Steel Wool Alcohol Stove

[XTrekker]

This type of stove probably isnt new but I thought Id share it anyways. Me and my friend "Dayglow" were trying to make him a smaller stove for his mini-caldera cone and ended up making this out of the supplies we had on hand. We used a stadium beer bottle and rolled the edge and put "00 Steel Wool" in it with some chicken wire for the face. I was really surprised at how well it worked compared to the rest of my stoves. I actually made a 2nd one for myself because I liked it so much. It isnt the lightest alcohol stove but it works pretty good. Total weight is 32g and 22g without the lid. Friend of mine on another forum "Yoda" pointed out that the lid could double as an esbit holder which makes it a dual function stove. Anyways, hope this is helpful to someone.
Here is a link to the video I made on how I built it and a boil test. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MywK_r8jS2c

2013-11-26 14.54.49.jpgDSC01206.jpgDSC01205.jpgDSC01211.jpgDSC01212a.jpg

[Tuckahoe]

Hey XTrekker, I saw the video when you first posted it to YouTube. My one question is that you rolled the edge and then inserted the steel wool and wire. Is there a reason for that order? I would have thought to insert the steel wool and wire and then rolled the edge to hold everything in place.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Looks a lot like Zelph's Starlyte but with different wick material
http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/starlyte-stove.php

[XTrekker]

Makes more sense to do it the way you suggested. Thanks for the suggestion.

[XTrekker]

Looks a lot like Zelph's Starlyte but with different wick material
http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/starlyte-stove.php

Yeah wouldnt be surprised to see many stoves already out there that this stove is similar to. Just sharing our findings with some materials that we had on hand. This could be easily done with carbon felt or woven ceramic fibers instead of the steel wool. I was just amazed at how effect the steel wool was is all. Not to mention you can reclaim unburnt fuel from this style.

[4eyedbuzzard]

It's a pretty good design concept. I've used the one I mentioned for a few years now. Love the fact that with absorbent media it's spill proof, or in your case, that you can reclaim unburned fuel.

[msupple]

It's a pretty good design concept. I've used the one I mentioned for a few years now. Love the fact that with absorbent media it's spill proof, or in your case, that you can reclaim unburned fuel.

The spill proof nature of the Starlyte is exactly why I use it over all others....and I've tried many. It's one of the safest if not the safest alky stoves available. I've knocked it over intentionally several times to test it...it doesn't go out but neither does it spill fuel.

[XTrekker]

Spill proof is a good feature to have but I think it would be pretty hard to tip this stove over. Its center of weight is so low and its height:diameter ratio is pretty good for stability.

[zelph]

How does the steel wool look after 5-10 burns?
Nice design, I'll have to try one

[Grimrivet]

How does the steel wool look after 5-10 burns?
Nice design, I'll have to try one

Tried this one with normal steel wool and it rusts out pretty quickly once the oil on the steel wool burns off, solution was to use stainless wool used for exhaust and mufflers. I'll try and get a picture taken when i put another one together.

[Grimrivet]

I've been wanting to try one of these using a kaowool ceramic fiber. I have some left over from a forge build i was working on maybe this will be a good excuse to do so.

[XTrekker]

So far, haven't seen any rust or degradation of the steel wool but its still too soon to tell. Only have 3 burns in on it. Ill run a few more burns tonight and put alot more fuel in it and see how it does on long burns.

[jeffmeh]

If the steel wool is not stainless, it will definitely rust out. It will still work until it loses its structural integrity, but it will be a mess.

[XTrekker]

K I did a few more burn tests last night and filled it with fuel. The steel wool still looks the same so far. Been leaving the stove in the shed and I dont see any rust forming anywhere. Perhaps if I left it out in the rain, it would form alittle rust on the steel wool. But I haven't ever left a stove out in the rain before. Only time will tell.

[zelph]

K I did a few more burn tests last night and filled it with fuel. The steel wool still looks the same so far. Been leaving the stove in the shed and I dont see any rust forming anywhere. Perhaps if I left it out in the rain, it would form alittle rust on the steel wool. But I haven't ever left a stove out in the rain before. Only time will tell.

Go check on it and let us know if it has rusted solid by now

[shelterbuilder]

This is similar in design to one of the "Altoid tin" stoves that I've been playing with - using stove-door gasket material for the wick, and no mesh to hold it in, since it gets stiff after the first burn and doesn't seem to want to fall out. Not particularly light, but functional, and if the lid is still attached, it can be "turned off" in mid-burn.

[XTrekker]

Still no rust. The wire mesh has a few spots. I'll snap som pics tomorrow. It has stayed in the shed since it was made which is abuse that none of my gear suffers normally. Think I will make a woven ceramic fiber version tomorrow and compare them against each other. Trying to dial in that happy medium of max efficiency and boil time for my mini-cone.