[pct-l] Denatured alcohol... safest of the unsafe?

[Shauna]

On Wed, 21 Mar 2007 22:07:10 -0700, Paul Mitchell <paul at bluebrain.ca> had
this to say:

>I very well might be talking out my ass here, but sometimes my ass says just
>the right thing at just the right time to make me feel better.
>
>The new whitebox stove is a pressurized design not requiring a pot stand.
>Once it's primed your pot sits on the stove, so there is no open flame
>moving around like a tuna/cat can stove, which can flare up in any direction
>with the wind.  The flames are coming out tiny jets and although I haven't
>field tested this one yet, it seems to me that the flames will be much more
>confined.  A ring of small jet flames that can not create large flares vs.
>the open top design which can move all over the place.
>
>It seems to me this might be a safer version of these types of stoves since
>there is much less potential for flares to shoot out in any direction from
>the stove, at least, once it's hot and your pot is on it.
>
>Just a thought though, not sure how much of a difference there actually is
>when it's in action.  Someone who's used it more extensively might have a
>better idea.
>
>Search ebay or from Gossamer Gear to find it.
>
>Cheers,
>Paul
>

Yes I agree the cat stove and the super cat stove (sound like what the guy
that started the fire was using) have a large openings for flame and can
really flare.

You can make and "Ion" stove very easily http://www.ionstove.com/build.htm
and Ion stoves have a small flame pattern so should be a bit safer.

  I think the white box stove is a bit over priced at $20.00.   But it
should flare less then a cat or super cat. 

The aluminum pan from an individual pot pie makes a good flame snuffer for
low profile stoves.   The small the snuffer the quicker it puts out the
flame unless it's too small for the stove.    Alcohol goes out really fast
with just a bit of water.   Dinner boiling over will put out an Ion stove.

this stove http://www.garlington.biz/Ray/YACCS/index.htm is easy to make
and has a small flame pattern.  Be sure to put some pin holes in the rim to
keep it from burping though.

There are so many variations of alcohol stoves they really should not all
be lumped together.

The aluminum pan from an individual pot pie makes a good flame snuffer for
low profile stoves.   The smaller the snuffer the quicker it puts out the
flame unless it's too small for the stove of course.    Depending on the
stove alcohol goes out really fast with just a bit of water and no
splattering.   Dinner boiling over will put out an Ion stove real fast.

I bought a stove on ebay that flares so bad that I would not use it even up
here in the rain forest.    A well crafted stove of the right type  should
not flare much.

Here is one of my complete Heineken can pot six ounce backpacking cook
sets. This six ounces includes a stove, windscreen, pot stand, bottom
reflector, insulated cup and bowl. 


http://bp1.blogger.com/_n-H9SSVlHFs/RfG8MWlFTQI/AAAAAAAAAO0/5g--efQax9k/s1600-h/cooksystemcook.jpg
it has a wick and the wick can be lowered ahead of time if you want to
simmer or raised if you want a faster boil.  I've not had trouble with this
stove flaring.