While trying to make another one I got tired of unsuccessfully trying to put the two halves together with shims, so I tried something else: I just put them together the other way around. Basically I cut off the bottom of one can, rammed another can in it (about 5-10mm in)and then cut off the top of that one.
It worked out pretty well: now there is a little wall around it that helps heat up the whole thing when you first ignite it. Also, instead of being in the center, the extra fuel you put in to ignite it is now spread along this wall, which is much more efficient in heating it up.
The stove is filled with aluminum filler made from kitchen aluminum foil that was loosely rolled up and then cut into thin strips. This helps distribute the heat trough the fuel and also helps in the vaporisation trough capillary action.
In this video I was testing how easy it was to ignite it, by putting not too much fuel in. The first time I lit it, I had a cup of coffee in less than 10 minutes (using warm tap water).
When fully filled it burns for about 15-20 minutes. I used Spiritus (85% ethanol, 3% methanol) in this test.
Congratulations, you lit alcohol in a can!
Breal191 1 year ago