Which Alcohol Stove?

[Joseph Denis]

Which alcohol stove would work best with my awesome Mountain Laurel Designs
850ml Ti pot? Any suggestions??

Peace,
Joseph

[JT Croteau]

Trail Designs Caldera Cone is available for this pot and something I am considering for my MLD pot as well:

http://antigravitygear.com/proddetail.php?prod=TDCCALD

[Joseph Denis]

Oops….I failed to mention the MLD 850ml Ti pot measurements. It is 3.8" in diamter and 5.1" tall.

Peace!
Joseph

[Dan Yeruski]

The newly designed "Cobalt Blue" for 3" pots/mugs and Heineken pots would be a good starting point. It's a top jetted low pressure stove. Made of aluminum and stainless steel. A one piece stove, no separate pot stand needed. Light weight, 1 ounce.

No eBay links please.
Roger Caffin
Online Community Monitor
Backpacking Light

[JT Croteau]

I ordered a "Cobalt Blue" from Zelph a couple days ago. Looking forward to testing it out. Hopefully it will be here tomorrow so I can take it out with me on Saturday. =)

[Joe Clement]

Hope you ordered one of his tricky corrugated wind screens too. Those things work great.

[JT Croteau]

"Hope you ordered one of his tricky corrugated wind screens too. Those things work great."

Actually, this wind screen and his collapsible fuel bladder, were the main reasons I ordered his complete "Cobalt Blue" package. With a Fancy Feast stove and a StarLyte (both older models) the last thing I needed was another stove but what the heck. =) I prefer my Fancy Feast the best so far but we'll see how I like the "Cobalt Blue".

[Brad Groves]

Another pitch for a caldera cone or ti-tri. Fully integrated set-up, great in all conditions, exceptionally fuel efficient.

[Joseph Denis]

JT,

Please let us know how the 'Cobalt Blue' performs!!

Peace,
Joseph

[BILL BALLOWE]

I would like to warn people who use this particular bladder for fuel storage. I am not trying to stir up a hornets here but I feel as a fellow stove builder I have a duty to make known some information about this collapsible fuel bottle. Information that I believe hasn't been discovered or known by Zelph. I am doing this for the safety of it's users and I am sure that Zelph would not have offered this flask had he known about it.

FYI: I had thought about using this style of bladder for alcohol fuel a little while ago and had contacted several manufacturers. I inquired with each of the manufacturers about the possibility of using their products for long term storage of alcohol fuel like denatured and methyl alcohol(HEET).

The reply I received from the company that makes "The Disposable Flask" is as follows:

"Dear Mr. Ballowe,

Thank you for your interest in the Disposable Flask. We currently manufacture the flasks to hold grain alcohol. While the grade/thickness/quality of the material we use can hold grain alcohol for long periods of time with no leaching, we do not sell the flasks as a 'long
term storage' device.

We would have to test and create a specific 'flask' suitable for long term storage of alcohol fuel before I would feel comfortable making any claims.

Thank you.

Regards,
Alex Kristoff

Xela, LLC
301 Central Ave Ste 218
Hilton Head Is, SC 29926"

Hope this information saves a bunch of problems down the road.

Bill Ballowe
White Box Stoves

[JT Croteau]

Bill, good stuff but what is your definition of "long term" storage? I have no interest in storing any type of fuel in a container like this for long periods of time.

[BILL BALLOWE]

JT.

I don't know what they determine as long term storage but when a company won't back up a particular use of it's products that pops up a red flag to me. Most people will put fuel in it and leave it until the next trip and not think twice about emptying the flask.

However with most bladders like this you will never get all the fuel out of it unless you wash it out with water. With the small filler hole it is probably not a reasonable option to open the top and let the liquids evaporate on it's own like you can do a wide mouth water bladder. And with washing everyone knows what happens to fuel contaminated with water.

Maybe Zelph has an idea of what "long term" might mean.

Hope this helps.

[JT Croteau]

Bill, I asked for your definition because, as I read in your original post, you said YOU asked them about "long term storage". You said "I inquired with each of the manufacturers about the possibility of using their products for long term storage of alcohol fuel". So if you indeed used the words "long term storage" in your communication to them they naturally would respond in the way they did and that is why I am asking you. =)

However, I can see your point in that alcohol may not fully evaporate if drained.

[Dan Yeruski]

Thanks Bill for your research. As of today, I've included that information "not to be used for long term fuel storage" in the instruction sheets that are furnished with the stoves.

I have flasks and IV bags filled with different fuels sitting on shelves in my labratory under observation. I'm keeping an eye on them just to be sure.

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