Make a Simple Beverage Can Stove

Try making your own easy, lightweight and portable cooking stove from used aluminum beverage cans. This project costs virtually nothing to create and it will cook for about 15 minutes. This is a really simple version of the beverage can stove. Other versions can be more complicated but this one works well despite its simplicity. You will be creating a top half and a base half from two different beverage cans, both halves which are then telescoped together to create a small, solid, lightweight stove. The steps outline creating the base and the top halves of the stove and slotting them together. The article also provides steps on priming and ignition of your stove.

Steps

  1. Assemble the materials needed for this project.
  2. Create the base of the stove. To cut the base, draw a straight, dashed line around one of the two beverage cans, approximately 1.5" (3.5 cm) from the bottom of the can. If you find it difficult to make this line straight, you can put an elastic band around the can, untwist it to make it even; then follow this band around as you make your dotted line.
    • Neatly and carefully cut around this line, using one of the suggested cutting implements.
  3. Make the burner holes in the "top" can:
    • Remove the tab from the top of the second can, otherwise it may wobble when you turn it over.
    • Draw a straight, dashed line approximately 1" (2.5 cm) from the bottom of the can.
    • Turn it upside down so you can make the holes with the can still whole.
    • Around the rim of the upside down top, mark about 16 – 24 holes, evenly spaced (use a ruler or your fingers to space it out). Make more holes if your pin is very small; fewer holes if your pin size is larger.
    • Take a push pin and pierce each hole. If this proves difficult to achieve with hand pressure, gently tap in with a small hammer. Hold the hammer close to its head and tap gently, while holding the push pin between your thumb and first finger, just under the pin's head. Take care not to hit your fingers. The top of the push pin should be protecting them. Make the holes as small as possible. If the holes are too big, too much gas escapes and you will not get a good burn. This is the hardest part of the stove, getting a good hole sizing and pattern.
    • Try to keep all the holes the same shape to ensure even heating.
  4. Make the fuel drainage hole. There are two possible approaches to making the fuel drainage holes:
    • The first is to make a screw sized hole in the middle of the top. Get a short, fat sheet metal screw that will act as fuel hole cap. Make sure this fits snugly, to prevent fuel escaping from this hole.
    • The second method is to create a flower shape of the same small size as the pin holes made for the outer rim. To do it this way, make one hole in the center and 6 holes evenly spaced around the center hole. As these holes will be smaller, the fuel will drip through to the base, not pour through. This method is obviously easier if you do not have access to a screw but is a little slower than the first method for filling purposes.
  5. Cut the top can. Once you have made the holes using the strength of the whole can, it is time to cut the top part. Cut it along the line you drew earlier.
  6. Cut small vertical slits. Once you have the top piece cut, you will need to create slits to allow the two halves of the stove to telescope together. Cut vertical slits with scissors, taking care not to cut past the rim of the can (the rounded part). Cut in about four to six even places (you can always cut a few more slits if the top isn't easing in gently). As an optional step, you could use a paper punch to make holes halfway up the can, then cutting the slits up to them. This will stop the can from tearing when trying to mate the two halves.
  7. Fill the base with a suitable filling that will soak up the fuel such as perlite or vermiculite. At a pinch, you could even use sand. Perlite is a naturally occurring siliceous rock that is found in many parts of the world. You can purchase it at most gardening centers. In each case, the filling acts as a wick to hold the fuel and disburse it evenly and gradually.
  8. Fit the stove together. Once you have the filling in place in the base, and the slits made for the top, it is time to put the two pieces together. Steady the stove base by placing it on an even surface, such as a table top or flat ground. Take the top and gently but firmly push it down into the base of the stove until it fits snugly; shuffle the perlite or other filling around a little to help ease in the top. Some users recommend creating a wedge from some of the spare aluminum to ease it in. The top will now be sloping inwards (dimple), ready for pouring in your fuel.
  9. Prepare the stove for use. Make sure the stove is sitting on a surface free of flammable material. Choose a spot of ground free of plant matter, or put the stove on a pie plate or a dinner plate. Depending on which fuel holes you have used, proceed to adding your fuel. Only some fuels should be used in this type of stove (see "Tips" for these fuels):
    • Plugged hole - remove your fill hole plug (the metal screw). Slowly pour the fuel into the top, allowing it to drain into the fill hole. Fill the stove base about 1/4 to 1/2 way full. Replace the plug if you have used a large hole, to prevent further dripping of the fuel.
    • Flower shaped hole - pour the fuel into the stove base via the small holes in the dimple, until the stove base is about 1/4 to 1/2 way full. This method relies on the fuel dripping through the small holes, so it will not be as fast as the first method.
  10. Prime the stove. Tip a little extra fuel (about a teaspoonful) in the dimple (middle) of the stove so that it pools there and even splash a little over the rim holes (it will burn off quickly).
  11. Ignite; light the fuel on top. Hold a match, lighter or candle to the edge of the stove and move it around slowly. Since the stove has been primed, the heat will now travel down the sides of the can and heat the fuel inside.
  12. Cook. Put your cooking pans onto a stand and cook. You can make your own stand (see "Tips" below) or use a ready-constructed version. The fuel should burn for up to 15 minutes but this will depend on several variables, including the weather conditions, whether you are indoors or outdoors etc. Experiment to see how much time you get from the stove before trying to cook a meal.

Tips

  • Instead of making one, make a half dozen. Try making the holes smaller, try different hole patterns. And don't just light it, try boiling a pint of water to see just how well the stove works. Measure how long it takes to boil the water, as well as how long a specified amount of fuel burns. You want to maximize efficiency, and it may take several attempts before you find one that works great. A sharp ice pick works well also. You can vary the size of the holes easily by how much the ice pick is inserted.
  • You can make an even smaller stove using V-8 cans. Stove, fuel, and matches will all fit into a camp cup and this heats up a great cup of tea or hot cocoa from your day pack! Smaller stoves hold less fuel, so if you're actually going to cook, you'll want a bigger can.
  • If you don't have a pin, you can also use a sewing needle or you can use sharpened wire.
  • Snip off any metallic "threads" sticking out after you have cut the top and base; this will prevent you from scratching yourself on them.
  • Suitable fuels are: denatured alcohol and absolute ethanol (the latter being fairly pricey).
  • If the stove doesn't stay lit, gently tip the stove towards one side and let a little of the fuel drip into the rim. Try to light it again and keep your match etc. there until the flame takes.
  • Some recommend punching a second ring of holes around the inside edge of the rim of the top of the stove as a means for evenly heat the cooking pot.
  • You can give the stove a polished finish by rubbing the paint off with a scouring pad. Do this before you open the can, and it will minimise the chances of denting it whilst you do it.
  • Lighting: The stove must be "primed" (especially in cold weather). The fuel goes inside, and a small amount of priming fuel goes on top in the "dimple". Light the fuel on top. The heat travels down the sides of the can and heats the fuel inside. Releasing gas that comes out of the holes in the top and ignites.
  • If you don't already have pre-formed stands for cooking, you can make a simple cooking stand to hold a pot or pan over the stove. Take a wire coat hanger or some easily bent wire. Cut the coat hanger just below the twisted part below the hook, and discard the hook portion. Bend the rest of the coat hanger out straight and use this piece of wire to shape a stove stand. There are different ways to make a stand from wire; use your imagination to find what works best for you. As long as it holds a pot over the stove.
  • The stove is really useful for backpackers and travelers because it is so light and doesn't take up a lot of room.
  • The downside of having a stand is that you also need a windscreen. To make a stand/windscreen/protective case, get a coffee can. Cut it 1/2" taller than the stove. Use a can opener (the kind that punches triangular holes in the tops of cans) and punch several holes around the side of the can, near the bottom (not on the bottom of the can). Keep the plastic lid to hold the stove during travel.
  • If you don't have a hammer when you are trying to make the holes, find a good rock that can gently hit the pin without breaking apart. Alternatively, you can chuck a pin or needle in a drill. Amazing as it sounds, a pin works fine as a drill bit in the soft aluminum. It makes neat, round holes with no denting.

Warnings

  • This stove is designed to burn only denatured alcohol or absolute ethanol. It would be explosively dangerous to use gasoline, white gas, camp fuel, kerosene, or any other fuel in this stove. Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) will not work properly, may boil over, and is strongly discouraged.
  • Be careful not to burn yourself.
  • If you have too many large holes in the top, the fuel will not burn cleanly. In a clean burn, the flames would look mostly blue, but this may be hard to see in the daytime. If the flames are mostly yellow, your holes are too big.
  • Ask for help from an adult, teacher or parent with cutting the cans if you are a child or if you do not feel confident in cutting it yourself. Take care not to slip with the knife or scissors while cutting.
  • Do not keep your hand too close to the heat or flame when lighting. If the stove becomes too hot while you are lighting it, take a rest until it cools down enough.
  • The flames from these fuels are practically invisible and if the fuel is spilled near the flames, this can result in a fire catching and spreading very quickly. Handle with care and be sure to have no flammable material around the area of the stove. Do not use a stove such as this near peat sites or tinder-dry vegetation.
  • Be careful with sharp objects used to make the burner holes.
  • The cut edges of the cans can be sharp. Use caution when working with them.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 aluminum cans, for example, soft drink cans, beer cans; they must be in good condition, with no dents
  • Push pin (a pin with a plastic head)
  • Hammer (small)-optional
  • Sharp knife, utility blade or scissors
  • 1/4 cup perlite
  • If making your own stand : Wire coat hanger (remove any paint with sandpaper beforehand)
  • Fuel (denatured alcohol or absolute ethanol). Denatured alcohol is inexpensive and available at any hardware or big box store. Absolute ethanol will be harder to find and a lot more expensive.
  • Some leak-proof container to carry your extra fuel. Camp stores have a selection of appropriate bottles that close tightly and dispense cleanly. Clearly mark the fuel bottle. Denatured alcohol contains methanol, which can cause blindness and death if swallowed. Do not use a bottle which resembles a water bottle; you definitely don't want to drink from the wrong one at night.

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