Better Sterno Alternative

 by tjesse
Contest WinnerFeatured
IMAG1409.jpg
How you pack for the outdoors depends on how you spend your time exploring nature. Packing light seems to be a common goal among campers, hikers and survivalists. Most also agree that having a compact way to cook and boil water is preferred. I will show you a pocket sized piece of survival gear that will surely be included in your next adventure.
 
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marccase says: Apr 10, 2012. 9:52 PM
I've been experimenting with my own camp cooking stoves and have found that wax tends to be sooty and leave a hard to clean residue on the underside of my cooking pots, this is a real problem since they nest inside one another. Does anyone know how sooty this kind of stove makes your cookware?
davidio1000 in reply to marccaseDec 12, 2012. 12:28 PM
you can stop the build up of soot by coating the undersides of your pots with fairy liquid
oraco in reply to marccaseOct 18, 2012. 4:51 PM
Cover all the outside of your camping cookware with mud. Let it dry and it's ready to be exposed to wax flames. Then, just wash out the mud and Voila!
Clean as brand new.
marccase in reply to oracoOct 20, 2012. 9:30 PM
Thank you!
LisaPolyester in reply to marccaseAug 12, 2012. 11:07 AM
If you will take liquid dish soap and smear it liberally on the outside of your cooking pans, then let it dry thoroughly before you put it over the fire, the soot will not collect on your pans and will be MUCH easier to clean. Reapply and let dry after each washing to be ready for the next use.
marccase in reply to LisaPolyesterAug 13, 2012. 10:35 AM
I'll have to try that next time, thank you.
davidio1000 says: Dec 12, 2012. 12:27 PM
you can use hex burners as stands
tastewar says: Oct 6, 2011. 9:02 AM
As a kid I used to bring a sucrets tin that was packed (not tightly, or anything) with paper towels soaked in denatured alcohol to the bus stop on cold mornings. Could light it and let it burn for a bit, then close it up and it would act as a pocket or hand warmer for some time afterwards.
Lt.Greg in reply to tastewarJul 24, 2012. 12:36 PM
Tastewar -- Sounds like you were a kid sometime before, oh I'll guess about 1975. Because nowadays the idiot sheeple who run the school system would have you arrested for carrying an incendiary device, and the numb-nutzes who ajudicate the laws would charge you with terroristic intent.
:-)p
tastewar in reply to Lt.GregJul 25, 2012. 11:09 AM
Maybe I was...

I think the sea change was more recent that that, though. Pocket knives were quite common then, too.
Lt.Greg in reply to tastewarJul 25, 2012. 1:18 PM
I figure the change began quietly right about 1979 and picked up steam sometime around 1989 - because when I started at the HS in '93, the admin Dweebs were all so nitwit liberal that they actually got upset at me for wearing a Leatherman on my belt one day. (I was the safety director, and 36 years old at the time!)

I told the head idiot that in the first place I was an adult and the tool was useful to me in my daily work - and in the second place, that I'd been up since 0200, looking for (and eventually finding and helping evac the body) of a hunter who'd sliced his own throat, and I never went into the woods without at least a Leatherman and a 4-inch Buck knife - and that I'd come right to work from the morgue, and she should be happy that I'd remembered to leave the buck knife in my office!. (She damn near fainted!)
lime3D says: Jul 24, 2012. 10:33 AM
I have been thinking about making these from paper cups, or paper chinese take-out containers, to use as campfire starters.

Who cares about the proper amount of kindling and small twigs, when you've got one of these babies?!
CasCom98 says: Jan 21, 2012. 4:48 PM
Can this be lit with a firesteel or do you need matches/ligher?
lime3D in reply to CasCom98Jul 24, 2012. 10:24 AM
It is basically a candle with a very large wick. You need a flame (matches/lighter) to get it going.
lime3D says: Jul 24, 2012. 10:22 AM
These work great!

Back in middle school, I took an 'outdoor education' elective class. We made these Buddy Burners from tuna fish cans, and cooked pancakes on our version of a Hobo Stove made from large upside down coffee cans with these burners inside. Cooked the pancakes right on top of the coffee can; no additional pan needed.

And yes, these get HOT!
dadoffour says: Apr 28, 2012. 10:00 PM
I loved this idea. I minimized the size, using a min altoids tin and dryer lint. Took a bit to get it lit, but once it was burning it burned great!
dadoffour in reply to dadoffourApr 28, 2012. 10:07 PM
One thing I forgot to say. Do NOT tape over the holes in the altoids can to fill it all the way....the tape will fall off and as the wax remelts while the candle is burning you'll have a big mess to clean up!
Tim Temple says: Apr 4, 2012. 5:33 PM
When you use an Altoids for a candle, put some scotch tape in the back over the hinge holes first. That way you can use the whole 2 cm of room.
KwartzKitten says: Jan 26, 2012. 10:06 PM
Wow, what an easy idea, and I bet a few of these in your pack could last a good while. I wonder though, how is the best way to put it out, and can it be lit again?
teawrecks in reply to KwartzKittenMar 28, 2012. 5:37 PM
The best part is that you put it out by shutting the lid. And yes it can be re-lit many times, depending on how long you burn for.
le-Sid says: Feb 21, 2012. 3:46 PM
Love it! I,m gonna make one for my next expedition ^-^
bpaul3 says: Nov 21, 2011. 9:11 AM
us hoboes call this a "squat candle"....
Lt.Greg says: Oct 6, 2011. 2:49 PM
Tjesse - Nice ibble - I've seen it before but its always nice to teach things like this to new people. I have a question however - how do you know that this burns hotter than an alcohol stove? Do you have empiracal evidence, or is it hear-say?   Not trying to be smart just wondering if its been fact-checked.
Good job though,
Thank yoiu
GM
tjesse (author) in reply to Lt.GregOct 6, 2011. 6:29 PM
Lt.Greg, thanks for showing enough interest to comment!
I can't say that I have found hard data on this, however, I do have experience with both sterno and "buddy burners". Sterno is not the greatest way to bring water to a boil but it can be done, as many sterno fans will tell you. I have not done any side-by-side comparisons, but from my experience this can be a hotter stove as stated in the instructable. "It will last a few hours and CAN be hotter then sterno...". This is a homemade stove so testing against a commercial product is difficult because of different cardboard to wax ratios and even the types of waxes and cardboard. I make this not because it is better, rather, but because its more economical and fun. So to answer the question... hear-say.
Lt.Greg in reply to tjesseOct 6, 2011. 7:59 PM
Hi sir- thanks for the come-back. I'd say you sound like you might be an engineer, except that you didn't give the "Average rated BTU's" in your original ibble! LOL!

Say, I tried this once before and didn't get it right, maybe you can give me some advice. Just how much of a gap should I leave between the cardboard slices? I think I packed it too tightly and couldn't get enough wax into the spaces. You mentioned the idea, but can you expound a little more about what the "proper ratio" of wax to cardboard might be?

Again, nice job, thanks
Greg
xfirexstarzx in reply to Lt.GregNov 16, 2011. 8:49 PM
On average, beeswax has 19,000 Btu/lb, paraffin wax has 18,000 Btu/lb, Ethanol has 11,570 Btu/lb. Theoretically, wax is one of the hottest fuels you can burn. The problem is that it doesn't burn as fast as you would need it to in order to compete with an ethanol stove.
tjesse (author) in reply to Lt.GregOct 6, 2011. 8:56 PM
I'm no engineer but I did stay at a holiday inn express last night. I don't put space between the cardboard. The corrugation has enough spaces in it for the wax. It takes a minute to get to a good temp, I would try lighting the one you made again. Even if it is tightly packed it should work the same just not last as long. The wax, just like in a candle, controls the flame as well as fuels it. If the wax is curing before it soaks in to the cardboard you can try heating the whole thing on the stove. I posted a pic in the comments.
blodefood in reply to tjesseNov 23, 2011. 12:20 PM
"space between the cardboard"

This makes sense to me now. I tried making one a while ago but gave up because I just got shooting flames that went dangerously high. I didn't use a lot of cardboard and there was plenty of space between.
Lt.Greg in reply to tjesseOct 7, 2011. 3:37 AM
I was also thinking - warm up the tin and cardboard a bit, so the wax doesn't solidify before it reaches the bottom of the tin and has a chance to saturate the wick.
xenobiologista in reply to Lt.GregNov 9, 2011. 6:20 PM
Other option: if you have a pot big enough you could pre-soak the cardboard strips in the melted wax. Pull them out and let them cool down enough to handle. Then roll them up and stuff them into the tins.
lime3D in reply to xenobiologistaJul 24, 2012. 10:30 AM
The melting point of paraffin is between 115 and 154 °F, so you could put several of these in the oven, to keep the wax in a liquid state for a much longer time, allowing it to be wicked into the cardboard.
oraco in reply to lime3DOct 18, 2012. 5:00 PM
Parafin vapors or wax vapors will concentrate in the oven causin a dangerous explossion as soon as they reach the fire.
lime3D in reply to oracoOct 19, 2012. 4:35 AM
Not at these temps.
twilap says: Nov 16, 2011. 12:39 AM
Thanks for re-introducing this idea to folks who are new here. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts have been making these for years to take on camping and survivor trips!
voyageur10 says: Nov 5, 2011. 3:27 PM
Nice work! I was volunteering in Belize for several week at a place without electricity and with a very limited supply of everything! We would make similar candles using the stubs from our old candles, we used toilet paper wicks though, this looks like a MUCH better solution. Thank you good sir!
colinj says: Nov 1, 2011. 2:16 PM
These are also great for starting a wood fire in the rain. Place the can of cardboard/wax underneath your wood (teepee or log cabin, your choice) and then light it. A tuna can version of this will burn long and hot enough to get your wood going.
PhotoMaster says: Oct 31, 2011. 9:42 PM
I call this idea "brilliant"! As a person who likes to camp, I love the idea!
jray4 says: Oct 25, 2011. 10:57 AM
So... Did anyone try the crayola wax method? I'm curious if they'll work as well.
I suppose the dollar store's candles would be just as good!
jreynolds8 says: Oct 6, 2011. 9:17 PM
you used a stove to make stove? why not just use the stove you have?
ksharp2 in reply to jreynolds8Oct 9, 2011. 6:23 PM
He didn't use a stove to make a stove, he refers to his creation as a camp stove - which it is. Unless you meant the use of paraffin, but that's a fuel source not the stove itself, besides which, his use is explained. Did I miss something entirely?
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