Meths Burners - Safety Advice

[Comptona]

Right, I have had plenty of advice on my tripod and will work on that at the weekend.

Looking at different meths burners i.e Trangia's I was wondering if it would be possible to make my own. I can play with different methods of pot support etc but what are the safety implications of creating a holder for the meths and how could i control the heat. Someone mentioned using a tin foil pie dish to burn the meths, is this safe?:campfire::oops:

[Martin]

Do a Google for pop can stoves or penny stoves. You'll find loads of instruction out there, not to mention loads of YouTube videos showing you just how it's done. As far as safety is concerned, you are dealing with a highly flammable (thank goodness) liquid that doesn't mind where it is burning. If you are a sensible chap and take proper precautions then you will be fine. If, on the other hand, you are an idiot then you will almost certainly burn your house down (I nearly did it several times but I'm an idiot).

Have fun trying. ;)

Martin

[Comptona]

thanks Martin, just found it i kept finding burners for steam engines before.

[Mouldsy]

There is some helpful links on this forum for making your own stove. I used the bottom of one of the large dog food tins for a pre heater for my hobo stove it works a treat I also got some lantern wick to wrap round the middle of the penny stove to act as pre heater as well but I haven't tried it yet so I don't know if it's any good or not.

[swkieran]

make youre own its easy enough if youre practical, and fun might turn out a bit dog eared like mine first few attempts but it does work i had mine going nicely in the garden earlier,like above just be careful theres loads of how to guides knocking about to m8

[Comptona]

what have i got lose except my eyebrows and beard

[swkieran]

lol just stand back

[Fletching]

1. Use it outdoors away from flammable materiel and not in a confined space (like a tent) until you're comfortable and have a way of extinguishing it.
2. See 1...
3. You get the picture...they're really easy to use, you've just gotta learn their limits/dangers/capabilities...it really is one of those situations where practise makes perfect (same as a lot of fire usage - see where the flames go. And it's different for each stove as well. That's why God/Allan invented countryside). ;)

Steve

[MikeWilkinson]

Take a look at Zenstoves.net plenty on there to keep you occupied and some nice designs too.

http://zenstoves.net

[paul standley]

As Mike says, Zenstoves resource is a great place to sart.

My recomendation for a first simple but VERY effective pop can stove is this...

Find You-tube vids for penny stoves and build a 2 piece pressurised stove (uses the botton sections of 2 coke cans) that is either a top jet or side jet type depending on what you want. Here is my current one (side burner) sat in my latest hobo stove frame, it holds around 2.5 ounces of fuel.

348

I've made several types previously and if you take your time you can make one in 45 mins but the expoxy will need to set overnight.

The "penny" in the penny stove is actually a pressure release mechanism believe it or not and works great.

Meths in a foil dish works but it's not efficient, that's why most meth stoves use some form of pressure created by the heat vapourising the meths and creating a small amount of pressure.

Common sense is the order of the day - don't take risks and you'll be fine.

Regards, Paul.

[Bernie]

Or read the instructions on the website for making one of these pop-can stoves: http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/bushcraft/43-kit-reviews/286-how-to-make-a-pop-can-meths-stove.html

I made one a while back and it's light as a feather - amazing stuff.

[Jack Russell]

Hey Comptona:
Totally agree with the link to the zen stoves site - lots of good tips and designs there. The "trangia" design pepsi can works well (might take you a couple of attempts to assemble). The trangia type is good because it needs no priming so worth the extra build time / effort. 2 tips from me......
1. JB Weld is the only epoxy sealant which will give a temparuture seal adequate for this design - else you are into exhaust type sealants.
2. If you read very carefully in all the tutorials you'll find the way to deal with the ancient problem of fitting two cut sections together - size and size don't fit so loads of discussion about stretching, long and the short of it in the uk......... the internal bore of a coca cola can is a "push fit" to the external diameter of a carling beer can without reworking them if you cut 'em clean, "HIC" had to drink a lot of beer and bacardi and cokes to fathom this one out.
Have fun with it, Jack