An Isopropyl 99 Alcohol Stove

[zelph]

Nice, very nice Jon. Really is burning clean. Great accomplishment. You've got the knack!!! Mid summer I'll try my hand at making one

[Ridgerunner]

JT, I have to wonder if the clean burn has anything to do with the fact that you are using 99% ISO ? I have seen a 80+ ISO and 91% ISO. I have not found 99% ISO. Please, do tell, where did you aquire it?

[zelph]

Just the way the stove is now would be good to use instead of any ole alchy stove. Make one out of a Venom bottle. Roll the top edge as we recently saw on instructables.

[aambee]

I understand that if you have yellow flame, your burn is not efficient and you get soot.
I could be wrong.

[realityguy]

I noticed when using heet also that I occasionally seem to get a change to yellow flames from a solid blue in some of the highest heat times during a burn,say..right after the water starts boiling with the burn still going on stronger than before.
Is that inefficinet at that time?..Doesn't appear to be so other than if and only if I didn't want the burn to continue beyond the initial boil point.

Editted the n't up there..sorry about forgetting that earlier...

[zelph]

I understand that if you have yellow flame, your burn is not efficient and you get soot.
I could be wrong.

30ml of denatured alcohol will boil 2 cups of 70 degree water and has a blue flame/no soot.

25ml of white gas will boil 2 cups of 70 degree water and has a yellow/orange flame and soot.

Which is more efficient?

[aambee]

If all you consider is the volume of fuel, the white gas is more efficient. If you count time and energy to clean the soot or the pack and other gear the soot got dirty, I'd say its a "wash", AND the alcohol is more efficient. ( a "wash" get it, you have to wash the soot off... oh never mind...)

You can't use white gas in a soda can stove anyway, right?

[zelph]

You can't use white gas in a soda can stove anyway, right?

You can with a mountain dew bottle stove.

[aambee]

Which is more efficient?

How do they compare in cost and availability?

Would others on the trail be willing to share if I ran out or spilled the supply?
Are there any safety concerns with WG vs Iso? Volitility? ( DB for my daughter Jess)

Seems to me that "efficiency" could be too narrowly defined if considering just a weight (volume) and cost comparison.

[zelph]

Which is more efficient?

How do they compare in cost and availability?

Would others on the trail be willing to share if I ran out or spilled the supply?
Are there any safety concerns with WG vs Iso? Volitility? ( DB for my daughter Jess)

Seems to me that "efficiency" could be too narrowly defined if considering just a weight (volume) and cost comparison.

There are many folks that use white gas and are aware of the Volatility concerns. Oops56 and Ridgerunner know the small European ones that use it. It's used in camp stoves all the time. What difference would it make if it were used in a backpacking sized stove?

White gas is more efficient. The cut down version of the Super Stove can burn WG clean under calm conditions. Use it that way only in emergency conditions.