burns alcohol and weighs about an ounce or so.

I've made a couple of "pepsi-can" alcohol stoves. Most of the plans have the seam between the outside pieces too low. If it leaks, you will either have burning liquid alcohol running out of the stove (bad) or burning alcohol vapor coming out (not dangerous, but it can make the stove harder to "turn off")

I like to cut the lower piece to the full height of the stove, and squeeze the upper piece inside, then seal it.

I've used epoxy and it works fine until the stove burns low, then it starts to burn off and smoke. I will try JB Weld, but I think I will rough up the can with sandpaper first, to give it a better grip.

Do you make the double walled style of Pepsi Stove or the singled walled ones?
Mine are double walled with the bottom full height to keep fuel loss to a minimum.
I?ve played with both and the doubles are easier to fill and light.
Truth be told my last stove was a Coke, Sierra Mist, Red Bull combo. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I have made 2 of the soda can stoves, the first one worked ok but I was not impressed with the burner function, the flames were too uneven and the boil time was like 7 minutes with the homeade potstand/windscreen made from aluminum flashing . Then I made a 2nd one with an improved burner design. That one worked great, actually too well, when I fired it up for the first time I had the water rolling at 3 1/2 minutes the only problem is the pot stand turned bright red and melted on the kitchen stove. I was able to get the pot off the stand and blow out the stove before I dumped 3 cups of boiling water all over the kitchen. I am in the process of looking for some stainless steel hardware cloth to make a new pot stand from, then it should work great.

You can go to zenstoves.net here web page to get more info than you will ever want on this subject

Thanks for the link I had looked at that one before but lost it.
I have been reading http://wings.interfree.it/html/main.html

Sheepdog
The 2 stoves I made were of the pressurised type from zen seekers web site. I made mine from a 12oz dr pepper can and an 8oz dr pepper can when cut to size one will just slip inside the other, and yes you have to use a high temp adhesive like J B weld. The nice thing about the pressurised stove is that you don't have to worry about the inner wall which makes construction a lot easier.

I have saved up some different size cans and want to make a multi-can sleeved "furnace" that I can insert a candle into for heat.

The reason I am thinking of a multi-can sleeved type "furnace" is to reduce the heat intensity on the outermost can so that anything touching it does not catch on fire.

There is a web site recommending the use of supplemental heat in the form of a candle for assisting individuals that are on the verge of hypothermia. They recommend wrapping the victim in a space blanket with the head outside the blanket so they don't asphixate themselves from the candle burning in the "tent" they make by wrapping themselves in the space blanket.

Because of concerns that the a candle could set off the space blanket with its open flame, I figure a multi-can sleeved "furnace" could reduce the intensity of the heat at the outermost can while still producing and utilizing all the heat the candle puts out.

The trick is to keep the innermost can covering the candle cool enough so that the candle does not melt into a blob instead of burning normally and getting enough air flowing through the outside can so it stays cool enough to keep its surface from igniting anything. Right now, I am planning on (3) cans sleeved into each other with spacer supports pop rivetted between each can. Figuring out the spacing of air intake and exhaust ports will probably be the hardest part.

Bountyhunter

I was looking at those last night! Thanks again for the contact!!

A typical caver trick to ward off hypothermia is to don a large garbage bag with only your face sticking out of a hole in the corner, tuck your knees in, sit on something insulating, and place a carbide lamp between your legs (flame out) or a candle. Mini oven. A second garbage bag helps add insulation. The only thing to remember is to maintain proper ventilation because of the moisture that is part of the combustion process.

Williamlatham:

Don't know how much latent heat an extinguished carbide lamp has, but the candle or mini oven between the legs still pose an exposed flame problem.

Older arthritic people like myself would have a difficult and in my case impossible time squating down tight without being able to move my legs frequently to alleviate pain. In the process of shifting around from time to time, it would be very desirable to not have to worry about my garbage bags, space blanket, clothes or other insulating cover coming in contact with an open flame or high temperature heat source that could ignite them.

The biggest down side will be the bulk of the "furnace".

Bountyhunter