My Thermojet does not meet specs

Vic, thanks for the encouragement; you explained the trianga puts out enough heat to melt snow so it certainly indicates I was using it sub-optimally. I have learned a lot from these forums about how to best use a windscreen, pot distance not to smother the flame, etc.. my results are better now. I wanted a lighter option, and I found a very easy pop-can stove for my first attempt. Only requires a p-38 type can opener and small scissors..
http://home.att.net/~ofuzzy1/alcohol.htm

Vick, sorry, I misspelled your name.

>I wanted a lighter option, and I found a very easy pop-can stove for my first attempt. Only requires a p-38 type can opener and small scissors..
http://home.att.net/~ofuzzy1/alcohol.htm

Fuzzy’s Lil’ Stove is a barn-burner (almost literally). Make sure you place it on a stable surface, since it is taller than most pot-supporting stoves and is therefore ‘tippy.’ If it falls over, you will have hot water and flaming alcohol everywhere. Be sure to leave the pot on the stove until the stove has run out of fuel, unless you have a big snuffer pot handy–the stove can burn itself up if the pot is removed. Otherwise, it is an easy to make and reliable stove. (See photo below.) This is a good design to know, because all you need is a discarded beer can (too easily found in many areas) and a pocket knife to make a quickie replacement/extra alcohol stove.

For a second attempt, try the SuperCat. All you need is an empty cat food tin and a single-hole punch. It works well. Also, check out the original Robinson Cat stove. It’s only slightly more complex (two cans and a can-punch) and a great performer. I have found it very rewarding to make my own stoves. Besides the above, my other favorites are the original Pepsi Can stove (the Guiness/Pepsi model is easiest to start with, and my usual choice); the Penny stove; and the Cobra stove.

http://zenstoves.net/

Fuzzy’s Lil’ Stove (Red Bull can), Heineken pot (12 oz can), windscreen (oven liner): total weight 1.4 oz (40g) for a one-cup boiler. The top of the Heine can (bottom of pot) mates perfectly with the top of the Red Bull can. The stove is glued (JB Weld) into the bottom of a Heine can to improve stability, and this also seals up the entire kit (including a 2 oz. bottle of alcohol) inside the pot.

Douglas, thanks for the advice, I will make the stoves you suggested as part of my learning curve. If I was home with my tools I could attempt any of them, but I am overseas on a contract assignment with (toolwise) not much more than a leatherman and a pair of scissors. The Fuzzy stove appealed to me because as a side-burner it does not require a pot support. Ill try the supercat next.

Below is a URL with some good advice for simple fabrication techniques. I used a bare utility knife blade, an ice pick, a C-clamp, and a push-pin to make most of my stoves. Use the ice pick (or a flat-head screwdriver from your leatherman) to cut out the bottom; just go round and round until you break through. If you C-clamp the utility knife blade inside a junk book at the appropriate height, it is easy to rotate the can against the blade edge and cut a clean edge wherever you like (again, light pressure and lots of rotations). If you can clamp down your leatherman blade it should work as well.

http://www.readymademag.com/feature_11_gotorch.php

..Douglas, thanks for the specific advice. My leatherman’s awl punches the small holes without requiring an awl or any special tools. Some of the other stoves had instructions like “a flat toothpick, not the round kind” or “fill the mold with plaster-of-paris”; the Super Cat on the other hand was a great suggestion. I’m going on an overnighter tomorrow and I’ll try my Fuzzy and SuperCat and report back. At that weight I can carry them both; how nice.. BTW, I found a $1 can opener which removes the top of these pop cans, although a little raggedly. Next group hike this is what I am going to teach the newbies (i.e. more so than me); how to make some alcohol stoves.