Zero Cost Cookset - Operating Instructions for Alcohol Fuel Stoves

Fritz Krueger is a bicycle tourist who also has a passion for researching, designing and building homemade camp stoves. He has contributed several articles about Camp Stoves to Bicycle Touring 101.

Regardless of how any stove was originally made, whether it was purchased in a store or made at home from plans and ideas seen elsewhere please always remember to use caution! Flames burn and a bad burn could go a long way towards ending a bicycle touring adventure far too early!

This blue flame is very visible here but it can be completely hidden in daylight.
Click to enlarge.

Fuel

This stove is designed to burn denatured alcohol. You can find this in the paint thinner section of hardware or building supply stores. The containers are sometimes also labeled "Marine Stove Fuel". Please note that other paint thinners and stove fuels are explosive and should not be used in this stove. An acceptable alternative fuel is isopropyl alcohol; however, it will deposit a lot of soot on the bottom of your pot.

Caution

The flame produced by this stove is fainter than a kitchen natural gas stove. This stove’s flame is invisible in bright sunlight. Be very cautious in bright light conditions. It is best to learn to use your stove in low-light conditions.

Using your stove

Add fuel to your stove. Always use a fuel dispenser to fuel your stove. One ounce of fuel will last about 10 minutes. It takes about 6 minutes to boil 2 cups of water.
Light your stove with a match or lighter.
Extinguishing your stove: it is fine to just let the stove burn itself out. You can stop it sooner by covering it with an empty soup can. In an emergency douse any burning alcohol with water. If the water itself is already hot or boiling then obviously use some caution moving the water too!

Submitted by Fritz Krueger

This article is just one of a series of articles that Fritz has written for Bicycle Touring 101. I encourage you to check out his other articles in this section and his wonderful web site where he has more plans for stoves and accessories.

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