Hi all,

I'm wanting to experiment with something regarding alcohol stoves, and am looking for small, flat-lidded containers made of a metal with low conductivity, like stainless steel or titanium. Anyone know of a source?

Dwight

I'm not sure if this will meet your needs, but I've made stoves from Callard & Bowser/Altoids round tins (1.1 oz uncut).

Edited by Otter on 01/03/2007 13:31:29 MST.

I have some of those, but, assuming they are mild steel, their conductivity is higher than stainless or titanium.

Out of curiosity, why low conductivity?

I've come up with a little stove, made out of a small mint tin, mild steel. It seems to outperform the Ion stove, which is slightly larger, but made out of aluminum.

I've got a theory, and have no idea if I'm right or not, that heat that is radiating out the side of the Ion, through the aluminum sides, is not serving a useful purpose, perhaps only heating up my windscreen.

My theory is that the steel one, due to lower conductivity of the metal, is keeping heat from radiating out the side as much, and directing it up where it is useful.

Like I said, I have no idea. Just wanted to test the theory.

Dwight

I have a few small titanium containers what size were you after?

Paul P,

Anychance you got those online someplace? (I assume in bulk, which is why you have some left over) Or did you find them someplace local?

Maybe 1.5" square (or diameter), 3/4" deep.

So Philip, what size are your containers?

Dwight Shackelford
zydeholic@yahoo.com

Dwight wrote:

"I've got a theory, and have no idea if I'm right or not, that heat that is radiating out the side of the Ion, through the aluminum sides, is not serving a useful purpose, perhaps only heating up my windscreen."

I have been noticing the same thing about heat being wasted or conserved. First started noticing it when I tried to make a fire starter out of an old power drink can. The shorter version dispersed heat out the top and seemed to not work as well (like 2" to 3" in height). Redid it with a 4" - 6" tall can piece and the heat seemed to be more concentrated and to flow out of it with more effectiveness at drying wood layed over the top. The sides of the entire, taller can got very hot up the entire length which seemed to add to the heat around the can and at the top / outlet, like a chimney on a woodstove in a house. My theory is the can is heating the air around itself and hotter air is getting to the active fire inside through the vents? Kind of like the Bushbuddy heats the air before it enters the fire chamber -- And, the metal surface itself is a larger heat collector leading to a hotter interior temperature going up the "flue" of the can walls to exit the top????

The second time I noticed this is when I put a BPL Ti esbit stove inside the Bushbuddy fire box area and used a fuel tab in it. It seemed that the esbit / BPL fuel tab and micro stove heated water much faster -- faster than when inside of a windscreen. So, it must have been that the heat built up in the Bushbuddy body was contributing to a higher heat delivery to the bottom of the Ti pot sitting over the fuel tab???? (All of which doesn't even begin to address the differences in air flows, convection currents, and heating of air before it hits the active burn area in the different configurations.) Oh my ... and I thought I was about done having to think about this stuff when I wake up in the middle of the night .... uggghhhhh.

Edited by bdavis on 01/10/2007 12:38:26 MST.

I think I'm going to get a GSI stainless expresso cup from REI and test it as a stove. It's slightly heavy (1.7 oz), cost $3.95, but a simple way to test my theory. Additionally, its double walled, it seems, so could test my theory even more, unless it blows up from internal pressure.

Dwight

b d wrote: "The second time I noticed this is when I put a BPL Ti esbit stove inside the Bushbuddy fire box area and used a fuel tab in it. It seemed that the esbit / BPL fuel tab and micro stove heated water much faster -- faster than when inside of a windscreen. So, it must have been that the heat built up in the Bushbuddy body was contributing to a higher heat delivery to the bottom of the Ti pot sitting over the fuel tab????..."

You're comments are more-or-less correct. Burning the esbit tab in a contained environment causes the environment to heat up. The general rule of thumb is that the rate chemical reaction doubles with every 10 degrees F increase in temperature... basically, by burning your esbit tab in the enclosed stove, it causes the tab to burn faster. May or may not be 'more efficient' (from a mass burned to mass boiled ratio)... I suspect that it's a wash as the BTUs released by the burning are at a higher temp and therefor flow more readily into the pot, but as they are coming faster, more are likely to 'miss' the pot.

---additional comment: that last sentence is very simplified as I'd probably completely screw up the terms if I tried to go full on thermodynamic-mode.

Dwight just drill a few small holes just below the outer rim/lip of the cup. This will prevent any blowout from occurring with the cup.

Joshua -- you are correct, the tab burned faster because it was consumed in less time than when it is in the open air. Never thought of that. bd

Dwight candle supply stores often sell 'travel tins' in various sizes and in steel or aluminum for a $1 or $2.

I'm thinking that the taller height is allowing the air to accelerate more giving it more speed, and thereby more oxygen.