Modified Jim Wood Cat Stove

Posted by: Coosa

Modified Jim Wood Cat Stove - 04/16/08 12:44 PM

I took a little cat food can, used my Pampered Chef can opener to remove the lip and then used a dollar store hole puncher to put in two rows of holes. The top row of 10 about 3/4" apart just under the indentation and the bottom row of ten between the holes on the top row and as far as the hole puncher would allow me to.

I put a tablespoon of alcohol in the stove and my SnowPeak 700 titi cup with two cups of water on top. The water was warm enough for tea but not to cook a meal and I fotgot to time it.

Problem was that the FLAME was coming up the sides of the pot making the handles HOT.

So, I'm going hunting for more alcohol (at Home Depot) and fot some other can that I can use. I tried a cola can but I can't get the walls even all the way around. And I know it would be too fragile.

Rather than get another pot (I just got this one from the BuyandSell here), where might I find a can with a 1 3/4 to 2 inch diameter? That I can poke holes in with the hole punch.

Thank you for your help and assistance as I re-invent the alcohol stove.

Coosa
Posted by: finallyME

Re: Modified Jim Wood Cat Stove - 04/16/08 01:51 PM

I am not sure if it is the right size, but look at Vienna sausage cans. That is what I made the Cat Stove out of.
Posted by: TomD

Re: Modified Jim Wood Cat Stove - 04/16/08 02:11 PM

There are hundreds of designs for alcohol stoves made from all kinds of different cans, mint boxes (Altoids, in particular) and custom containers of one kind or another.

Look at sites like Zen Stoves, Jason Klass's site or Tinny's Minibull Design site and I am sure you can find a stove that will work with the pot you have.

There must be hundreds of posts here alone about alcohol stoves, so go back through the archives, use your pot's name as a search term and something should show up.
Posted by: Heber

Re: Modified Jim Wood Cat Stove - 04/16/08 02:31 PM

Since you want to keep you pot I recommend you change the type of stove. The problem with stoves like your "super cat" (Jim Wood's term) is the wide flame pattern. Not a problem in and of itself but with a narrow pot it wastes a lot of heat/fuel. A narrower super cat will help a bit (I've made one from a trimmed V8 can) but stability will be an issue. With a narrow pot you will have a high center of gravity for a given volume of water (compared to other pots) so tipping will be a problem.

What you want for a narrow pot is a narrow flame. That really means that the stove can't be the pot stand because the flame must come out the top and not the sides. The two that come to mind that have the narrowest flames are both at SGT Rock's site

http://hikinghq.net

The first is the time honored cat stove made from two cat food cans and some insulation. It's still a great stove.

The second is SGT Rock's invention and it is called the ION stove.

Both produce a very hot flame from one large hole in the middle of the top which will work well with your narrow pot. Then fashion a simple pot stand and you are good to go.

Have fun! But I warn you, stove making is a bit addictive! I can't tell you how many I've made just for kicks.
Posted by: Coosa

Re: Modified Jim Wood Cat Stove - 04/16/08 02:50 PM

Quote:
Have fun! But I warn you, stove making is a bit addictive! I can't tell you how many I've made just for kicks.



I hope I don't catch what you've got. I was going to use the Super Fly by MSR, then I decided I could get fuel for an alcohol stove without having to hitch a ride into a town. I am not a hitch-hiker type. Just can't see me doing it.

So I can get HEET easier than cannisters, and I'm trying to formulate my own stove using the EASIEST method.

Or, if I fail, I may resort to spending a little money and having Sgt Rock send me one of his.

Coosa
Posted by: Coosa

Re: Modified Jim Wood Cat Stove - 04/16/08 02:51 PM

The cat food can is a bit shorter, but the diameter is the same and the Vienna Sausage can.

Coosa
Posted by: Coosa

Re: Modified Jim Wood Cat Stove - 04/16/08 02:52 PM

It has to be so easy a toddler could do it. Most of those 'cut and smush together' stoves are too complicated for me. I'm retired, I try not to do anything that has more than two steps to the finished product.

Coosa <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Posted by: phat

Re: Modified Jim Wood Cat Stove - 04/16/08 06:35 PM

Google for "penny alcohol stove" and try it - it is a smush together, but no glue, nothing complex, only a 1/64 drill bit, and has a narrow flame pattern suitable for small pots.
Posted by: BarryP

Re: Modified Jim Wood Cat Stove - 04/17/08 07:46 AM

“Or, if I fail, I may resort to spending a little money…”

The white box stove has worked flawlessly for me but requires a >4.5” dia pan. It even melts snow. It requires some time from when you light it to when you put the pot on though (if you don’t want to use the extra-piece-temperature-dependant priming pan).

My favorite is the pepsi stove. It’s faster to light; and is also good for cold weather use. It is similar to http://cgi.ebay.com/0-3-oz-Backpack-Camp...1QQcmdZViewItem
(courtesy ‘THE ONE’ by mechanic_mike).

“I'm trying to formulate my own stove using the EASIEST method.”

My easiest method is the tea-candle holder stuffed with house insulation. It boils 12oz h2o in about 10 minutes on ¾ fl.oz of alcy. But my number one choice is the pepsi stove as I keep coming back to it.


Good luck.

-Barry
Posted by: Coosa

I tried something else - 04/17/08 11:25 AM

I have the Etowah Outfitter solid/alcohol kit.

I have the 1/2 film can sized alcohol burner.

The holes were tiny. But, I used a thumbtack to make them larger and to face them toward the center. I then put a piece of gauze inside . . . works similar to insulation and I don't think it will be burned up. Right now, I have the pot burning here . . . getting a head ache . . . not sure . . . 4'p d;ogr



JUST KIDDING. Window is open. Let this be a reminder. 1) Coosa has a weird sense of humor and 2) Keep a Window open when you're testing your stoves.

Coosa

[color:"red"]EDIT -- It works! Now I have to measure the alcohol and time the point to boil. I am so excited, I didn't have to re-invent the stove, just make a few adjustments on what I had.

THANKS for everyone's help and ideas!!!
C [/color]
Posted by: Coosa

Ebay Mechanic Mike - 04/17/08 11:57 AM

Checked the site . . . wow. Lighter than Etowah Outfitter. Will do some calculating and maybe spend money on his stove and wind screen which is much lighter than mine.

Thanks for the tip, Coosa
Posted by: Coosa

Modified Etowah Outfitter II - 04/18/08 11:11 AM

[color:"blue"]Okay, everyone's been so helpful. After reading quite a few "stove" sites, I noticed some were putting in their holes pointed toward the center rather than straight up.

So, as I think I said, I took the cap of the Etowah II and made the holes bigger and angled them to the center. I have an 'older' version which uses a small half-ounce container . . . not the ones I've seen lately with the flatter container -- for the alcohol. I'd already heard that they didn't work too well as alcohol stoves since they were intended for esbit.

Well the inclusion of a piece of gauze (since I had no insulation) to keep the alcohol from burning too fast (I guess), with 1/2 ounce of alcohol, I got two cups of tap-cold water to a vigorous boil in ten minutes. And had alcohol to spare.

This bodes well. I also used the wind screen and will modify it with little "V" for the places the handle on the snowpeak 700 cup will fit.

It works. I got a lot of good info from you all, I may end up changing or making my own while on the AT this summer, and if I do, the education I received here will be well used.

Thank you again, Coosa [/color]