I recently purchased one of these “White Box Stoves” on a whim. Just another toy to fiddle with.
http://whiteboxstoves.com/
Danged if it doesn’t work quite well! I just boiled a cup of water for tea, and it was at a rolling boil in an aluminum kettle after only three minutes. Of course, that was under zero wind conditions, so a real world test is in order.
I realize that I could have build a no-cost alu 12-oz drink can stove, but I liked the stoutness of the WB Stove made from recycled Bud beer bottles.
'Scuse me while I drink my tea.
Jim
they are a hoot
I have gotten on a kick and have started making pepsi can stoves in different permutations. It is kinda neat to
build one and light it off. Instant gratification (if you get past the telescoping together problems)
this is a dangerous subject
Just look at the stove in this link.
http://minibulldesigncult.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/1229582
Don’t look around at anything else on the site. I’m trying to save you money and warning you in advance!
love them
I used one for the first time this summer and was completely won over. Mainly I loved the silence of the stove and wasn’t in the least bit unhappy with the few minutes longer it took to come to a rolling boil.
It’s unlikely I’ll ever use a gas stove again.
Lyn
Bowrudder:
I have seen a couple of his videos on YouTube. Apparently he and the White Box guy collaborated on designing a die for rolling the beer cans back upon themselves. He certainly has an interesting mix of stoves and accessories!
Jim
Saving money?
You could buy one of each of his stoves and it would still be cheaper than many common commercial stoves. Relatively speaking, this stuff is dirt cheap.
originally he and the White Box guy
– Last Updated: Sep-21-10 9:46 AM EST –
made them out of two pieces. The White Box guy gets the tip of the hat for originality--he came up with the two piece idea. But Tinny soon moved on to a one piece. I don't know if the White Box guy is doing that. Sounds like he is. But then Tinny just sort of exploded and started inventing things all over the place, lighter and lighter, smaller and smaller. He really took off. At first the prices were next to nothing, so you almost couldn't not get it the price was so good. Fortunately he figured that out--the whole price line/manufacturing thing--so he isn't a slave to his own success. But last I heard he was still making them himself. Has sold thousands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYjn8Urk7YA&p=AEA529EC975F9AD8&playnext=1&index=73
White Boxes are still two-piece,
but the original rivited design has been abandoned in favor of a rolled over outer seam that “traps” the inner neck.
Jim
White Box is . . .
– Last Updated: Sep-21-10 10:20 AM EST –
. . . the best alcohol stove I have used. Made a few of my own. I like this design because you don't need a pot holder. Mine is the newer rolled edge design.
just curious what you do with …
– Last Updated: Sep-21-10 2:58 PM EST –
....... any alcohol that might be left over after you've boiled the water ??
I'm guessing , either it gets transfered back into the alcohol bottle (somehow - how ??) or gets poured on the ground .
I like the gas bottle and screw on single burner for my needs (same bottles can be used with my camp lantern) . The single burner screw on can boil a whole pot of water pretty quickly , or less water much faster if desired . Will handle a skillet or other pot meal extremely well also ... got to watch that it doesn't get too hot and burn your grub (adjust the flame down) .
I think the pressurized liquid fuels probably burn hotter ... some say they become more important in extreme cold temps. , but I've not needed them , and don't like to have to deal with the liquid storage , pouring , pressurizing and transfer of the liquid fuels .
Well, I tried pouring alky back into
the storage bottle from teh stove. If you judiciously cover the ports you can get most of the liquid back in. I finally cut off a 12 oz can, rolled the edge over and am carrying it as a snuffer-outer and a vesel for transferring unused alky back to the bottle.
Jim
you can get a Trangia
which has a screw-on cap with an o-ring and can store the leftover fuel
Have one of those . . .
. . . very well made, much heavier and you need a pot stand.
seems they could easily have …
– Last Updated: Sep-21-10 8:21 PM EST –
..... a small boss (short thick tube affair) with a threaded plug in the bottom corner (or something on those lines) just for the alcohol fuel drainage .
The compactness , lightness , and a plastic bottle of alcohol for small quanity water boil seems like a pretty good idea if min. space and weight are the priorities .
I could also invision a design that acually stores it's own alcohol fuel , could be dispensed as needed and the remainder could be drained by gravity back into it's self contained leak proof storage . A little more mechanical in design but bulletproof alcohol vapor effeciency , leak proof when ready to pack away .
I like the idea of just add a cup of hot water to dehydrated foods . Hate to pack ice on a river/camp trip , and won't do it . Water is very versatile ... ice on the other hand is useless to me in the outdoors (like a ball and chain) .
Fancy Feast Cat Food Can stove
works great. Small easy to pack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pajkt594Ruw
sure looks pretty effective …
– Last Updated: Sep-21-10 11:17 PM EST –
....... the guy making it about drove me crazy with his explanations (although thorough) , but the end flame up impressed me .
Just how hot a flame is that these free burn acohol burners are putting out ?? Is there any comparison (btu wise) to something like I use , the pressurized propane bottle single burners ??
Makes me want to take one of these alcohol can type burmers along , even if just as a back up for awhile .
After re-thinking the whole matter , I've determined just keeping the unit as simple as possible (like they are) would be it's biggest benefit ... even if you toss some unused alcohol on the ground or wipe your hands or utensils with it when finished using the unit .
Recapturing the alcohol fuel
Suck it back up into the fuel bottle!
http://www.packafeather.com/fuelbottle.html
Control burn?
Seems like this will work well for boiling water. But doesn’t seem to have any way of controlling the flame…
Can one say… simmer?
Adjustable alcohol stove…
– Last Updated: Sep-21-10 11:45 PM EST –
I have a Featherfire stove and it works great. Flame is adjustable.
http://www.packafeather.com/stove.html
I am not really crazy about the legs/pot supports, though.
pop can stoves
are meant to be one trick ponies: they boil water, and you reconstitute food. That still leaves you a ton of latitude. But that’s all it does.