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Fanman
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# Posted: 31 May 2025 08:35am
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I think this came from my late inlaws' antique shop... it looks like a giant version of the Trangia alcohol stove I use for backpacking, but this is much larger, around 6-7" diameter. Pre-sterno chafing dish warmer, maybe?
There's no grate or pot support, unless it's supposed to plug into that center tube. It does work quite well, boiling about 1.3 quarts of water in 10 minutes on a breezy day with no lid (pot balanced on a couple of steel rods for an improvised grate).
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paulz
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# Posted: 31 May 2025 09:03am
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Nice! Been thinking about some tent camping, looks good for that.
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 31 May 2025 07:52pm
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Looks like a real deal cabin size sgl burner!
Ive made some small 'cat stoves' for fun to boil a Sierra cup of water for coffee, tea, Ramen, etc. and even acquired some ethanol from an ethanol plant that makes it for gasoline. I burns waayyy better than drug store high test alcohol. Since we will never backpack again Id use that in the cabin 
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darz5150
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# Posted: 31 May 2025 10:40pm - Edited by: darz5150
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Quoting: paulz Nice! Been thinking about some tent camping, looks good for that.
Look up on YouTube penny stoves. I also have made several alcohol stoves out of new quart and gallon paint cans. You take the cardboard tube out of a roll of toilet paper roll, stuff it in the quart can, fill it with rubbing alcohol for the burner, put inside the gallon can for the pot support with vent holes punched in the sides.
The one Fanman posted will probably outlast us all. Cool burner. Thanks for posting it. Reminds me of making hobo stoves growing up.
This one is 10 years old. Still works.
If you don't have alcohol or Heet. Take out the quart can and You can cut a
Rectangle hole in the bottom of the big can and use twigs and sticks in an emergency.
Same roll of tp
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paulz
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# Posted: 1 Jun 2025 07:33am
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Nice job Mr. innovation, I’m on it. How did you punch those perfect holes?
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darz5150
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# Posted: 1 Jun 2025 09:18am
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Step drill bit.
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paulz
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# Posted: 1 Jun 2025 01:14pm
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Quoting: darz5150 Step drill bit.
Sounds like a recipe for a crumpled can and flying blood but I’ll give it a try.
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darz5150
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# Posted: 1 Jun 2025 01:20pm
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I started with the small one that goes up to 1/2 inch, then opened it up with the 1 incher.
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Grizzlyman
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# Posted: 1 Jun 2025 02:28pm - Edited by: Grizzlyman
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Sweet. Cool find.
I’ve got quite a bit of experience camping with alcohol stoves. To this day when we go canoe camping I only take two small alcohol stoves-
And can actually cook on them/ not just boil water. You can see with the flame pattern it’s much like a gas burner in your kitchen. Good for cooking all sorts of stuff.
Without knowing any better I’d imagine the pot is meant to just rest on the center rim of your stove. A lot of alcohol stove work that way. The center is to prime and start it and then when that center hole is covered it jets out the small holes.
Best thing I’ve found to burn is denatured alcohol. Heet from the gas station works well too.
There are a lot of variants of homemade stoves but the best one I ever found and my go to is the “Tom-cat”. (Google it)
I actually scaled it up using a regular bean/soup can with another smaller one inside. The idea with this stove is you get two cans that are close to the same diameter, and then stuff fiberglass insulation between the two. When you pour alcohol into the center, the insulation will wick up all the fuel in between the two cans and then when lit will create a consistent almost waterfall like flame pattern On the outside. Then you rest your pot on the slightly taller center can. I even timed a bunch of different ones to boil and the tomcat was the winner.
Also- if using, best to use with a small windscreen.
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paulz
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2025 11:09am
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Quoting: darz5150 I started with the small one that goes up to 1/2 inch, then opened it up with the 1 incher.
Ok that was easy enough. No alcohol around here, some tequila.. I guess diesel would be too much for a test.
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darz5150
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2025 11:48am - Edited by: darz5150
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I would think any liquid that is non explosive would work. Heet, paint thinner, high proof booze etc. Lamp oil. I think I even used cooking oil in a tuna can lined with cardboard in a sterno stove.
I used old bacon grease also. Not just for the sterno stove, but I rigged up an oil lamp (tuna can) with old bacon grease and used cardboard stick q tips for multiple wicks. Smelled great. Lol
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darz5150
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2025 12:09pm - Edited by: darz5150
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Cooking oil will work. This is only about a half a shot glass of oil.
Cooking oil
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Took a minute to spread the flame
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paulz
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2025 12:56pm - Edited by: paulz
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Veggie oil. Worked great! Oh boy, a new pyro toy!
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darz5150
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2025 01:01pm
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 3 Jun 2025 09:41pm
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I wouldnt use anything smokey/oily in it unless desperate in a survival situation.
You should be able to buy 90, maybe 95% rubbing alcohol at your 'W' Mart, it will work great with NO residue in stove or on pots.
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paulz
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# Posted: 4 Jun 2025 08:41am
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Yeah it was very smokey on the veggie oil test yesterday, nice since I could keep my eyes on it from inside the cabin. Next step is to actually heat some food..
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Fanman
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# Posted: 4 Jun 2025 09:54pm
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These self pressurizing stoves need a volatile fuel like alcohol to operate properly. Heavier fuels like oils won't vaporize to burn cleanly, so you have a yellow flame and smoke and/or soot.
The alcohol burns with a clean light blue flame, almost invisible in daylight.
This is my Trangia style backpacking stove; the small brass stove fits inside the aluminum pot support. Note the piece of birchbark for a windbreak.
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darz5150
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# Posted: 4 Jun 2025 10:30pm - Edited by: darz5150
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Quoting: Fanman The alcohol burns with a clean light blue flame
For sure the alcohol is a cleaner, probably more efficient burn.
Here is a cheap adjustable windbreak. I think I got it off temu, but Amazon has them. I use it on camp stoves and even the side burner of the gas grill. Folds up and stores nice and compact.
I posted pics using it on the gas grill burner, but can't find it.
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paulz
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2025 06:46pm
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First dinner test. The alcohol I got at the dollar store was only 70% it says, but ha, I did find a gallon of Camp Fuel in the shed. Check out the hand written ‘date opened’, 10/79! 45 year old fuel. But it was full, cap tight and burned better.
Burger and onions were excellent. I did have to mess with the can a bit, the pan fit on top so well it kept going out. First I drilled holes around the bottom like Darz. Then I put the grill on top to space it up and added wind blocking.
Still some learning to do but good burger non the less.
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darz5150
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2025 07:24pm
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Another off grid success.
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darz5150
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# Posted: 5 Jun 2025 07:43pm
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Too bad it would cost me $40 bucks to send you a sign like this to hang up. However it would be priceless if I could be there to hear your wife comment on how wrong the sign is. Lolol
I guess you could just take a pic and print it out, just to get her reaction.  
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paulz
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# Posted: 6 Jun 2025 08:58am
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Thanks for the thought. She never even came out to watch my fumbling around but she sure enjoyed the burgers. She did look at the pictures and was impressed, as was I that one could actually cook on it. I was a Cub Scout a million years ago, never a Boy Scout or hiker so these are a new thing for me. If I do set up a tent in my woods this year it will be along.
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