Let's see your alcohol stove kits!

Will said:

Could you share the name; I can't find ethanol at all any more; used to be widely available. Best I've found recently is Klean-Strip Green @ 80% ethanol and I can't even find that locally in gallon cans; the quart cans are expensive.

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Mine is "Lynsol Denatured Alcohol", purchased at a local hardware store. A Google search yields http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=2396 along with a number of other suppliers. (I give this specific reference because it includes a nice description of the product.) The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) indicates that it is 95--100% ethanol. A quick check suggests that it may be cheaper at marine supply stores than at hardware stores.

I looked at the MSDSes for several denatured alcohol products and saw that you correct--many of them contain very high concentrations of methanol. I suggest that people consult the MSDSes before buying--to find the MSDS for a product, just search on the product name plus "MSDS".

Doug

jfb said:

Coleman Fuel should be available somewhere, perhaps a hardware store, Walmart, Sears or EMS/REI. You'll also need a fuel bottle, a pouring cap that fits the fuel bottle and a pouring spout for the gallon bottle(remove the spring for easier pouring). To add to the complexity, that type of stove starts much better if you prime it first after pumping. You can use a tube of priming paste and place a little on the burner tube, light the paste and just before it goes out, slowly open the valve. Or, what I do is place a small piece of cotton ball under the burner tube and use an eyedropper to sprinkle 3 or 4 drops of fuel on the cotton. Light the cotton and just before the flame dies, open the valve. If you have to shut off the stove and restart it before it cools completely, do so at a safe distance because it will flare up.

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Agreed--Coleman Fuel is widely available in the US. (Fuel availability varies around the world.)

Note: the following comments apply to gasoline (ie Coleman Fuel) stoves only:

The above are instructions for priming a non-pump stove--priming a pump stove is much easier. Starting with a cold stove, put a small amount of pressure in the tank (ie a few pump strokes) and open the valve just long enough to spill a small amount of fuel into the burner and light it. Reopen the valve just before the flame goes out and increase the pressure as the burner heats up. If it blows out you can relight it immediately if the burner stays hot enough to vaporize the fuel. If the burner cools too much, let it cool down and start as with a cold stove. (Otherwise the stove will flare until it heats up sufficiently.)

Pumps can be purchased for some non-pump stoves and sometimes one can simulate a pump start by opening and closing the filler cap (to equalize the pressure) and heating the fuel tank with your hands to get enough pressure to prime the stove.

Non-pump stoves rely on heat from the burner to pressurize the tank. If the tank overheats, the pressure-relief valve should open causing a large flame. (If it doesn't release, the tank can explode...) Pump stoves are safer because the tank stays cold and the only pressure is due to the operator's pumping.

In general, pump stoves are a better bet in the cold than are non-pump stoves. (Yes, some people are able to use non-pump stoves in moderate temps.) FWIW, my MSR model G (first in the XGK line) has operated with no special care in temps of -10F or so. The XGK is the ultimate in winter stoves...

Doug

dave.m said:

Day trip, I believe parts of the Swedish Army use the Trangia stoves in the winter.

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It is my understanding that they use the Trangia integrated pot-burner systems to get adequate performance in the cold. See http://trangia.se/en/camping-stoves-series-25/ or http://trangia.se/en/camping-stoves-series-27/

Doug

DougPaul said:

Note: the following comments apply to gasoline (ie Coleman Fuel) stoves only:

The above are instructions for priming a non-pump stove--priming a pump stove is much easier. Starting with a cold stove, put a small amount of pressure in the tank (ie a few pump strokes) and open the valve just long enough to spill a small amount of fuel into the burner and light it. Reopen the valve just before the flame goes out and increase the pressure as the burner heats up. If it blows out you can relight it immediately if the burner stays hot enough to vaporize the fuel. If the burner cools too much, let it cool down and start as with a cold stove. (Otherwise the stove will flare until it heats up sufficiently.)

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My Coleman Feather 442 stove has a pump but does not have a cup under the burner. Your instructions would not work. The liquid fuel would just spill all over the stove. Been there, done that.

https://www.rei.com/product/671668/coleman-exponent-feather-442-dual-fuel-backpacking-stove

Your instructions would work fine for an Optimus 111-B.

In this video, notice how the stove flares with an orange flame when first lit. That's the liquid fuel burning. It would be worse in colder weather. Once the burner tube is warm, the stove burns with a steady blue flame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdjhkcsbFSk

jfb said:

My Coleman Feather 442 stove has a pump but does not have a cup under the burner. Your instructions would not work. The liquid fuel would just spill all over the stove. Been there, done that.

https://www.rei.com/product/671668/coleman-exponent-feather-442-dual-fuel-backpacking-stove

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I would argue that that is a flawed design. The stoves that I am aware of have a cup or a piece of asbestos "blotter paper" for priming.

Priming is an integral part of operating any gasoline stove.
.

Your instructions would work fine for an Optimus 111-B.

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And most other gasoline stoves with pumps.

Doug

EDIT:
I looked at the user reviews in your reference--no one else mentions the lack of a priming cup. (I'm not doubting your word--just surprised that it isn't mentioned in the reviews.)

DougPaul said:

I would argue that that is a flawed design.

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It certainly takes more skill to use than ordinary stoves. That's why I provided detailed advice on how to prime it.

DougPaul said:

EDIT:
I looked at the user reviews in your reference--no one else mentions the lack of a priming cup. (I'm not doubting your word--just surprised that it isn't mentioned in the reviews.)

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I had a Phoebus 725 for about 20 years. Lighting the stove inside my tent was a routine occurrence. After the safety valve started blowing (shooting out a pretty impressive flame), I decided to upgrade to a Coleman because I liked the large-tank-on-the-bottom design. It took a little time to learn how to light it safely.

It looks to me the same as a Coleman Lantern, which is to say, it burns orange/liquid until the generator heats up, and once the fuel is vaporized, burns blue (stove) or white (lantern, the white of course is due to the mantle).

Tim

Thanks, Pinnah, for starting this thread. It gave me the inspiration to make my own beer can stove, which I did this evening. The stand is made from two coat hangers & some picture hanging wire. Two cups of water boiled in about 5'20".

Well done. Nice job.

DayTrip said:

Thanks all. I'm going to look into it.

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I just checked the instructions that came with my stove and it clearly shows where to place the preheating paste. The instructions state that preheating is helpful at temps below freezing.

DougPaul said:

Mine is "Lynsol Denatured Alcohol", purchased at a local hardware store. A Google search yields http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=2396 along with a number of other suppliers. (I give this specific reference because it includes a nice description of the product.) The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) indicates that it is 95--100% ethanol. A quick check suggests that it may be cheaper at marine supply stores than at hardware stores.

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The same store also sells Sterling Galley Heat, which is 95-100% ethanol.

jfb said:

I just checked the instructions that came with my stove and it clearly shows where to place the preheating paste. The instructions state that preheating is helpful at temps below freezing.

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Paste is my preferred way to prime my Svea.

Can Coleman stoves be primed without flare up? <ducking for cover>

dave.m said:

Can Coleman stoves be primed without flare up? <ducking for cover>

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I can light mine without flare up, and I don't need paste.

jfb said:

I can light mine without flare up, and I don't need paste.

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So can I now. I love these stoves because they are solid, adjustable to a simmer, and white gas works at very low temps. That being said, in colder temps preheating is helpful. My kids still remember when I accidentally set a picnic table ablaze at a campground when I wasn't careful.