I got the Jones for a stove

Jan 04, 2007 01:53

So, this evening, I decided to build a Pepsi can stove.

A what? Description and photographs behind the cut! )

projects, stuff i made, fire, hiking

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Comments 11

tirerim January 4 2007, 07:07:48 UTC
Awesome!

Is there a good way to deprive it of oxygen to extinguish it, or do you just have to wait for the fuel to run out? In the other direction, is half-filling it the most fuel it will reasonably hold, and therefore the longest it will burn at a time? And I'd be interested in your building notes, too.

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tamias January 5 2007, 06:20:33 UTC
Thanks!

Extinguishing it depends on the timing. If it hasn't yet ignited the jets, placing a pot or other flat surface over the central burner will put it out. After the jets are on, it'd take either very strong wind or pretty effective isolation to put it out.

It'll hold fuel basically up to the point where it starts coming out the jets, although I think that would be valuable only so far: the more fuel, the longer it'll burn, but also the more heat it has to expend warming the fuel to the point where it vaporizes. I think, with this model, you can probably get 15-20 minutes burn time in warm, wind-free conditions, without too much hassle.

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tamias January 5 2007, 06:31:57 UTC
As far as building notes ( ... )

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wannabeartist January 4 2007, 15:49:50 UTC
That sounds really neat, but is the 2:15 between when the water began to boil and when the whole stove went out long enough to cook anything? Or do you just add more fuel? Can you add fuel while it is lit or do you have to start over? And if you need to add moer fuel to cook something, does the 80 meals refer to enough fuel to actually cook a meal or to light the stove and let it burn through once?

I don't know if my questions made sense. If not, I'll try again

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tamias January 5 2007, 06:35:49 UTC
Long enough to warm some dishwater, at any rate--and if you built a simmer ring, it would last longer. You can't add fuel while it's lit, but since the whole thing is made of sheet aluminum, it doesn't take long to cool--indoors, it goes from burning to cool enough to carry comfortably in about 2.5 minutes.

80 meals is obviously a figure that will vary. A lot of backpackers design meals that don't really need "cooking" so much as reconstituting with boiling water. So I'd suspect that, given that the comparisons came from the ultralight backpacking community, they're talking about meals as a measure of quantities of water boiled.

I also suspect that, with measurement and experience, you'd get pretty good at eyeballing how much fuel was required to boil how much water.

For cooking that involves sauteeing, simmering, etc., a heavier but more versatile stove would probably be a better choice, due to the improved options for flame control.

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lostphotos January 5 2007, 21:00:49 UTC
you're not a dork or anything...
;)

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tamias January 5 2007, 21:03:43 UTC
Never claimed not to be.

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iconoclam January 5 2007, 23:11:51 UTC
Awesome.

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llamaontheloose March 8 2007, 04:20:35 UTC
HOTT.

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tamias March 8 2007, 04:34:44 UTC
... Branen?

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tamias March 8 2007, 04:43:55 UTC
Or Erik?

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