 This
stove is another in the line of KISS
Stoves that are designed to simplify your backpacking experience.
In recent years, the number of hikers looking for alternatives to the
traditional gas stoves has increased. Many of these hikers have adopted
the Esbit solid fuel stoves for their simplicity and ease of shipping
fuel through the mail. Another group is adopting the use of homemade alcohol
stoves.
A while ago I'd made the decision to leave my old Whisperlight home on
backpacking trips. Especially when I was going alone. I just got tired
of the weight and waiting for it to fail. Granted I generally put off
any differed maintenance until the night before the trip. And then its
in a rush check to insure the stove would simply ignite.
I liked the Esbit fuel stove I carried. It's simple and easy to use.
However, it lacks a good wind screen. In general I figured I could do
better. Along came those homemade Alcohol stoves and my head was spinning
again. Alcohol was much simpler to acquire along the trail and certainly
considerably cheaper. At $.50 per meal or a dollar a day, the Esbit fuel
could easily add up to serious money on a five month hike. Cost of running
an alcohol stove comes in at around $.20 per day. Certainly a significant
savings for someone as cheap as me.
After reviewing Roy
Robinson's alcohol stove on a trip to Lake Tahoe, I immediately
when home with the gears in my head spinning. Figuring I could do better,
I spent several nights building the perfect stove. Upon lighting, it caved
in on itself and flaming alcohol went running across a wooden board, heading
straight for the counter. After dousing the whole mess with water, I tossed
the stove up on a shelf as an experiment in futility. I pulled out my
sewing machine thinking my design talents defiantly ran elsewhere.
All through several sewing projects, I couldn't get that damn stove out
of my mind. Upon running out of material for sewing, I reluctantly returned
to the stove. This time I wanted to make it simple and also support both
Alcohol and solid fuel like Esbit.
The Fallingwater Multi-Fuel Stove is the second generation of
the multi-fuel stove. This design incorporates the alcohol burner in the
stove. In the first generation, the alcohol burner was a separate component.
The top of the stove has been modified to better deflect the wind. The
number of vents on the top has been reduced to two and they are both placed
on one side of the stove. The alcohol burner has been modified and the
efficiency has improved by 25%. This reduces boil time from a little over
10 minutes to 7.5 minutes.
Materials
- 1- 1 lb coffee can or a can that's at least 3.5" tall by 4"
across.
- 1 - 4 inch square of quarter inch heavy wire mesh
- 2 - Tomato paste cans.
- A few inches of standard pink fiberglass house insulation. Check your
attic. (Not shown)
Total cost for materials is free.
Tools
- Dremel Tool
- Hammer
- Wire Cutters
- Needle Nose Pliers
It maybe possible to use something else beside the Dremel tool. However,
I've found it perfect for making clean cuts.
Construction
Main Stove
- Cut the can down to 3.25 inches in heigth.
- Cut a series of six 1 X .5 inch slots around one end of the can a
3/4 inch from the bottom and 1 inch apart.
- From the top, cutout two 2 X .5 inch sections. These cutouts should
be on one side of the stove. The back half of the top is solid to deflect
the wind.
- Cut a series of 1/8 inch deep slits into the top of the stove. Bend
them over flat to create a smooth edge along the top of the stove.
Alcohol Burner Bottom
- Cut the top of one of the tomato paste cans down to 1.25 inches.
- Cut a series of .5 inch wide slits a half inch down from the top of
the can.
Alcohol Burner Top
- Cut the second tomato paste can down to .5 inches high.
- With a hammer, gently pound the top of the can into a shallow concave
bowel.
- On the side of the can, cut a series of .5 inch wide slits all the
way around.
- In the bowel of the burner, cut a series of slits radiating around
the perimeter of the can about an eighth inch apart. Leave a .5 inch
clear section in the center of the bowel.
Wire Grid
- Trim the 4x4 in wire mesh to 4 inch round.
- Cut a hole in the middle of the mesh the size of the alcohol burner.
Assembly
 First
attach the bottom burner to the wire mesh. To do this, bend every other
tab out 90 degrees. Insert the standing tabs into the wire mesh. When
fully inserted, bend down the rest of the tabs. It should look like
the photo on the left.- Take a small wad of insulation and place it into the bowel. It should
fill up the entire bowel but not be too compressed.
- Take the top of the alcohol burner and insert it into the bottom.
Take your hammer and tap it in securely.
- In the stove body, fold up every other tab inward so that it's perpendicular
to the body. Insert the alcohol/mesh into the bottom of the stove with
the burner facing up. Then fold the remaining three tabs to hold the
burner securely in place.
That's it! You've just built your own Fallingwater Multi-Fuel
Stove. The whole thing weighs in at 2.3 ounces. All told, it'll take
about two hours to construct.
Fuels
Solid / Esbit Fuels
Aside from Esbit fuel tabs, this stove should be able to burn any of
the available solid fuel tabs such as Hexamine or Trioxane. These tabs
lack the efficiency of Esbit and will require more fuel per meal.
In tests, an Esbit tab was able to bring 2 cups of 60 degree water to
a boil in 6.5 minutes. There was enough tab left to burn for another 6
minutes.
Alcohol Fuel
There are numerous sources of alcohol available on the market. However,
standard denatured alcohol seems to provide the greatest burn for the
least amount of fuel.
In test on this stove burning alcohol, I was able to bring 2 cups of
water to a boil on two tablespoons of fuel. It took about 7 minutes to
raise the 60 degree water to the boiling point. Using the stove in the
mountains with cold stream water will require a more fuel to boil the
water. Two tablespoons of denatured alcohol burned between 10 and 11 minutes
in duration.
Under normal operation, the alcohol flame burns blue and may be difficult
to see.
Stove Operation
This should be obvious by now. Simply add the fuel and light a match.
There are no moving parts to adjust. In the case of using alcohol, you'll
need to wait until the fuel has consumed itself. With Esbit fuel tabs,
you can blow them out and store them away until for later use.
Simmering
No, you haven't read this wrong. I mentioned simmering because this stove
will allow you to simmer your foods. To do so simply blow out or finish
burning your primary fuel. Wait a few moments for the stove to cool then
light a small short candle and place it on the mesh. The candle will provide
sufficient heat to do basic simmering. Since the candle will last for
sometime, you'll be able to use it for multiple meals.
Notes
This stove is designed to provide a degree of safety. However, no stove
is safe if left unattended.
There is a large gap between the bottom of the wire mesh and the ground.
This gap minimizes the heat transferred downward. In one test on the stove,
I shredded a soft paper towel - to simulate ground litter - and performed
a full burn of the alcohol stove. At the end, the paper towel wasn't even
warm let alone scorched. So if you have a habit of cooking your meals
on shelter floors, you won't have to worry about leaving those ugly burn
marks.
Caution: This stove is not designed to
burn highly volatile fuels like gas, diesel, kerosene or camp stove fuel.
The fuels are far too volatile to be burned in an open container.
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