Pocket Alcohol Stove - "Jet Stove" (Camper's Guide)

Today I am going to show you how to make a "Jet Stove". A stove that can fit right into your pocket! The stove can be powered by hand alcohol or anything similar. There are tons of useful applications for it. You can use it for camping, for winter warming, during brownouts, when you run out of LPG tanks or for emergency purposes. Just follow the simplified instructions and you will do fine.

What Is A Jet Stove?

A jet stove is a small piece of contraption that uses alcohol as its fuel. It works when the can gets heated by the burning alcohol around it, heating the can causes the alcohol inside the stove to evaporate into flammable fumes, the fumes now exit the holes, the fumes now ignites into flames. It is a cycle.

I used an  Apple, iPhone 4G to take pictures of the project.

Here Is My Video:

 

Step 1: Tools And Materials

Click on material to see where to buy.

Tools:
- Multi Purpose Pliers (Leatherman)
- Dremel (or similar)
- Scissors
- Sanding Paper (Fine)
- Marking Pen (Sharpie)

Materials:
- Alcohol (Ordinary/ Denatured)
- 2 Empty Soda Cans (Recycled)
- Super Glue (Gorilla) 

Comments

[fozzy13]

Cool and interesting. I've seen a lot of alcohol stoves, but I don't think I've seen one like this before. Good job.

[hellaroms]

how longs it burn? looks like a cool lamp, ad some scented oil and you have a centerpiece.

[ASCAS]

15 ml of alcohol burns for 7 minutes.

[DavidGladstone]

Nice stove, what does the coin do?

[ASCAS]

It seals the holes in the middle, it prevents the flames from getting out in the middle part.

[heqichen]

one year ago...

[ASCAS]

That's pretty nice!

[Macworldwizardz]

I love the idea! To be quite honest, I am going to go buy the stuff tonight to build it (because this is the only thing I've ever found that you don't have to spend crazy money on and it's worth it to use!)....

But, how is it a "stove"? What can you "cook" with it? I thought anything to "cook" would crush the little can... so what could you use it for? I am by no means trying to disappoint you or upset you or be rude... I just would like some ideas on what to use it for (I got the idea for a little heating source lamp type thing)...

Going camping so I will use this when I go.

[dread]

Three rocks of the appropriate size and in the right locations around this burner will keep your pot stable, but they will also stop the flame holes from being blocked by the pot. They may also be oriented to provide a wind shield if that is an issue.

[metqa]

just like gas powered stove top has a metal plate for the pot to rest above the flame, you would need to supply some sort of elevated support and not put the pot directly on the stove or it may be crushed. In the video he had the stove inside a larger pan ( looked like a cookie tin) and on top of that placed a metal wire ...dunno what it's called...and sat the pot on top of that. This is a good question to ask because I've seen examples where people placed the pot directly on the stove and that seems very unstable and dangerous to me.

[hauntfreak5366]

I have a Swiss volcano stove that you can use any type of burner / fuel in. This works great. I used to use the small cans of Sterno in it but at times it would burn out before the water was boiling. Now I only use one of these. I use the Fuel line defroster known as "HEET" it works absolutely perfect and it is cheap. I buy mine at Walmart for $1.39 per 12 oz. bottle. Also if you take a small coffee can and cut the top and bottom out then using a old style can opener "the one that punches out triangle holes" punch holes all around the top edge and a few around the bottom for breathing holes, it makes a great wind break and pan support.

Oh and Great Instructable, this has many uses and could cook food during a power outage or other disaster.

[burnerjack01]

Angelo, great job. You are a very talented young man. Best wishes.
One thing though, about the hole size, you state "not too big, nor too small".
Might be a good idea as to state what size you made yours. you can always say "It's not too critical, but mine were 1mm or 0.042 in.". just sayin'. Always a good idea to give exact information when instructing so the person learning will know to expect it to work as good as yours, if not, because they failed to follow instructions. But, hey, still a great instructible and hope to see more from you.

[dkerber]

Awesome.

[MrRedwood]

By the way, the site zenstoves.net has many, many, many variations on these little stoves.

[EggHead101]

I made mine very similar to this design. How ever I made a pot holder out of hardware cloth (Metal wire) in a circle and then put a square on the top. It will hold a good sized pot with ease. I will have to post a picture. Also Make more than ONE - when one runs out of fuel - simply insert the next one to keep cooking. Mine runs about 7 minutes too.

[EggHead101]

I've made 10 different styles - this one is the best by far. The top of the bottle is inverted into the bottom and JB welded. (JB Weld is a cold weld that you mix and apply with a Q-tip to seal and bond the metals together) Holes on the inside and outside. Good clean and well rounded flame. No need for a "Pre-heater" either. there are 3 holes in the bottom - so the outer chamber fills up. light the center and it heats the outer ~ voila. Hardware cloth is the pot holder - make any size / hieght needed.

[james.recee]

this is the most practical one i have ever seen, and surely simple to make. Well done.

[ASCAS]

Thanks!

[ASCAS]

I did the cage thingy about a year ago. I will try to take pictures of mine, besides that, yours is great.

[Macworldwizardz]

Thanks for the reply.. I might try this. I am a student and I couldn't see the YT video yesterday (iBoss Filters) but I did yesterday at home and I see the "cage thingy" pictures. That is actually a nice idea/addition. If it is around the can, you can set the small pot on top of the rack thing around it to stabilize it. Thanks for the help!

I will try to do something like this in the near future...

[ASCAS]

You can cook foods that takes 30 mins to cook. It boils water for about 5 mins. I tried cooking instant noodles, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, hotdogs, sausages, fried fries. The amount of alcohol and the size of the stove affects the operating time of the stove. Mine is a bit small so it works for about 30-40 minutes.

[Kimmied]

Very cool! I wouldn't have thought about using a soda can!

[BlackSheep1]

Simple trick for easier sanding-off the paint:
BEFORE you wash out the cans, fill them half full of water and freeze them.
Now, you have a solid core to back up the can while removing paint -- can even buff it off with a wire pad on a power drill if you want.

Let them stand and thaw, pour a drop or two of soap in and shake to foam, wash the cans out and proceed ...

[ASCAS]

That's a great idea! I've never thought of that.

[ASCAS]

Thanks! Oh yeah about that, I used 0.8mm drill bits for my holes.

[tonyscott]

very nice, clean and easy job, thanks for sharing. tony.

[BabyBear99]

thats really cool and works well :)

[mattdj1]

looks good i will have to try it good job ASCAS

[Velin9]

For me the hardest part is finding the alchohol

[ASCAS]

You can just use any kind of hand wash alcohol, although the ignition time would become slower. Denatured alcohol on the other hand, has a faster ignition time and burns more efficiently compared to the hand alcohol.

[fretted]

I never get over the brain power of the occupants of this site

Bravo !

[chokapi]

These are often called penny stoves, as you use a penny to cover the filling holes before you light it. I make these all the time, mostly for fun and to have twenty of them around just in case. In case of what? Got me, but I'll have them.

In the images, you'll see a small metal 'dish.' That's the priming pan. Add a little fuel to it first, then fill with about 2 oz. of HEET through the top (two holes under the penny.) Then, light the fuel in the priming tray. This heats up the fuel as well as ignites the jets.

I've never used any kind of sealant. I get about 15 mins of burn time indoors, various outdoors (you may have a hard time keeping/getting it lit in colder temps, less burn time in windier weather.) Be sure to have a windscreen. Flashing will accomplish this. Also, for a pot stand - three metal tent stakes works great.

[fatboy07]

hey, very nice project! :) the alcohol you use is green cross alcohol?

[ASCAS]

No. Actually I just reused the container then filled it up with denatured alcohol.

[andrewbaker]

Three helpful hints for anyone making this.
1: Use a wire brush attachment on your dremel to remove the paint from the can.
2: If you don't have a drill bit small enough for the outer holes, use a small nail.
3: If you get superglue on your hand, nail polish remover removes it with ease.
Hope i helped some of you out.

[Goodwin7]

Nice! Well Done and well written. Thanks for the step by step.

[pj63]

Great.... well done.. I make these when i go fishing.. A few tips I use which you may find useful (or not...lol) Are.... If you place a full can gently in side the first cut piece and press down you will stretch the cut can. Then the second piece fits nice and tight so you dont have to glue it... Also I use a piece of 'Roof Insulation' (the yellow fibre glass stuff) inside to soak up the FUEL,so if you knock it over it doesn't spill everywhere... Oh its SAFER to hold the 'stove' and warm it underneith with your lighter until it gets to hot to hold and light the fumes.. Good Instructable....

[Orngrimm]

I do the same and they fit perfectly. Will never come apart and are AIR(!)tight.
However, i ran into some troubles on the way...
So here are my additional hints for expanding the cut cans:
- Use a full (and prefferably pressurized) can to expand the cut one.
- Press the full can in the cut one and not the other way around (Cut over full)
- You can press quite hard if you add the water (see next point) to expand almost all of the cut can. I normally expand 2 third of the height of the cut can.
- Always put 5-10 drops of water in the cut can and dont turn them (The full and the cut can) over if they are inside each other. Now if you want to have them apart, simply hold your lighter under the cut can and the steam-pressure pops them right apart. If you expanded more than a few mm you have no other way to separate them again.

I often repeat the expanding 2 times till they really fit snuggly.
If you press the 2 cut halves together (one expanded, one NOT), be sure you have at least one hole already drilled to let the air escape.
It also helps to have both cut cans the same height: If the inner & top (hole-containing) can is around 1mm away from the cut line of the lower & outer can you know: This is the end ynd you shouldnt go any further.

I once made such stoves just for fun out of Coke and Redbull-cans... till i found out that a lot of people found them cool and i made a ton of gifts. :)

[TheCritic]

Great job, And very clean burn too. I will have to try this out.

[stephenfitton]

lovely project,
Here is a SIMPLE SAFETY FACTOR to incorporate into your project,put in (( STEEL WOOL)) ,this prevents pre-ignition(Explosions) in case other fuels are mistakingly used, by lowering ignition temperature.

[Dan J F]

this is great fun i didnt even glue them together i just jamed them in it still worked fine, i used metho and it worked great but then i tried kerosine and this is what happened :S

[ASCAS]

Great! But did it it leak?

[Dan J F]

nope

[tmn8tr]

Very nice. I would substitute the CA, or superglue for a thin bead of silicone sealant.(before you put the two halves together.) It will stay flexible, it's impervious to chemicals (what makes it great for automotive gaskets..) and it's heat resistant to around 400 degrees F.
Keep up the good work.
T>

[tim_n]

Beer cans are thicker and easier to work with. My first stove was made out of two fosters cans (donated as they were out of date, the contents were used to feed the slug traps. It didn't work, the slugs don't like fosters either)

I tried diet coke cans, that didn't work, they were too thin, might be different in the states though.

Does the superglue burn? I used the friction method outlined by pj63

[ASCAS]

You probably don't need high temperature glues, since the lower part doesn't heat up that much as the upper part, the super glue wouldn't burn that much. Second the maximum burning time for the stove is just about 20-30 minutes.

But I still suggest for people to use High Temperature epoxies.

[EggHead101]

I use JB Weld - not super glue. It will withstand the high temps. Also I use the Miller light aluminum can - looks like a bottle. It is Much heavier than regular coke cans

[EggHead101]

It's not the regular can - looks more like a bottle, but aluminum and heavier than the traditional can.

[EggHead101]

The Miller light beer in the aluminum cans work really good. The Old style hieneken cans were great - but they discontiued that can :-(

[rlm98253]

Regarding step 2 above: a magnet will not work on an aluminium can.

[ASCAS]

There are other cans that are not aluminum.

[fzbw9br]

I've made a lot of these, but with the open top.

no need to put a coin on the holes, if you double the holes around the ring, the center will be starved for O2 and the flames will only burn on the outside.

I actually light the center, the outside lights itself.

I'm gonna try the closed center, would protect from spills

[razorsaber]

spills? what spills?

[fzbw9br]

anytime you have liquid fuel and fire, it helps to be aware that if tipped over, you have just lit whatever you have around, on fire.

many folks use these in a car for emergency heat/food cooking.... imagine an ounce or two of lit fuel spreading into a car seat......

[razorsaber]

very nice stove.. i am going to make 1.. but i got a question.. how do u put out the fire?

[EggHead101]

Use a larger can - like a used soup can and just snuff it out by using the can upside down over the flame...or just blow it out...

[Spokehedz]

First, excellent pictures! It is hard to get flames to show up on film, and these look great.

However, I have an issue with the Superglue. It will break down and cause fumes to come off your stove which are not good to breath in... So essentially it is pointless for the super glue to be there. Heat is one of the only things that can break down a superglue bond reliably and the whole stove gets hot enough to break it down.

[EggHead101]

I use JB Weld. It will withstand the high temps and it seals just about anything together.

[Ancient1]

thx for the idea .
does it work with kerosine , or high octane car fuel ?

[EggHead101]

Use denatured alchol. around $15 a gallon.

[kage_no_mozaiku]

dont use those mate....im telling ya you *wont* like the results. ive used kerosene, racing fuel, petrol, turpentine, acetone and a few others i cant remember now. they all create clouds of black smoke when they burn. stick with methanol and you'll be doing great.

[Javin007]

I won't add a link so as not to hijack your 'ible, but if you dig around on my name, you can find a rig I came up with that you can put AROUND your stove to make it a little more versatile.

[hehinckley]

What height is the taller can when it is cut? What size drill bit and how far apart are the holes? Very good idea!

[mbartolucci]

how long approximately does it burn for?

[ASCAS]

15 ml of alcohol burns for 7 minutes.

[Pepe de Bienvenida]

you can make a stove with just one can and no glue. See this page: http://randonner-leger.org/wiki/doku.php?id=p3rs
(sorry it's in french, but the pics help).
Works fine, I tried and use it every day at lunchtime.

[Pepe de Bienvenida]

Oups! I forgot, there's a vid:
http://www.randonner-leger.org/telechargements/p3rs_demo_video_mad01.avi

[tutdude98]

nice now il start work on it
can i use cork instead of coin

[ASCAS]

Please don't use cork, It might burn.

[tutdude98]

and this is my

[ASCAS]

Nice!