Made myself a DIY alcohol stove today. It's a fancy feast design. Tested it earlier and didn't burn the house It even boiled some water



I don't have a proper wick yet, so used a paper towel instead, and some boots surgical spirit as fuel, because this is what I had around. I must say, it worked better than expected and I can see the paper towel going strong for a few more boils. Having said that, I've ordered ceramic wool to replace it with something more permanent. It did smell quite a lot. Guess it's because of the fuel, right? Oh, or maybe it's the inner can that has some white plastic lining. Oops.

Lastly, why am I making this stove? I have no idea. Procrastination probably, and because it looks fun (to DIY and hopefully to use). Will report with actual outdoor experience soon

Cheers,
Tom

That looks great Tom, the Fancee Feast is one of my favourite alcohol stoves.

You might have made yours to a different spec than mine, but the inner on yours seems much higher than mine, which is 15mm. I couldn't be bothered to make one, so I ordered mine from the States though.

There was a thread on Trek Lite about them, including where and what some people used as a wick when they made their own: https://www.trek-lite.com/index.php?thr ... east.6552/

Cheers, Michael.

You might have made yours to a different spec than mine, but the inner on yours seems much higher than mine, which is 15mm. I couldn't be bothered to make one, so I ordered mine from the States though.

I too thought it looked high but the flame colour looks well, so I'd assume it's happy.

There's a YouTube video where the chap made 4 at different heights and tested them, the tallest, 1.25 inches if I remember, was the fastest boil and longest burn.

Impressive. Always interesting to see things tinkered with for the hell of it.

I guess you needed a broom handle to stir it with because of the massive 1.9L pot

My thoughts too. I struggle to balance a 600ml cup on my side-burner stoves.

Thanks everybody!

Regarding the height. Most videos I've seen suggest 1 inch, and this is what I've done. Yes, there are claims for shorter boiling times for 1.25" inner can but I decided to follow the crowd.

RIP wrote: ↑Thu Mar 11, 2021 8:11 pm I guess you needed a broom handle to stir it with because of the massive 1.9L pot

Haha! This is my girlfriend, helping me not to make too much mess sawing, drilling, and sanding in the middle of the living room
Plan is to get a ~600ml pot for this stove and keep the 2l pot for 2-3 person adventures (on a cheap canister stove).

Mine works really well with a 650ml Mytimug and Speedster windshield.