First alcohol stove

Thanks Bob, great info.

I did two more test boils tonight. Here are the numbers and a few pictures:

For both:
I used the Bottlestove
Air temp ~45*
VERY light wind
2 cups of cold water from the tap
6 teaspoons of denatured alcohol (up from 4.5 to see what the difference was)
I used the windscreen on both tests, first with it open, second with it closed

Test 1
Windscreen raised, not fully closed
It took 1:30 to fully bloom
Very little flames up the side
I had a boil in about 5 minutes (reset time after pot was set on the stove)
The flame went out about 10 seconds after the boil started

Test 2
Windscreen raised, fully closed
It took 1:30 to fully bloom
I had flames coming up the side at about 1:45 (reset time after pot was set on the stove)
I had a boil in about 3:45
The flame went out about 45 seconds after the boil started

Here's the kicker – I did two tests prior to this without the windscreen, one with each stove, and found that I couldn't get a boil with 4.5 teaspoons of alcohol. I found that the original White Box Stove had a narrower flame pattern because it's a smaller stove, but the top is somewhat un-even (didn't get a good seal) and it seemed to flame up from the top AND the jets. When the fuel went out, the jets stopped first and there was still a flame coming up from the opening on top. So I went with the Bottlestove from there on out.

I realize alky stove afficiondos like to tinker and putter about the garage or basement with "new" designs. That's a fun hobby.

But there comes a time when you have to ask yorself, "What is my goal in all this tinkering and experimenting?"

When you find an alky stove that is fairly efficient and burns well at ALL altitudes to to 14,000 ft. then you have found your "Stove Nirvana".

So take a look at the various Caldera Cone stoves from Trail Designs and their alky stove in particular, which DOES burn well at all altitudes. They have done their homework and it works. No flames shooting up the pot sides, instead heat is concentrated by the cone shaped windscreen/pot support.

If you can find a more efficient stove (at all altitudes) & windscreen combination than a Caldera cone and its alky burner PLEASE let me know.

Until then It's just "Ho-hum" for me when I read about yet another alky stove.

One of the few things that I don't like about the Trail Designs 12-10 burner is that it is not very compact, and you can crush it if you put your mind to it. Some of the White Box type burners are not quite so efficient, but they are indestructible.

Test 1 results looked good.

–B.G.–

You may be referring to others on here, in which case I understand what you are saying, but I'm not tinkering for the sake of tinkering…I'm trying to figure this thing out.

Like I said earlier, I've been eyeing a Caldera system. I'll do some math soon to see what the difference is over time in weight with a few systems.

Tyler,

Great to hear.

FWIW my stove is a MYOG copy of Zelph's mini fancee feest stove. I consider it to be a low pressure side burner of sorts.

If you look closely you will see fiberglass wicking material between the two metal parts of the stove. The half moon cut outs at the bottom allow the fuel to wick up and burn out of the side just above the outer can.

Notice that the cook pot rests on the inner aluminum bottle portion of the stove. The outer portion of the stove is a cut down Vienna sausage can or potted meat can. I cannot remember which. ;-)

In the original the cook pot "rest" was not vented.

In the final version I made four vents with a standard paper punch. The 4 vents were cut out as half moons.

I did this because I was having similar problems to yours.

I tried 3 vents and I still had flames going up the sides of the cookpot. 4 seemed to work and 5 didn't seem to improve things much more than the four.

You're making progress and as Bob and I have suggested venting the seal on the cookpot rest would also help as would another row of jets. Another option is enlarging the existing jets. All three of these will lower the pressure inside the stove. Be aware that any of these three suggestions are changeable but irreversible. :-0

My stove is nowhere as tough or indestructible as yours but it serves me well. The 12 – 10 burner is probably more durable than my stove. Your bottle stove is at the top of the list for durability.

Wishing you much more success,

Party On,

Newton

Thanks again Newton!

I think I'll be good to go for a while if I can find a wider Ti pot. Most of what I've read is that the Evernew 900ml wide Ti pot (not non-stick) is the route to go, but it seems almost impossible to find online (Hennessy Hammocks apparently has some). Are there any other good wide Ti pots in this size range that I could consider?

I will mostly be boiling water for dehydrated meals and coffee. I'd like a pot (instead of a keg) so I can use it with my canister stove if needed.

http://www.traildesigns.com/cookware/evernew-titanium-non-stick-9l-pot-eca422

MSR Titan kettle–no non-stick coating, the same weight as the Evernew, and $5 cheaper.

http://www.traildesigns.com/cookware/solo-pots

I have a BPL 1100ml Ti pot. Does the Titan Kettle have a wider diameter? That's the biggest factor that I want to change…but those handles would be nice too.

What's the diameter of the 1100 pot?

The Titan is 4.5" diameter at the bottom. I don't know what your 1100 pot is.

It's the same. I didn't have time to do the research before posting and running out the door. Just got home. Well, that settles it for the Titan – no major advantage there.

I take it that Evernew Ti pots won't be in circulation for a few more months. But does anyone have an official word on that? Or are there any alternatives? I need something that's 800-1000ml and at least 5" wide. The lighter, the better…and handles are a plus.

I have the Evernew 1.3 liter pot in stock. Best regards – Jon

By the end of next week I'll have some foster pots with handles as an "alternative"

The 1.3L Evernew is only .2 oz heavier than the 900mL. I see no real advantage with the smaller pot, especially if you often hike with another person.

Thanks for the info!

Tyler,

" I need something that's 800-1000ml and at least 5" wide. The lighter, the better…and handles are a plus."

I've had the Titan kettle and the deep 900ml Evernew and sold them both. I have two go to pots. My go to pots are a two cup and one cup Fosters cookpot from Zelph. I have a larger Open Country 3 cup hard anodized aluminum cookpot from Trail Designs, that I also use.

If you were to add a bail to this cookpot you could have a 4 oz, 3 cup cookpot with a 5 3/8" diameter bottom.

I added a bail to each of my Fosters cookpots. It is simple, easy and cheap.

Here is the link to the thread describing how it was done.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=66158&startat=40

Scroll down from where this link takes you to see the pictures. Click "Show All" to get all of the details and material sources.

Single bails work well if the cookpot has sufficient volume to allow the user to pick it up by the bail close to one side of the cookpot and then pour over/through where the bail is attached on the other side of the cookpot.

It's an easy and cheaper option that you may want to consider although it is about 100 ml short of your minimum 800 ml size requirement. ;-?

Party On,

Newton