Finished Stove, but problems.

I think the fuel is the problem. I was burning just isoprpal alcohol. Going to try HEET and denatured alcohol. Maybe mix?

Iso alcohol is suboptimal — esp. the 70% concentration that's most commonly available at drug stores. Use denatured alcohol instead.

I mixed HEET and 91% Iso together and I got a good clean burn. 1/2 & 1/2 was the mixture i used and it was very clean. I am going to try to see how little HEET i can use and still get a burn that is clean enough for my liking. I also bought denatured alcohol and I'm going to try mixing that too since it is a little more expensive. (5.50 per quart).

Kyle,

Please, post your result on your best mix of 91% Iso and HEET. I kind of settled on the 50:50 mix, but got distracted with another project and didn't try any lower ratio of HEET to Iso.

Also great pics of your stove. Looks like a modified penny stove. How did you get the flames to jet toward the middle. Did you angle the jet hole some how, or did it just naturally do that? Anyway nice job.

-Mark

Mark,

The stove just naturally did that. if you're talking about the pics on flickr, i think the jets went together because it was so huge and it just came together. I did try the 50/50 mix of HEET and 91% Iso and it burned a lot cleaner and just worked a lot better. I am going to try differnet ratios, and i wil be sure to post the results, although I'm not sure they will be as organized as the ones you have recently posted.

The rising heat (chimney effect) of the flames pulls them together. You might get a wider pattern if you installed a rivet nut and cap screw in the filler hole. The pressure in the stove will rise and help open up the flame pattern. This may weigh less than the penny.

Thanks Denis, that makes sense. For Kyle's beercan pot a concentrated central flame pattern would be optimal I would think. So he may have a perfect stove for his set up.
-Mark

With .026" 'jet' holes, drilled in the top fold of the can (you drill from the inside out)the flames will be even more concentrated. For a 'Coke' sized can I'd use 26, evenly spaced holes for a pressurized stove.

Hi there,
any new insights on the Heet/Iso-Heet ratio for best-burning fuel or have we settled on 50-50?
Thanks,
Sven

Sven,

I'm still working on it, but I hope to post soon. I have been busy, and wanted to try denatured alcohol ratios also. I also am wanting to buy a thermometer so i can see how hot each mixture burns.