Soda Can Stoves

[analog_kidd]

Has anyone here ever tried making a soda can Stove? They are a lot of fun to make, fairly easy after you've made one and best of all they are really cheap.

All it takes is two empty soda cans, and a little bit of alchohol. There are plans all over the net if you just search for "soda can stove", or "Pepsi can stove".

My favorite design is this one: http://www.marcuslogan.com/49.html, but this site has lots of other designs and a ton of info: http://zenstoves.net/.

I have made them and taken them backpacking. They are extremely lightweight, and if you lose or break one, no big deal, make another one. My first one probably took 45 minutes to build, but the second one took about 15 minutes once I knew what to do.

I think this is one of those things to know that could come in handy one day, or just something to do to impress your friends. I also think it would make an excellent scout project.

[Guest 70below]

Growing up my dad would make a simple alcohol stove out of a metal peanut can, or a 1lb metal coffee can.......put a roll of toilet paper down in the can dowse it with alcohol and then put the plastic lid back on. (electrical tape around the edge will seal it better) Then while ice fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, etc....just pull out the can....light it up, warm your hands over it, heat some coffee, toast your PB&J.......nothing tastes better on a cold day than a toasted PB&J mmmmm.....

[bteague2]

Cool, bookmarked it. If I get bored this weekend, I might post some pictures.

[BBill_TN]

I picked up this little version a couple of years ago by Vargo...weighs just an ounce and has the pot supports built in...made of titanium.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/vargo_triad_alcohol_stove_review.html

[Fadex]

I just started making these last weekend (yeah I was really bored) and I can't believe how well they actually work.

With that said, I am having trouble getting my seams to seal properly. Any suggestions on a good way to expand the cut end of the can? Or should I just use JB Weld or silicone gasket adhesive?

[analog_kidd]

They are quite impressive aren't they?

On mine, I just carefully pushed the two halves together. I found that one cut would form a sharp point, and I would just push the point in.

I have heard that some people will put one half in the freezer to make it smaller.

[chipperi]

One of my favorite tricks that I learned in scouts, and I still make them from time to time is to take a small dixie cup, cut it so all you have left is the bottom 2 inches, drizzle a little parrifin wax in, then some dryer lint and top it off with more parrifin wax. It makes a great firestarter in the rain and burns long enough to boil a small metal cup of water.

[Guest stovepipe]

JB Weld works great on the seams, so does Alum foil tape, though it gets sticky afer a few heatings...

For Scouts, I like to use the Mini-Trangia alcohol stove. It's the same idea of the pop-can stove, but has a screw top, and flame snuffer to save fuel. they can be found cheap, if you look for sales. I made a light weight pot stand using a tin can, that's a little bit larger than the stove, punched with a few air holes, and a couple of short pcs of 1/2" alum stock notched to interlock into an X, and sit on top of the can. It's light, clean, and fits into most any size cookpot.

Stove

[Guest Glknknox]

This is how they make candles in prison, been going on for many years.

It is pretty cool though.

I"ve made them before and they work pretty good, stoves that is, never been to prison.

[Guest SUNTZU]

Here's a decent tutorial I found. There are links in the comments to more designs, as well.

A better soda can stove - YGingras.net

[TNRobocop]

During Desert Storm in Iraq we took the small soup cans, put some small vent holes in them, filled them with sand, soaked the sand with diesel, and burned that to heat up our canteen cups of coffe, ramen, etc.

[Guest Ranger Rick]

Fun to make, but many are pretty flimsy. My favorite is a Brasslite.

Brasslite Ultralight Alcohol Backpacking and Camping Stove

$20 or $30 for the stove, $6 for the fuel dispenser... worth the dollars if you camp much at all. I'ld buy them again in a heart beat. Always amazes me how 1/2 oz of fuel will boil lots of water in 5 or 6 minutes. Just slick!!

[Guest mikedwood]

Neat post. I think I'll try it.

[Guest 1817ak47]

didn't read all the above, but when I was yougner I would make "fire can" put either gas, diesle or kero in a steel can, and roll up a sheet of paper similiar to a wick and light it and it would burn for a long time. now Iwould be careful with gas though, but with gas it would just burn slowly light a regular leaf fire, now blow into it and it would flame up because it would get a big increase in oxygen to the fire

[Guest ab28]

I made one out of a potted meat can, even simpler than the soda can one, works just as well or better. You have the stove, windscreen, and potstand all in one unit.

[gunsablazin]

Soaked my rolling papers on a canoe trip years ago, and in desperation made a functional pipe from a coke can. Probably not useful info for most TGOers and I no longer errr, roll my own either!

[Guest Hi Point]

Love making these things, when I was a kid I must have made 100 soda can and other can stoves with many different fuels. Alcohol is a fun/ easy to get/ clean burning fuel.

[Guest pontiac_fiero_g]

i made a few now but with a modified preheater. i use a tim can and cut a square out of the side and fit my stove into the top and just light some alchy below it to warm it up

[Mark@Sea]

Made a couple myself - found that I like the preheater-insulator idea, the alcohol boils faster. I might carry one to use with my canteen cup/stove. (Loves me a GI canteen cup).

They make a nice backup for me, but they aren't my primary stove. My primary hiking stove is a SVEA 123, second choice an M-1950 (Updated version of the WWII GI pocket stove) and third choice (First choice if I have a vehicle or some sucker to carry it for me) is the Coleman 502.

[Guest SUNTZU]

Model 1950, Svea stove, and the Coleman 502.

[Mark@Sea]

Thanks for posting the pic, SunTzu. With my current internet connection (equivalent to a couple tomato cans and some string) posting photos is a pain.

The 502 is the heaviest of the bunch, but puts out a lot of heat, very adjustable from simmer to "hey, lets' roast a turkey", very stable.

The M1950 also puts out a lot of heat (5000 BTU, I think). It is somewhat adjustable, but not as much as the 502. The swing-out pot arms will support a large pan or pot, but make sure the legs (also foldable) are well planted.

The Svea is the lightest of the bunch, doesn't put out as much heat, but operation is nearly foolproof, and unless you run over it with a truck, you aren't gonna break it.

They are all great, tough stoves. All burn unleaded gasoline, so if you've got 10 feet of aquarium tubing in your pack, you have a million sources for fuel.

[gregintenn]

A hundred years ago, when I was a boy scout, we'd cut corrugated cardboard into strips, roll it up, and put it in coffee cans. Then we'd pour melted parrafin over it, leaving about an 1/8" sticking out. The cardboard acted as a wick. These things would burn forever it seemed. I believe we had to cut some sort of vent holes in the can. When the parrafin cooled, you had a handy, portable, disposable stove.

[tennessee01tacoma]

I use/ make the white box variety out of aluminum beer bottles. They are super strong and very efficient my stepdad uses one almost everyday he cooks soup on it at work lol

[tennessee01tacoma]

I use/ make the white box variety out of aluminum beer bottles. They are super strong and very efficient my stepdad uses one almost everyday he cooks soup on it at work lol

YouTube - Whitebox Stove

[Guest ab28]

Model 1950, Svea stove, and the Coleman 502.

Those look heavy.