Better Sterno Alternative

Step 4:

This burns fast and hot! It will last a few hours and can be hotter then sterno and more “pocket friendly”. Making a few of these at a time will show its value quickly. 

Comments

[KwartzKitten]

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]

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.

[bpaul3]

us hoboes call this a "squat candle"....

[Lt.Greg]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

"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]

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]

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]

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]

Parafin vapors or wax vapors will concentrate in the oven causin a dangerous explossion as soon as they reach the fire.

[lime3D]

Not at these temps.

[jray4]

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!

[amesj]

i only have one question how would you cook something on it? would you use the hotdog and stick method? and how exactly could you boil water with it? Great idea by the way. In just want to know how i could use it.

[tjesse]

Thanks!
Think of this more like a gas range in a kitchen and less of a grill. You could grill hotdogs on it if you wanted to, but a campfire would work better for that. This is a sterno alternative so you use a sterno stove or a hobo style stove. Folding sterno stoves are cheap but the fuel is not, so I made my own.

[abryant-kelso]

Would melting crayons work as well?

[bjones39]

yes crayons work.

[abryant-kelso]

awesome thank you.

[tjesse]

I don't know, I know people have made candles from crayons but I have not tried it. I don't think it would work as well as typical wax.

[abryant-kelso]

I might give it a try here this weekend. If I do I'll post some pics of it if it works. I just happen to have a ton of broken crayons stored away(crayola used to make a crayon maker to make new crayons out of broken ones) got to love having small kids lol.

[15zhangfra]

i've heard that melted crayons don't work so well because when the wick attempts to draw up wax as a fuel the coloring in it interferes and prevents the wax from cycling correctly. i don't know if this will apply to this kind of stove, since the surface area is a lot bigger than a single candle wick...

but tell us how it worked out, it's something i'm interested in.

[abryant-kelso]

Yeah is i can find a tin tomorrow I want to try it. I kinda want to see if it works maybe I'll light my pumpkins with it this year lol.

[tjesse]

Any luck? I have to admit that I'm curious.

[abryant-kelso]

I can't seem to find those altoid cans any suggestions on what else to use. I have everything else just can't find that.

[tjesse]

Tuna cans work.

[abryant-kelso]

Sweet! i'll just feed the tuna to the dog or soemthing. I think I shall try this tomorrow then and take some pics :D ty

[gburnaska]

how much smoke? can I use this as a heater when living in my car during the winters?

[tjesse]

I have not noticed any smoke, but I know that there must be a little. I wouldn't light it in any enclosed area.

[ak08820]

(removed by author or community request)

[rzartman]

Try soy instead of paraffin wax. A LOT less sooty.

[tjesse]

Why was this removed? It was a valid question. He wanted to know if wax produced more soot than other fuels. I say yes, however, it is negligible. If you use this method to save space and to avoid carrying liquid fuel (which can be a hassle to some people) then it makes no real difference. rzartman makes a good suggestion to use paraffin wax.

[Tim Temple]

This can be pocket unfriendly if you blow it out and stuff it in your pocket! It needs to cool down.

[jerry6665]

very cool!!!! i'll try this one- it's easy, quick and perfect for packing safely. thanks!