How to make a mini stove (penny stove)

This instructable will teach you how to make a very nice but simple and cheap mini stove or as some people call it penny stove as you can see the blue flames that means it is as effecient as it can be .

Step 1: Materials

Here are the materials you will need for this experiment

Lighter
Denatured alcohol (found at your local hardware store)
A piece of wood
Knife
Scissors
Bottle
Sand paper (optional)
Hammer
Thumb tack
2 empty aluminum cans (I used beer cans)
A flat surface
Fiberglass or better known as insulation

Comments

[Gelfling6]

The 'element' I have, is a opened top (totally open,) with a strip (side of the can, cut a little shorter) sitting between the ribs of the two bottoms (I've since revised the design, using just a single can, and the top is opened around the center.).. this strip acts as a catalyst, carrying heat from the top down to the alcohol in the bottom, to keep it boiling. The hard part, is getting the can halves to fit together.. (either you split the side of the outside, or crush the inner section.) (yes, I have seen the methods of stretching the outside..)

[mariosmash55]

How would you go about extinguishing the stove?

[Gelfling6]

Worse case, if you don't want it burning any longer, I've found putting a can or even a coffee mug (larger diameter, Obviously) over the stove element, and closing off any air to get to it, for about a good minute.. I've done this with a little 'Portable Espresso' set I have, with one of these beer-can elements. just like using a snuffer to put out a candle. (which caps the wick to the top of the candle for a few seconds. The reason I say for a minute, obvious, the alcohol is still boiling, and the top of the element is still very hot. this will give the top time to cool.. I do, however, suggest against drinking from the cup until you've had a chance to rinse it out. (denatured Alcohol will kill you if you ingest it!) Even though you've put the flame out, the alcohol is still boiling.. Guess where it will condense?

[Xthinker]

These don't burn for very long so either you can let it burn out, or you can suffocate it.

[Honora]

I stayed in an old musterers hut recently and was getting low on fuel. I had a look around the hut and found a soda bottle with a tawny colored liquid in it. I took a sniff and it was whiskey. My partner said it wouldn't burn as it was less than 60% alcohol (only 40%) but as there was still some fuel (methylated spirits) in the can, it burnt OK.

My can is a different design - a pepsi stove which is open and has a double skin and no insulation. But I'd like to give this one a go as it looks easy. Hope it is.

[Honora]

Hi

It was the classic pepsi stove design that's already on the net.

[austinsqu111]

i think that i know what kind of design your talking about ive tried one of those they are kind of complicated thats why i made this instructable because after trial and error and then making my own designs i found that this one was so simple its perfect for a beginner or someone who doesnt have alot of time experience or supplies\tools to make one that is more complicated anyways you should make an instructable on your design i hope you do and look forward to seeing it if you make one please send me a message letting me know so

[Ivraine]

Dude, how many of these burners do you have?!? I can see like, 5 of them in the back of the picture. Thats awesome...

[austinsqu111]

i have like 30 some ha i just liked to make a whole bunch glad your interested in this instructable

[mkv]

dude, please don't tell people to "also throw some on the ground", that's just way too dangerous :) Instead, why not use a tuna can or a windshield made from a large tin can as a pre-heating cup (you do need some kind of windshield to use this outdoors). Otherwise that's a nice instructable and really simple to do.

[lilpepsikraker]

A primer is the word you are looking for. Primer pans need fuel to burn for 30 seconds or more. That is typically 10-20 drops of alcohol. I used to try making these with 70% alcohol, yesterday I picked up a quart of 91% alcohol from walgreens and it made a HUGE (!!!) difference. 70% wouldn't work in pressurized stoves, only open vents.

[rich2871]

i made one of these today, and used 70% alcohol, it took a heating the bottom of the stove up for about 30 seconds, enough to make some of the alcohol splash out, then once i lit the top it burned steady for over 15 minutes with a nice blue flame. I think using a higher grade may have made it easier to start, but once it got going it stayed lit.

[rlnbkseeberger]

a penny stove you still need to have a fire around the stove.the fire heats up the stove turning the denatured alcohol into a gas, which lights on fire. the penny just regulates the pressure inside the stove. another way you can do it, which a company made, is make the stove really thin, and fill it up until it is over the whole in the middle. just light the alcohol and you have a stove.

[joshuagoran]

also, just to clarify, this doesn't seem to be quite the same as the 'penny stove' that is known as such...which uses a penny to create pressure within the stove, which makes it so you don't have to start a big fire around the stove to get it going.

[jakel9090]

can u use starting fuel

[austinsqu111]

 well yes you can, but depending on what kind of fuel you use you can experiment with different kinds of fuel a clean burning one would probably work. i know that you can use heet. im not sure what it is i think it might be a starter fluid or antifreeze  

[wheely king]

hey thats cool