JB Weld for alcohol stove?

[Evan Chartier]

Hey there! Trying to figure out if JB Weld is a good idea for an alcohol stove as suggested on zenstoves.net. I am trying to make the basic side burner stove. What do you think? Would it melt or ignite?

Evan

[Jason Elsworth]

it works great.

[Evan Chartier]

According to the site, JB Weld can only withstand a constant temperature of 500 degrees F. Does denatured alcohol not burn hotter than 500 degrees F?

Evan

[Jason Elsworth]

No idea. However the stove i made is going strong after many years. Knowing bpl as I do someone will wade in with some highly technical input :)

[Colin Krusor]

JB Weld has worked well for me, too.

Epoxies (like JB Weld) usually don't tolerate very high temperatures. They tend to soften above 400F. But filling them with metal or ceramic powder (like the steel in JB Weld) holds the softened epoxy in place, so it doesn't turn to putty and sag. The bond strength drops off above 300F. But it usually works fine.

If your design requires a bond very close to the flames, just use a high-temp silicone. The strength of a silicone bond is poor at every temperature, but it won't change when heated, and some silicones will happily tolerate 600F or higher. If your design requires a good-sized gob of glue, it might also make a difference that silicones are flexible and much lighter than JB weld.

[Evan Chartier]

I was hoping to make the basic side burner stove, as described at http://zenstoves.net/BasicSideBurner.htm

They have JB Weld at my local general store, but I dont know about the high temperature silicone. Is there something specific you would recommend that I ask for?

Thanks!
Evan

[Gerald L]

Do you have a local auto parts store? That is where you will find the high-temp RTV silicone. It comes in a small/medium sized squeeze tube. It will be easier to work with too since you will have a longer 'working time'.

[Kevin Beeden]

I don't like using glue, silicone sealant or flue tape for making alcohol stoves, as it's generally unnecessary, and is an inelegant solution to the problem for low-pressure burners.

The fundamental problem with designs such as those at Zen or AGG is that they use can sections that only come part way up the burner, which gives a very weak structure, and a gap that has to be sealed.

It's much better to make one can section come the full height of the burner sidewall, and make it meet with the shoulder of the inner can, forming a robust interference fit that is adequately gas tight, mechanically secure and almost as strong as the original can. It also gives a full-height fuel cup.

This approach is used in the set of instructions I cobbled together for an OutdoorsMagic article a few years ago.

I really ought to encourage ZenSeeker to change the design on his excellent website…

[Evan Chartier]

Awesome, thank you so much for the link I will absolutely check that out!

Evan

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