How I built a penny stove the easy way

[john warren]

some use a piece of cotton cord tied around it just below the rim. a little alkyhaul dripped on it heats the fuel up and as soon as the fumes get a little preasure it lites right up.
i always just drip a little in the top of mine to lite it.
also rather then a penny i used high temp epoxy to glue a small brass nut to my fill hole and have a screw that threads in to plug it.

[Corwin C]

I discovered these a few years ago and since then have built hundreds of stoves of dozens of different designs. Playing with nozzle hole size and patterns have yielded some real interesting little stoves. I have yet, however, been able to make two of them that perform exactly the same. They can be a little "fiddly." I actually put a push-pin and small bottle of fuel in my car's survival kit to give me the ability to punch holes instead of drilling them. If the push pin has a tapered shaft you will have the ability to vary hole size. I'll look through my stack of sh...tuff and see if I have any pictures.

BTW ... for those of you using US coinage, make sure you use an OLD penny (pre 1982). The newer copper plated zinc ones WILL melt and can "weld" themselves down, eliminating their safety vent function. You will know this has happened when the stove whistles, the flames get a foot high, and it only burns for about half the usual time. Seems like forever when it's happening on your workbench. For smaller flame (less pressure) use a dime, for a larger flame, use a nickel.

Also, with practice, one of these stoves can be primed with a few drops of alcohol instead of filling the top dimple. Warming the fuel to body temp just by holding the container next to your skin will also make a difference in lighting and performance of the stove.

Be careful and stay safe ...

[Corwin C]

As promised ... a few pictures ...



Just a couple from the collection ... they're so easy to make that I don't keep many laying around.



This one is similar to BigAl's ... bottom is inverted from his design. Flame just barely touches top edge of bottom can, vaporizing fuel inside can which pressurizes and creates the jets. This design won't quite make a rolling boil (at 6000' elevation), but it simmers well.



This is an entirely different design, open center, 34 jets around the outside, ring of aluminum from side of can to create "doughnut" shaped pressure chamber (no sealant, just cut out carefully.) Fill center with fuel just up to jet holes, light and as Mr.Cosby would say, "Now that's a fire!" Lack of oxygen in center keeps the flame on the outside. This will warm a can of soup in about 2 1/2 minutes. I simply set the open soup can (label removed to prevent ashes getting inside) right on the stove (it's a little tippy, be careful.) With a soup can on the stove the inefficient orange flame is replaced with the bright blue efficient flame right around the sides of the soup can.

Another safety note while I'm thinking about it. I burn regular hardware store denatured alcohol as fuel and it is ALMOST invisible in all but dim light (one reason for the dark fuzzy pictures.) Please be careful. It's pretty easy to un-intentionally start something on fire and not know it.

[BigAl]

Corwin, thanks for those inspirational photos! :) There is something satisfying about making these little stoves. I have also found that it is difficult to make to stoves that operate exactly the same.

I think my next stove project will be a SuperCat variant.