[pct-l] The Cat Stove Simmers!

> << The trouble with these alcohol stoves is, they don't have a simmer
> setting....  I can turn [my gas burner] down to simmer when I want to,
> conserving fuel....  >>
>
> OK.  You talk, we listen.  My son Brian was over last night to celebrate
> Fathers Day.  We spent a good part of the evening playing with the Cat
Stove
> (new, lightweight version of the original tuna can stove.)  Here are the
> results:
>
> Cut a 1 x 11 inch piece of the aluminum foil you have already used to
build
> your windscreen, and wrap it around the air jacket of your Cat Stove,
> covering the air intake holes.  Tape the ends together so it forms a
simmer
> ring that will slide up and down over the air jacket to either shut off or
> expose the air holes (or anything in between).  I used metal tape but a
> staple (punched from the inside, out, to avoid hangups) will also do the
job.
>  You want to cut the simmer ring down to where it will just cover the air
> holes.  That way, it won't obstruct air flow when you raise it to let the
> stove roar.  Mine ended up at 7/8 inch in width.
>
> With the air holes closed and 2 tablespoons of fuel, the stove kept a pot
of
> water simmering for 25 minutes (!) before burning out.  It acted like a
> Stearno can, burning the fuel very slowly because it was starved for air.
> Next, we slid the simmer ring up so the air holes were completely open.
> Again, 2 tbsp of fuel and a pint of cold tap water in the pot.  Light it
off,
> and the water comes to a full, rolling boil in under four minutes.  (Ideal
> conditions, 70 degree evening, no wind.)  I then took the pot off, slid
the
> simmer ring down to cover the air holes and returned the pot to the heat.
It
> simmered for another full six minutes (10 minutes, total) on the original
2
> tbsp of fuel!  BTW, is anyone still unconvinced about the merits of an air
> jacket to improve the efficiency of an alcohol stove?
>
> With the addition of the simmer ring, your Cat Stove can now be set to
burn 2
> tbsp of fuel in anywhere from 6 minutes (will normally bring a pint of
water
> to a boil in 4-5 minutes) to 25 minutes (keeping your soup or cocoa hot
for
> as long as you would like.)  I tried to weigh the simmer ring to see how
much
> it would add to the total weight of the stove (1.6 oz including stand and
> windscreen), but it wouldn't move the needle on a scale that weighs to 0.1
> oz.  You want to heat more water or simmer longer?  Put in 3 tbsp of fuel!
>
> Those of you who want to build the Cat Stove can find instructions at any
of
> the following web sites:
>
> <A HREF="www.hike.f2s.com/gear/homemade/rrstove.htm">Eric Olsen's Hiking
Gear
> Site</A>  (www.hike.f2s.com/gear/homemade/rrstove.htm)
>
> <A HREF="public.surfree.com/fountain/alabama.htm">M. Lee Van Horn's Web
Site</
> A>  (public.surfree.com/fountain/alabama.htm)
>
> <A HREF="www.pcthiker.com/pages/gearset.html">Troubadour's PCT Hiker
Site</A>
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