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

[Paul Mitchell]

Yeah, I'm not excited about the balancing aspect of this stove.  I don't
like the pot stands that come with some of the other stoves I've picked up
either.  I've been trying to think of an innovative way to provide an easier
balance solution.  Well ... I haven't been thinking very hard.

I talked to Bill (the whitebox stove maker) and he suggested that some have
used tent stakes driven into the ground around the stove to provide some
extra balance.

Paul

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net
[mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]On Behalf Of Edward Babao
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 2:48 AM
To: paul at bluebrain.ca; 'AsABat'; csxii at schizoaffective.org
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Denatured alcohol... safest of the unsafe?



I have to chime in regarding this stove since I've been playing around with
it a lot these last few weeks.

The other day we were camping out in Horse Meadow at Mount Laguna and we
were boiling water with a White Box alcohol stove, a Pepsi can stove and an
MSR pocket rocket (don't know why we had three different stoves).  We were
reluctant to even fire up our stoves because it was so dry out there and we
were afraid we would lose control of our stoves and start a forest fire.  We
tried our best to be careful, but the dry conditions in SoCal are scary.

Anyway, regarding the White Box alcohol stove-it is a good stove indeed.
But after being out in the field with it a few times, it can be a dangerous
stove to use.  For one thing, one has to balance the pot on top of the stove
just right.  Of course, a pot stand could be used.  But if the pot isn't
balanced just right on the stove, you can knock over the stove, alcohol
could spill all over the place, and you'd end up with one big mess on your
hands.  I guess this would be the same for any other home made canned stove
or any stove for that matter.

Another thing about the WB alcohol stove: it takes awhile for the stove to
get going when it is cold.  So I wrapped a wick around the stove to serve as
a primer.  Finally, this stove burns so hot that I've actually melted a
couple of aluminum windscreens and had to switch to a titanium windscreen.

Hope that helps.

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Paul Mitchell
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 10:07 PM
To: AsABat; csxii at schizoaffective.org
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Denatured alcohol... safest of the unsafe?

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

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net
[mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]On Behalf Of AsABat
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 9:46 PM
To: csxii at schizoaffective.org
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Denatured alcohol...


I've played with snuffing out an alcohol stove (in a fire pit in my back
yard). It can be done, but isn't always easy.

First, laying something on top may or may not work depending on the
design of the stove. Some have holes that are still exposed.

Covering it with an upside-down pot works eventually, after all the air
in the pot is burned. That can take longer than you think. Still, the
pot has to seal at the ground, which works in soft soil but not so well
on hard uneven soil.

Even if an upside-down pot worked, most hikers only have one pot - the
one on the stove with their dinner in it. I suppose toss the dinner on
the ground and put out the stove, but then there's the bears <grin>.

Water might work, if enough water can be used without splattering the
burning fuel into the grass.

Besides the less-visible flame, alcohol stoves typically have a variable
flame length, slow to start, then flaring high until the stove warms up,
then settling down. OTOH, some white gas stoves that need priming can do
the same. The difference is they can be quickly shut down if it
threatens to be a problem.

The bottom line is a clear area 10-feet MINIMUM in diameter. Clearing
grass is not good environmentally, so a natural clearing is preferred -
an existing fire ring, a sandy area, a large flat rock outcropping.

Whatever, but be safe.

AsABat


> -----Original Message-----
> I don't follow that, you can always snuff out an alcohol stove.

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