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Description

There are loads of ultralight, advanced stoves on the market, few can compete with the simplicity and supreme frugality of a traditional alcohol-burning stove. A DIY alcohol stove also compares favorably to the premade variety, coming in at about 1 ounce compared to 2.5 ounces. And the best part is that you can make this stove yourself in an afternoon with just basic tools and a couple aluminum cans. Of course, buyable stoves come with more features, but for the price and effort, the DIY version is hard to beat.

Resources

Drill
1/16th drill bit
3/16th drill bit
Razor blade
Piece of wood that’s 2″ thick
Cotton or fiberglass insulation
Denatured alcohol
Pliers
Permanent marker
Scissors
Screw
Shallow metal bowl
Two (2) 12oz soda cans

Instructions

1. Mark out 16 evenly spaced holes around the bottom lip of one of your cans. Use a 1/16″ drill bit to bore out holes at each mark.

2. Use a penny to trace a circle on the bottom of the same can from Step 1.

3. Mark and drill five holes within this circle, one in the center, and four evenly spaced around the center. Use a 3/16″ drill bit for the center hole, and a 1/16″ drill bit for the four around it.

4. First, attach a utility blade to a scrap of 2×4 (or really any piece of scrap wood that’s about 2″ thick), so that the point of the blade just barely extends beyond the edge of the board. Note, you need to attach the blade to the broad side of the board. This keeps the cut line perfectly level rather than trying to do it by hand.

5. Proceed to cut the base off both of your cans by rotating it against the edge of the utility blade. Do a few passes before separating the base from the can. It may help to depress the can just below the cut with your thumb to help the pieces separate. Clean up any jagged edges with scissors or sandpaper.

The base you drilled holes in is your stove top. The other base is your stove bottom.

6. Use pliers to crimp around the edge of your stove’s top, so that it will fit snugly inside your stove bottom.

7. Place a bit of cotton, fiberglass insulation, or homemade char cloth into the base of your stove, and then slide the crimped top into the base. If you want, you can also apply a high-temp epoxy to make a tighter seal.

Lighting the Stove
Be sure to test your stove outside, away from flammable material.
1. Pour about an ounce of alcohol (good for ~10 minutes of burning) into the center holes at the top of your stove, and a bit of additional fuel into the bowl your stove is sitting in. Finally, place the penny at the center of your stove, and add a dash of fuel to the top it. (The fuel in the bowl and on top of the penny will help prime your stove.)

2. Light the fuel in the bowl and on top of the penny. After about a minute, the stove should prime automatically, and you’ll see blue flames emanating from each of your 16 drilled holes.

Tags

• creatiive
• creatiive challenge
• stove
• survival
• survival kit
• survival skills

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