Alcohol Stove Fuel Types – The Black Coating?

[evan parsons]

I've just made a quick alcohol stove. It seemed to burn fine, but a good amount of black powder coating is left on the outside of my pot. I used 91% Isopropyl Alcohol from the pharmacy, is there a better fuel?

Is this Normal? Has anybody had this same black coating result? I'm wandering whether my stove is just burning the fuel improperly or if that's just kinda the deal with alcohol.

It sits about 1.5'' high at about 3'' diameter with 12 standard hole punch sized holes placecd 1/2'' below the brim. It is a closed jet stove created from a 24 oz. Tecate beer can.

Evan

[Brett .]

I dont get any residue from my alcohol stoves. Maybe that is burned paint from the beer can?

[evan parsons]

Hi Brett-

Oh, good to know, I had began to assume that alcohol just burns that way. I'm thinking I may have the wrong type of fuel, it's just alcohol from the pharmacy, what do you use?

Evan

[Jason Klass]

Hi Even,
You're getting soot because you're using rubbing alcohol. Try denatured alcohol instead and you won't get any residue–it burns clean. You can find it in the paint section at the hardware store. S-L-X is a good brand or you can use the auto-fuel additive "Heet" from the auto parts store (just make sure you only use the yellow bottle and not the red).

[John S.]

Walmart even sells their own brand of "heet" type fuel additive.

[evan parsons]

Hey thanks ya'll,

I'm back on the right track… and after only a couple of messy experiments.

Evan

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