Penny Ultralight Alcohol Backpacking Stove

Penny Alcohol Backpacking Stove For hiking, camping, biking, boating, Scouting, RVing - use by homeless, survival schools, search & rescue teams, disaster and third world relief. . "This plan is human ingenuity at its very finest. For the cost of a few beers (plus one penny), you can build yourself a camping stove like no other... lots of scientific data to back up the claim that it's the best travel stove for any money..." Jules Allen, St. Ptersburg Times " ... wind chill factor of -9 degrees, temp was 14 degrees... Performed like a champ!!! Not affected by wind, or cold. Boiled water in minutes, simmers forever... I would recommend this stove to anyone, anywhere." asphalt commando
By Mark Jurey In 2004 I first posted the original instructions for a design that I had been working on for many years. This site documents the response and continuing search for a homemade camping stove that is safer, lighter, heats faster, burns longer, uses less fuel, easier to make and to use. Most alcohol stoves will heat two cups of water, but when I go hiking, I may need to melt snow or sterilize two quarts. Or, bake some scones or simmer a pot of brown rice or grains on 2/3 oz. of fuel. Or, boil two cups for tea on 1/2 oz.. The penny pressure regulator and simmer ring combination let it function as two stoves. It can prime and boil a quart of water just 20 seconds slower than a gas cook-top, or, simmer at max efficiently for almost an hour. Web reviews from around the World show that it "performed like a champ" with a wind chill of -9°, "excellent" even with 50 mph wind gusts, and "spectacularly" at the top of Mt. Whitney - 14,491 ft.. Independent testing document that it heats faster, uses less fuel, simmers longer, and packs lighter than any commercial stove. It combines the features and performance of three basic designs - the efficiency of a high pressure/Photon Stove, the ease to fill and light of a double wall/Pepsi Stove, and fast heat of a tub/Cat Stove. So simple that you can build a rough one on the trail with a leatherman or good pocket knife - no insulation, rulers, epoxy, needles, or tape. If you have played with homebuilt stoves before, this one should be a snap. Making the Penny Stove Building instructions and frequently asked questions. Making the 1/2 Penny Stove Designs for use with a mug or 24oz. Heineken pot by Charles Bodner & Don Trapp. Penny Wood Backpacking Stove This 3oz. wood stove works as a pot support for the Penny Stove.
Or Buy One Bill Waite will build you this beautifully crafted complete Penny system - $29.95 + shipping - 15% per stove supports wilderness preservation. For compltet Stove kit (which includes the stove, spare penny, pot stand, windscreen, matches, and complete instructions and safety precautions) send an email to: FiremarshalBill49@gmail.com "My Penny Stove arrived today and I tried it out. I am very impressed, as it worked perfectly. It boiled close to a liter of water in about 6 minutes. As a comparison, I boiled the same amount on an electric range and got a boil at 6 minutes and 30 seconds..!" Bill Pryor, Katy, Texas

Penny Features . almost full burn .............................. simmer ring burn "Due to the light-weight, the small size, the fast boil, and the geek factor, the penny alcohol stove is definitely the best and coolest camping stove ever. Thanks!" Fred the Red
WARNING: Recent YouTube videos show a normal pressurized stove with a penny covering the filling hole and represent this as a Penny Stove. It is not. They are missing unique features that make this stove safe and efficient - including a top priming fuel area, high cup rim, jet area tuned to penny weight, spaced jets, dimpled burner, insulating base, Heineken rim shape, and simmer ring. Ultralight Total stove & large pot support = 43 gm or 1.5 oz Burner, penny, simmer ring, & lid/base (19gm), support (24gm) Much safer Unlike pressurized stoves, it has no external priming flame and uncontrolled pressure buildup. Unlike un-pressurized stoves, it has no open reservoir of flaming fuel to splash or spill once lit. Unlike most, flame can extinguish instantly. An insulated base protects from fires below and independent pot support keeps stove stable when pot is disturbed. More efficient Independent tests show that it heats faster AND uses less fuel than the most popular commercial stoves and homebuilt stoves - many use 50% more fuel. Fuel Use 15 ml. (1/2 oz.) of fuel will boil 2 cups of water. 20 ml. (2/3 oz.) boils 2 cups and simmers for another 2 min. or 10 min. with the simmer ring. At that rate, 8 oz. of fuel will boil 24 cups (6 quarts) of water then simmer for for 2 hours. Light the stove with the simmer ring on and 8 oz. will burn for a total of 4 hours - 12 fully cooked meals. Less wind vulnerable The low profile and large low-pressure jets heat faster, are resistant to the wind, never clog, and are almost impossible to blow out. Automatic pressure adjustment Tests show that the penny regulator provides a stable efficient burn under changing conditions. It seals the filler hole to hold pressure for slow simmer and provides a center flame for maximum burn without flare-ups. Self measured fill To boil two cups, just fill the stove to the top covering the penny (2/3 oz.) and light. For a one quart boil, fill to the top, slide the penny aside to drain fuel, then back to cover the hole, and fill the top again. No eye droppers, cups, or measuring bottles required. Self priming/filling As stove heats, excess priming fuel on the top of the burner runs under the penny to fill the stove - no primer ring, cold weather lighting problems, or wasted fuel or heat. Holds almost 2 oz of fuel Some have boiled 8 cups with only 1.5 oz. of fuel. This makes it a great two person homemade stove or winter camp stove. Long efficient simmer The simmer ring raises the flame closer to the pot and slows both fuel and air supply to make it more efficient and less vulnerable to wind. It will boil one quart and hold a simmer for over 50 min. on less than 1-1/2 oz. - about 20 min. on 2/3 oz. of fuel. Stable efficient support The three-spike support provides maximum flame contact, minimum heat loss, and a wide, non slip base for large pots. Reverse the support for smaller pots. No seams to break & leak All parts are heavy impact forged aluminum and there are no sealed seams, and no glue, tape, or solder to fail. Small & easy to backpack The stove is small enough (1 1/4 hi. x 2 3/4 dia.) to fit into a plastic pack cup. The support folds flat. Stove, pot, cup, wind screen, & 8 oz. of fuel fit inside a small pot. Insulated base The lid/base is used to maintain thermal efficiency, makes it safer, and able to burn on a cold wet ground or a wood table top. Burner lid If the lid/base is not needed under the stove, it can be use to instantly stop the burn, save fuel, and/or protect the burner when packing.
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Indpendent Tests Boiling One Quart "OH MY GOD. 8 cups of water. 16 minutes. boils for an additional 3 minutes before 1.5oz fuel runs out. This is what we at MIT would call a really good hack." Jon Powell "I just got done with a simmer test and found by using the original simmer ring I was able to simmer hot water for over 56 minutes. I used 1.25 oz. of denatured alcohol." Phil Perkins

For complete Mike Martin test information go to:
www.nic.edu/compsci/mamartin/files/burntest.xls
www.nic.edu/compsci/mamartin/files/burnnotes.txt

Wikipedia gives these specs for "normal" beverage-can stoves:
* Time to boil 2 cups (500 ml): ~5 minutes (<2 tablespoons (30 ml) of fuel)
* Time to boil 4 cups (1 l): ~12 minutes (<3 tablespoons (45 ml) of fuel)

Compare these with tests of the Cat, Pepsi, and other commercial stoves at:
http://art.simon.tripod.com/Stoves/
www.thru-hiker.com/articles.asp?subcat=2&cid=38
www.backpacker.com/gear/article/0,1023,4566,00.html

Jeff tested many Penny stove options and a big jet Pepsi stove at:
http://home.comcast.net/~elhanon/stoves_main.html

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Thru-Hiker.com plotted the daily weight of stove+fuel for five stoves boiling two cups per day for a 14 day trip.
I have added the Penny to their chart showing how it relates to other stove and fuel options.
The Penny average is 5.25 oz/day, the Esbit is 5.1, Canister 7.8, Cat 7.4, Wisperlite 20, Doublewall 9.4.

What about the super high efficiency Jetboil PCS stove?
Below the Penny & grease pot is compared with Jetboil & integrated pot as tested by backcountry.com
- based on a 14 day trip boiling 2 cups per day.
The Penny average is 8.5 oz. per day, Jetboil is 17 oz. per day.

First day Weight -14 day trip
Jetboil = 18 oz (pot & stove 14, fuel 4)
Penny = 12 oz. (pot & stove 5, fuel 7)
~Last day Weight -14 day trip
Jetboil = 16 oz. (pot & stove 14, fuel 2)
Penny = 5 oz. (pot & stove 5, fuel 0)

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Web Reviews

Brad Monsma's Penny visits Whitney

"Penny...wow!
Just a quick note to say that your stove rocks. I discovered it while researching a replacement for my old Whisperfight... I'm giddy at boiling 2 cups in a little over four minutes on the Penny. The real test will come on Mt. Whitney in a month . . ."

"Penny Stove on Whitney
I just carried the penny stove on its first trip. It worked great in the cold and high elevation... I've got a little video clip of it boiling at the top, but it wouldn't sent because of the size... Thanks again for a great invention."
Brad Monsma
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..."Just back from a very cold 4 days hiking north Shenandoah, snowed last day. First day with a wind chill factor of -9 degrees, temp was 14 degrees. Made and used for the first time a "penny stove" for the trip. Performed like a champ!!! Not affected by wind, or cold. Boiled water in minutes, simmers forever. Never have used alcohol stove before..... I would recommend this stove to anyone, anywhere."
asphalt commando
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"Having constructed and tested nearly every homemade version as described on the alcoholstoves website I was pretty impressed with Mark's claims for his penny regulator version using the Heineken beer cans. Soo...I had to make a couple just to check it out. The results of my comparison tests were pretty amazing! The penny stove burned much more consistently without flameups, it did not need a special primer ring to preheat the fuel, and it actually brought 2C tap water (71F) to boil in 3.5 minutes!!! Starting with 1 oz fuel, I had another 3 minutes of burn time after achieving the boil.
... I timed the boil to where it actually lifted the lid, not to where steam was observed. Also consider that I live in Aurora CO where the elevation is in excess of 5000 ft, therefore the boiling point is somewhat lower... Guess what I did with all my other stove versions! (deep 6)"
Lin McEnerny
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"I made a stove based on your instructions and it was the only source of heating water that I took on a 8 day 7 night hike through the Olympic National Park in Washington State.
It worked faster than the white gas stove the other two in my group shared. The weather was cold and wet, but the stove worked flawlessly. Of all the designs out there, the penny alcohol stove is easiest to make, pack and refuel. Best of all, I made it myself and everyone I camp with has been amazed and impressed.
The penny weighs as much as the stove. My views are my own and may not reflect the views of my employer, wife, or my dog. But I do strive to keep all of them happy."
Russ Whitt
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"My wife and I have been backpacking for approx. 1 year now and as most, we have gotten addicted and into lighter and better. We bought a Snow Peak GigaPower stove and a Vargo Triad titanium alcohol stove. As part of my research into lighter gear, I stumbled across your design and decided to give it a try with both soda cans and the Heiny cans. The Heiny, in my opinion, is far superior (more durable).
Recently, we took a 3 day trip into the Sipsey Wilderness in Northern Alabama. We took along all three stoves to try them out side by side. Your design out performed the others and I have been raving to my friends about it. Thanks a million!"
Milton E. Barker, Jr. a/k/a Caveman, Birmingham, Alabama
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"I have actually made a penny stove with my leatherman...
I have a Pocket Rocket and it works well. However, I prefer my home made penny stove. It works just as well, if not better, and is much lighter especially for trips 1 week, or less. I never use my WhisperLite because it is to big, bulky and heavy. The penny stove works great in the winter too."
hacktorious, BackpackingLight@yahoogroups.com
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"I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail last summer using two penny-alcohol stoves. The only reason I used two is because I had a bad boil-over once and gummed up my first one. Due to the light-weight, the small size, the fast boil, and the geek factor, the penny alcohol stove is definitely the best and coolest camping stove ever. Thanks!"
Fred the Red
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"The Penny goes a step further and corrects a problem common to alcohol stoves. When alcohol is vaporized too quickly, it escapes through the jets without boiling, lowering fuel efficiency. The Penny uses a novel design to counteract this - a penny covers the fuelling hole and seals the stove until boiling alcohol accumulates excessively. At that point the penny lifts due to the pressure and the gas is released slowly and burnt off, preventing fuel loss. The stove took me a couple hours to make and is constructed of a couple ridged Heineken cans.
I took this stove on my 5 day hike through Northern Japan, and also cooked with it for 3 other days spent at campsites in towns. What a rocket! I started my trip concerned about fuel consumption because I had to boil all of my water to kill a waterborne parasite that is rare but possible in those mountains. The Penny boiled tons of water, and in about half the time -- 4 to 5 minutes -- of other alcohol stoves. ... In any case, highly recommended: it weighs 19g and boils nearly as fast as clunky gas stoves."
wendingwayfare.com
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"Thanks for coming up with this stove. I think it works really well... I found that by using an 8 oz. Pepsi can as the burner you don't need to crimp it. It slides right in. I just got done with a simmer test and found by using the original simmer ring I was able to simmer hot water for over 56 minutes. I used 1.25 oz. of denatured alcohol. Thanks again,"
Phil Perkins
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"... I must say, your penny valve is beyond clever; it is absolutely ingenious! I am amazed everytime I see the hot alcohol draining down beneath the penny. I have no idea how you figured that out. How does it work anyway? Is it because the surface tension drops once the alcohol gets hot?, or is it because of the heat expansion difference in metals? or is there some kind of divine intervention involved? LOL
It is absolutely incredible invention! Incidently, I tested nickels and dimes as well, and your penny valve works best. Thank you!
Don Trapp
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"We had a blackout today and I made your stove from Heineken cans. I was able to cook eggs, french toast, & boil water for our coffee press. Needless to say, it has made the day so far quite tolerable...
My wife and kids are duly impressed! Getting ready to attempt grilled cheese sandwiches next. This is the ultimate blackout device. I intend to make a better one when I have power & light again. But really, how cool is this? From $.05 return to heating our coffee & cooking our lunch in maybe 15 minutes of work. Thank you again."
Leif torkbox.livejournal.com
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"Your design is elegant indeed! I just used it on two camping/ backpacking trips in Death Valley, CA and the mountains of Pennsylvania. It's performance was excellent, even with 50 mph wind gusts (with windscreen of course)."
Bob McLaren
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Stove and photo by Forbes Conrad
(note the center flame just starting)
www.forbesconrad.com

"You are certainly welcome to use the photo on your website. It would be rather an honor, considering that your stove design is by far the best I've found online. I've made close to ten of the stoves, given most away, and used them from southern Mexico to Washington state. Thank you for releasing the design on the 'net!"
Forbes Conrad
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"The Penny Stove exceeds my expectations!
Burn time is really what I was looking for, just put the penny in place and fill the top of the burner and your going to have at least 30 minutes of burn time...After the little guy gets hot and starts boiling the fuel it blows the fire out the jets and I mean this guy heats! Like a small blow torch!
Perfect size because it would fit right in your coat pocket if need be! If you enjoy packing...try this stove ...its called the Penny Stove I am sure you already know about it... But it is certainly worth your troubles to make.. They suggest using a Beer can and as I don't drink that often I used coke and pepsi cans... I was really surprised at how easy it is to make."
Blue
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"When I read the part about using the popular "penny stove" I had to chime in. I found the instructions for building the penny stove on the internet back around Christmas time and decided to build one. The instructions were very clear and the cutting and assembly was
quite easy. I've since taken the penny stove on 2 camping trips and simply love the stove. I've since built a couple more for my daughters and friends.
There are 7 of us going on a 5 day trip to the Grand Canyon and 4 of us are sharing 2 of the penny stoves. Susan - I don't know if you've had a chance to use the simmer ring, but it works great too! It's pretty cool building something that actually works!"
kl7rs, Sun May 8, 2005 4:14 pm, Ultralight Backpacking] Digest Number 379
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"I too used to like the beverage can stove, but have become a penny stove convert. It's more effecient and actually easier to build... I think it is a superior solution... I've made all sorts of alky stoves, and like the penny stove best for my purposes...
The SLX or similar denatured alcohol from Home Depot works great for me. I use the stove every day to make my coffee in the kitchen. I like the way my Turkish coffee maker makes coffee with that stove. Better than on the electric range."
Carey Parks
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"Hello, I have enjoyed making and using this design of stove. Heineken is definitely best, the premium cans (for burner) are a little different but epoxy glue works fine... Brilliant, as little as 10ml (we are quasi decimal here in UK!) will boil a 300ml mug. My wife thinks I’ve gone nuts staying late out in the garage! But I explain to her you can see the flames…… Ha! No Pacific Crest trail here, just the mountains (hills) of Snowdonia."
Thanks, Chris Harper, Capel Curig, North Wales
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"Your Penny Stove has been my favorite of all the stoves I've made, and I was thrilled to be able to use it out on the trail last summer. It really burned well!
By the way, I pulled out the alcohol stove this week to teach my boyfriend how to use it on his trip in the Ventana this weekend, and I just never fail to be amazed by that design. It is really a thing of beauty!!! (and one that I was able to make myself, which is in some ways even more amazing!)"
Debbie Kramer
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"While skeptical at first, I love it. It's the easiest and most forgiving to build (but unfortunately requires Heineken instead of beer) and works better than the pepsi can design. I'm experimenting with the homemade alcohol stove genre and am happy to be impressed with your work. Thank you for your efforts. ...like most men I enjoy playing with fire. Guess not much has changed in 60,000 years of evolution."
Chuck Bodner
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"I believe there was a noticeable spike in the consumption of Heineken beer the week Mark Jurey announced his penny stove to the lightweight backpacking community. :^) The directions for making the stove are very clear and well done."
Don Ladigin
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"While your stove and backward garden designs might appear "simple", "elegant" seems much more appropriate. The designs only look simple initially; in reality they embody complex design ideas boiled down to simple implementations."
Mark Warren
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"I really like your stove design. It heats fast like the pressurized white gas stove, is reasonably efficient like the best of the open alcohol designs and best of all, it looks "cool" with the way the jets shoot the flames out -- like the Viking gas cooktop in my wife's kitchen!"
Cutman
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"First, I'd like to add my complements on Mark J.'s stove: A beautiful, simple, elegant design. Great job, and thanks for sharing with this list!"
"I'm glad your stove is getting the accolades it deserves. It really is a beautiful design... The most surprising result of my testing has been how well the fuel efficiency of alcohol compares to the alternatives -- both the theoretical BTU/oz of the fuels when you consider the container weight, and the performance of actual stoves."
Mike Martin
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"the penny stove is awesome"
upsideout.blogspot.com

"I have be able to generate a burn time of 8 minutes with 30 ml fuel. Temperature change of 157 degrees, effenciecy about 60%... The stove gives this result with one of faster burn times, and offers one of the easist consturctions available (Only Altoids/perlite stoves and fuzzy's stove are easier). I am impressed with the stoves overall qualities, easy of constrution and use. I suspect that effeicency of stoves is increased with approppiate windscreens to help retain heat... Nice job on this stove. I will use it."
Mark Redlin
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"I have finally cracked the nut on an alcohol stove that I actually like! The penny stove has consistently boiled 24 oz of water on 1 oz of fuel with lots of left over burn using an MSR titan kettle. I have found the 16 oz constraint that most stoves seem to have frustrating to say the least... considering that I'm a bit of a tea addict morning and evening.
What really got me going was that it boiled (and I mean a solid rolling boil with pleny of burn left) 2 full quarts on 2 oz.
Fuel used: 50/50 blend of standard s-l-x denatured and 91% isopropyl alchy. I'm also sold on this blend if for no other reason than you can see the flames.
Water temps +/- 45 degrees.
Air temps - mid50's
I modified the stove by drilling the jets in the center ring of the burner to concentrate the flame under the center of the pot... so far so good...
jack flanagan, Rating: 5/5, Locale: New England, backpackinglight.com
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"1.5 oz Penny Alcohol Stove — MSR, Brunton, Jetboil cower in fear (sort of)
One of the best elements of this penny alcohol stove is that you need to drink beer to make it. Throw in a weight of 1.5oz, a pressure regulator and simmer ring and you have an ultralight stove that makes the leading competitors seem Sumo by comparison. The pressure regulator and simmer ring let you adjust between mad-max-beyond-thunderdome boil and out-of-africa slow burn....
Not sure how durable this sucker is, but at the cost of a couple brews and some tinkering time, I’d say it’s a non-issue. As an additional point of comparison, check out this stove review I did a while back for Backcountry.com — it doesn’t include the penny stove, but will give you an idea of how this stove stacks up to some of the competition."
http://thegoat.backcountry.com
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"My favorite homemade stoves because the are easy to make and effective are the Penny Alcohol Stove and the Cat Stove."
Mark Verber's Outdoor Gear recommendations
http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/gear/misc.html
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"This plan is human ingenuity at its very finest. For the cost of a few beers (plus one penny), you can build yourself a camping stove like no other. It's fuel efficient, takes up little space in your backpack, and is about as safe as such an item can be. The author's site has a decent tutorial on how to build this Penny Stove and lots of scientific data to back up the claim that it's the best travel stove for any money. If you've got the time, they've got the plans."
Jules Allen in the St. Ptersburg Times
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"I recently had the opportunity to enjoy your wonderful Penny Alcohol Stove site. I built the stove, and it works exactly as described. I have never had an alcohol stove- until recently I had a Seva 123 (how I miss that stove!) but I was thrilled with how well your design works."
R. Mark Adams, Ph.D.
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"... I am very impressed, as it worked perfectly. It boiled close to a liter of water in about 6 minutes. As a comparison, I boiled the same amount on an electric range and got a boil at 6 minutes and 30 seconds..!
I just returned from a backpacking trip in a Colorado wilderness area. Since my old trusty Svea 123 had come up missing, I bought an Optimus Nova for this trip. What a disappointment, as it took me about 20 attempts in 45 minutes to get it to light off at about 11,000 ft. elevation. If I had not been in such a dire need for my morning coffee, I would have smashed the damn thing to pieces..."
Bill Pryor, Katy, Texas
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"Just e-mailing to let you know that: 1. Methylated Spirits is denatured alcohol, 2. I tried the stove, and, 3. It's amazing.
The concept, the quality, the heat, the boil times. To be honest, when I ordered it, it was for the novelty. I didn't think it would be good enough for the ground. But it is. More than good enough. From a military point of view, the cooker is faster and lighter than solid fuel, you can put it out at any time, and a bullet through a bottle of meths won't blow up a ruck like gas would. All it needed was a nice case to avoid it getting crushed, and voila, the best cooker I have yet used, and I've spent about 500 dollars on different cookers over
the years. Thanks, again,"
Dónal
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Scouting
"This is all about education. People veto what they do not understand. There are several such things in our troop that have been met with apprehension. Make a couple of penny stoves and bring them to a meeting for a demo. Show the cost difference between the penny stove and the huge Coleman stove. not only in the purchase price but in storage and maintenance as well....
For those of you not working with youth we are kinda on topic as these kids are the ones who will be voting to keep the trails and wilderness open in the future or shutting them down for conversion to new housing subdivisions."
Mark Liechty
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Scouting
"My Scouts all build the penny stoves. The work well and are extreamly light... It took me 20 minutes the first time and I can now make a stove on the fly with little more than a scout knife in 10 minutes. It is also a great way to recycle."
Patrick Caswell, Scoutmaster Troop 13
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Scouting
"...My fellow scoutmaster and I tinkered for many nights with the penny alcohol stove and wood stove and not only did we have a lot of fun working on the project, but developed some skills we could share with the youth on our troop. I made some modifications to the wood stove and incorporated the use of the penny stove into it as well, then field tested the units at elevations from 7,000 to 14,000+ feet. The penny alcohol stove performed spectacularly on Mt. Whitney, but I tired to use the wood stove as much as possible to conserve the limited amount of fuel I had brought. As it turned out, the penny stove was so efficient that I had about 5 oz. remaining when we finished..."
Mike Lancaster, Aka Mountainman Mike, ASM Troop 354, Clovis, CA
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Comic Relief
"OK, you win (.... Guy at REI said... hey try the stove with the penny thing).
First I found the pepsi stove. I get the feeling the you two guys are having a little.... Competition. So I built his. God what a disaster. My hands still hurt. "just run the blade around the inside 3-6 times". More like 30-60 times. Burn proof tape. Burn Proof Glue. Come-on, I already drank the beer, I can't go out looking for shit. So, I put it together. The only good thing was that the directions for "testing" said "First fill a large pan of water". OH my. And it never went into turbo mode either. Just "spill all over and scare piss out of Jon" mode.
Then I find your design. Other than the fact that your Beer Can of choice holds sucky beer. Well fine. Well, except that I buy 3 cans and get most of one drunk and read the directions more closely (cause how in the hell can a soda can fit).... oh..... a 12 ounce can. I have the 24 ounce cans. Ok, put that aside for tomorrow. I will try a big one. Drive all OVER hillsboro OR. looking for 12 oz. NO SUCH LUCK. But all beer is on sale because it is the day before St. Pats. No good.
So I build your design with Pepsi cans. I even try the FREEZE and BURN trick to change the size of the parts. Goes together like a charm. No problem. Doesn't looks as good as your pictures, but I can fix that when I find the right can. On to testing. OH MY GOD. 8 cups of water. 16 minutes. boils for an additional 3 minutes before 1.5oz fuel runs out. This is what we at MIT (did I mentiont that?) would call a really good hack...."
Jon Powell
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Links

Making the Penny Alcohol Stove
Instructions and frequently asked questions

Ask me a question
Or share your experiences

Zen Alcohol Stoves
Complete list of homemade stove ideas

Anti Gravity Gear.com
Lots of information - great food & gear

..c studio
Great web design / graphic design services

My Backward Garden
Learning to live and grow with nature

Parks Whistles
Very cool penny whistles designed for backpacking

A. C. Aircraft
Some very cool models made from aluminum cans

GoodStove.com
Dr. N. Sai Bhaskar Reddy develoopes unique wood stoves for developing countries

Making the Penny Wood Alcohol Stove
Based on Ray Garlington's "inverted downdraft gasifier" research,
it also works as a pot support for the Penny Alcohol stove.

Disclaimer & Warning

Information on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

Neither the webmaster nor anyone else whose information may be included on, or linked to, this web site can attest to or endorse the safety of using any techniques, equipment, supplies or services evaluated or referred to therein. Any endorsement or recommendation is limited solely to the evaluator's opinion about their effectiveness when used for their intended purpose in accordance with safe operating procedures, and if available, in accordance with any instructions provided by the inventor or manufacturer. Some survival and outdoors equipment and supplies are inherently unsafe and can injure, maim or kill even when used appropriately.

Endorsement or recommendation of any equipment, supplies, services or techniques does not constitute a guaranty or warranty the equipment, supplies, services or techniques will function when needed.

In daylight you may not be able to see a flame or hear an audible sound from an alcohol stove. A windscreen wrapped partially around the stove may aid in seeing a flame more easily.

DO NOT OVERFILL STOVE. A space above the fuel inside stove is necessary for proper operation and overfilled liquid fuel may be ejected instead of alcohol vapor, creating a potentially hazardous fire.

Individuals not trained and experienced in use of tools and techniques mentioned on this page should not attempt creating a stove without supervision by someone with proper experience and training.

Eye protection should be worn whenever flying metal is possible (such as whenever a drill, hammer or knife is used).

Lighting of stoves should be attempted in a area not prone to fire.

Use of gasoline, or any other petroleum products in these stoves may result in severe burns and/or death.