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[pct-l] building a Cat Stove ...




This weekend I built the Cat Stove (following Roy Robinson's
instructions).  I ran into a few problems.

The instructions say the fiberglass wicking should come about 1 inch from
the bottom of the burner, but stay below the bottom of the can-opener
holes.  The can is only 1.5 inches tall, does this mean the burner holes
should only be about .5 inches?  I'm just using a regular can opener and
the holes end up being a bit bigger than that.

I've burned several tablespoons of alcohol in the stove now and the
fiberglass won't stick to the sides. As soon as I try to pull out the
window screen (that holds the fiberglass in place), the fiberglass comes
out.

I'm using denatured alcohol from the hardware store.  I thought alcohol
flames were supposed to be invisible but when I run the stove (with no
windscreen and no pot on it) I get tall (maybe .75 feet) orange flames.
Is this normal?  I used the windscreen and boiled a cup of water in about
3 minutes so it appears to be working.  I was just wondering about the
tall orage flames.  Even with the pot and windscreen I could see flames
occasionally coming up around the sides of the pot.

I can't find the 2" x 3" welded wire screen. I've found plenty of 2" x 4"
and that would probably work fine for building the stand, but it only
comes in 50 foot rolls for $20.  Is there a good source for the 2" x 3"
welded wire screen that I can find by the foot?

Steve