I'm determined to reduce my use of gas, mostly because of the wastage of partially-used and empty containers) so trying to convert to meths. Once again I had problems getting the stove to light this morning. Is there some secret I'm not aware of? It's one of Stu's little "wool" filled stoves. Air temperature was likely around 4-6C. I was in a bothy. I'm using a gas lighter (irony?). I burnt my thumb.

The flame also seems to be quite wide for a 450ml cup - so much so that it was licking up the side and making the handle red hot. I have one of the smaller stoves so might try that next time.

It may have been that the meths wasn't warm enough to give off vapours to ignite until you held the lighter to it for a while. Happens to me all the time because I forget to put my meths in my coat to warm it up. I stick a dry twig into meths and use that as a wick instead of risking my fingers on a lighter.

Warm both meths and stove before you try to get anything going. We've had both Stu's 8g stove and a homemade beer can stove going at -5C by ensuring both were warm.

Sideburners need to be a bit smaller than the pot to allow the flames to turn upward to the base of the pot rather than up the sides. The 8g works with Alpkit's 400 mug but the beer can stove is too wide for that and is better for the 650 stove whereas the 650 on top of the 8g stove is a bit unstable.

As mentioned, warm meths and a warm stove will help. Pouring a little meths over the stove and lighting that first will make a big difference too.

The stove you have Colin is really better for a 650ml / 700ml pot but the 8g is the ideal size for a 400ml / 450ml mug. The 8g can work with a larger pot but it really needs a close fitting (tapered) windshield to increase stability ... like this.

Yeah. 8g stove next time methinks. And warm fuel. Hey, it'll soon be summer. Right???

I'm not giving up.

ScotRoutes wrote:I'm determined to reduce my use of gas, mostly because of the wastage of partially-used and empty containers) so trying to convert to meths. .

I refill my 100 gram gas cartridges from 500 gram gas canisters, using an adapter. I can normally get around 8 refills per small canister before I no longer trust the internal rubber seal, so I have cut down my fully-recyclable empty container usage a lot. So if you don't get on with meths.......

Ooh something else that helps greatly is using one of them there 'turbo' lighters. There not overly expensive but make a real difference in cold weather.

Like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/282101230476?c ... 1057270996

I've also found that what the stove is sat on top of makes a difference. If it's on something that to any extent conducts the heat away (like steel) then it doesn't help getting & keeping the stove up to temp...

Keep meaning to make something insulating (& ideally fireproof) for my meths stoves to sit on, but not got round to it yet..

I've cut up a old welding sleeve and expoy'd it over a ally plate ,not exactly TLS but insulated well and doesn't catch fire even when I'm trying not to spill the meths after a few pints

middleagedmadness wrote:I've cut up a old welding sleeve and expoy'd it over a ally plate ,not exactly TLS but insulated well and doesn't catch fire even when I'm trying not to spill the meths after a few pints

Good idea MaM, might give that a go, but with a wooden disc instead of ally..

I've always thought that the idea of the windshield, as well as keeping the wind off, was to help maintain a more efficient operating temp of the stove..

I sit mine on a square of folded aluminium foil. I think there are four or five layers of it. It definitely makes a difference in my mind.

I've always thought that the idea of the windshield, as well as keeping the wind off, was to help maintain a more efficient operating temp of the stove..

It serves a number of fuctions Jase. Always best to think of it as an integral part of the stove, especially with meths or solid fuel

The stove is on a bit of cardboard topped with that silver foil bubble wrap. Partly insulation, partly stabilisation.

It took me a lot to give up my msr and embrace meths for cooking on bikepacking trips.
I use a spill proof stove. The type with wadding in it. You can hold it in your hand to light it and I've never had any issues getting it burning.
Additionally as it doesn't have side jets it works well with small pots, it doesn't flare up alarmingly at random and it won't knock over and create a conflagration.
A custom shield/stand for your pot is also a great idea.
Mine only cost £20 or so and fits in my 400ml mug with the stove, lighter etc.
With my Titan kettle I can also fit in the fuel for a weekend of boiling as well.

Turbo lighter .

Pah just warm the bottle up under my oxter.

Light with a steel .

Wotsits wrote:I've also found that what the stove is sat on top of makes a difference. If it's on something that to any extent conducts the heat away (like steel) then it doesn't help getting & keeping the stove up to temp...

Keep meaning to make something insulating (& ideally fireproof) for my meths stoves to sit on, but not got round to it yet..

I use the base of a tube of Pringles... it's flat, stiff, foil like (sorry that's as technical as I get) and round and roughly the same size as my Alpkit cup so fits beneath it in the bottom of the mesh bag.

I made one of these for lighting my meths stove without burning my thumb.

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=9186&p=108483&hili ... er#p108483

Can't believe it was 2 years ago I posted that! I had been using it for months before then and used it again last night so I can confirm it's still going strong.

Pringles base here too

Colin, Spey valley hardware have lighters with a long nozzle thing that’s perfect for lighting a meths stove.

Gari wrote:Colin, Spey valley hardware have lighters with a long nozzle thing that’s perfect for lighting a meths stove.

Cheers Gari. I was going to check around later today.

Seemed an appropriate place to share this - I've just made a windshield for someone to use with their 8g stove and 400ml / 450ml mug. It's tapered, fits inside the mug should you wish, adds much to stability and weighs 12g.

Obviously I know that 8g stoves come with a template to make something similar but I also know that some people either can't or can't be arsed to make one ... so, I'll add them to the shop this week coming.

A little circle of sort of insulated bubble wrap wrapped in foil for my base.

Just the right size to sit in the bottom of my mug/pot for travel. It does have a bit of 'give' so needs a bit of care sitting the pot on the mini popcan stove I use.

How hot will the 8g stove get on full tilt?

Would a circle of leather glued onto the bottom work ok? I have some wadding from a furnace I've used inside meths stoves but not any I can stick on the bottom? I've had a problem on a few trips with getting my little stove to get and stay up to temperature. I like to stick it on a rock for a nice stable surface but it sometimes ends up killing the heat from it

Here's my take on it:


Bottom of a Pringles can as the base, and I glued some thin foam on the bottom to help with insulation. I then put the stove in the middle of a sheet of foil, and gathered the foil up around it. I placed the foil wrapped stove in the middle of the base, and laid a thick bead of silicon sealant around it. Once the silicon had dried, I folded the foil down and around the base, gluing it in place. The silicon means there's a little "crater" that holds the stove stable in the middle of the base.

How hot will the 8g stove get on full tilt?

Quite hot