I’ve decided to construct a pepsi can stove. Can anyone point me in the direction of a good tutorial with pictures. Im mechanically inclined, so I can follow instructions easily.
Also Ive heard of some people gluing, epoxy, and using JB weld to put them together. Has anyone tried actually welding them together?
What about lighting instructions?
Anyone have any blow-outs or other explosions happen with this type of stove. Safety precautions other than common sense?
Thanks in advance.
bryan
my mom followed the directions here.
i have the elite stove made by tinny at mini bull designs. he does use glue, but actually heats up the bottom and rolls it under the base.
jerm
I have made several stoves using directions from a number of web sites. Put “Pepsi Can Stove” in your search engine and have a go at it. The ones I made all used JB Weld. I don’t think you can weld the cans because the walls are so thin.
I have had only good luck with mine so far but I have heard of one blowing up but it may be just an urban legend. I belive I read about it in this forum.
Big B
I think it would be extremely unlikely for this can to blow up. It is basically an open bowl. Unless there was some leakage between some oth the seems I’d think it would be almost fool-proof.
I used mine pretty much without incident for my entire thru-hike. Thr biggest safety problem I see is that the flames burn invisible in daylight so you mightthink that you havent lit the alcohol and then go in to relight only to burn your hand on the flame.
jalan
Thanks for the links.
Have any of you experimented with using insulation inside the walls as a method of anti-spill proofing the stove, or is it really an issue? Or would this negatively affect the performance.
Im REALLY good at welding, and have an entire metal workshop, so I might just use this design and make some custom stuff. Coming soon the BADDEST pepsi can stove ever.
bryan
While you’re checking out stove designs, check out the ion stove by Sgt. Rock. Cheers
http://hikinghq.net/
Skidsteer
Yall mention that when you burn the alcohol it burns blue. Well my flames shoot like at least a foot beyone the can, and the flames are yellow and red. The only blue flames are the ones that come out of the little holes, but then turn to the regular flames. Any comments on how to fix this?
Barnes
I think the yellow/red is probably due to the fuel.
You’ll have to burn denatured alcohol instead of isopropyl alcohol. Thats the only thing I can figure.
bryan
Ya, ive been buring rubbing alcohol at 91%. Ive heard of denatured alcohol, yet I dont know what it is? Where can I get it? Is it expensive?
Thanks for responding to my post.
Barnes
Denautured alcohol is sold in paint stores, or in the paint section of hardware stores. Also called shellac tinner, or marine stove fuel.
Another source for denatured alcohol is gas line anti-freeze under the yellow heet label only. Other gas line anti-freeze labels act like isopropel. Sold at gas stations.
Expensive? couple of dollars or so for a quart.
Peaks
some hostels provide top off service of denatured fuel as part of the stay…other hostels as well as outfitters sell it for 20-30 cents an oz…refuel cost me generally $1.20. you get used to how much you use, so if you time it right, you’ll never run out.
also, some hikers buy gallons and leave them near hiker boxes, so even if the outfitter is saling it, if they have a hiker box, you can still use the free stuff first. (Neels Gap sometimes has a half gallon left by a previous hiker near the hostel.)
heet burns hotter…much hotter well, once i started using it in central VA, i found my pepsi stove got weaker…excessive heat is tough on aluminum.
at times, you will only find red bottled heet, or some other gasline additive. they still work in pepsi stoves…but i would use a bit more caution and don’t breath the fumes…they sometimes smoke considerably and can stain yer cookpot…but they do work. and you can always make another pepsi stove anywhere on trail.
oh…be sure to pour yer fuel in something like a coke bottle or gatorade bottle…most fuel additives have a cap that will open under little stress and dump all over anything not protected…and you will be outta fuel for a bit.
denatured can be dangerous. we caught Bam Bam on fire at an undisclosed location, because we thought the denatured had went out. when adding more fuel, the storage bottle burst into flames and he ran, so did we…hehehe, nothing ventured, nothing gained, but bam bam was a little rattled rubbing burnt hair off his leg.
burn
When I was carring Lamp oil for a small lamp I had I just hung onto those travel size bottles that you have left over from traveling. They make perfect fuel storage bottles. Most only carry 2 oz or so, so half a bottle full is just about what you’ll need to cook dinner on an alcohol stove. The mini SCOPE mouthwash bottles work well. I wrap a piece of yellow tape around the bottle to let me know its fuel and not mouthwash.
Another reason for using the smaller 2oz bottles is so that in the event you actually light the fuel bottle on fire, you dont have a bunch of flaming fuel pouring all over your campsite. Also the smaller bottles are easier to shove in your pack in various places. Taking up less space.
As he mentioned above…make sure the cap is secure. Fuel of any kind leaking in your pack will quickly ruin your stuff and possibly completely destroy your gear.
bryan
Be very careful where you set your stove when cooking. Best is on a big flat rock or in sand. The flames can ignite any leaves/duff in the vicinity - which you really don’t want - if you just light it on the forest floor. It may also char a shelter floor or table. To light the stove, I usually use my lighter to start a small stick or pine needle on fire, then place it in the alcohol filled bowl. Put your hand above the flame to see if it has caught. As others have said, the blue flame can be hard to see - though I usually hear a whoosh sound when it catches. When the bowl is empty, make sure to wait a minute or two before filling it again. Let it cool off so you don’t catch the pouring alcohol on fire. Because it is clear, if you use a plastic pepsi bottle for a container, be sure to put duct tape or something similar around it so that noone accidently drinks it (or pours it on flames). Build yourself a lightweight pot stand. Finding the right rocks isn’t as easy as people told me before I started, and it is easier to get your windscreen around a pot stand than rocks. Tent stakes don’t work well in some places either.
Ginny
I used a pepsi can stove for my entire 04 thru hike and was very pleased with it. One suggestion is to construct a simmer ring from a larger can. Some of the pasta you make takes a few more minutes at lower temps. The one from a big Bud Lite can worked very well for me. It takes a little practice putting it on the stove. Happy hiking.
Tank
Yogi turned me on to the vienna sausage can stove; then I found smaller potted meat cans at the ‘family $’ store in
Chama (CDT) which work just as well or better (with no crazy gluing or soldering & ez to replace) though may take a bit longer to heat up water than a soda stove… hint: take only instant soups, potatoes, drinks etc…
Gingerbreadman
I would second the suggestion of clearly marking the contents of your bottle. I once found a bottle of clear liquid in a gatorade bottle in a shelter and some hikers were a bit intrigues as to whether it was potable or not. It was a hot day and it smelled kind of like grape juice. I wasnt sure what it was but assumed it wasn’t potable. Still, its best to lable these things clearly. I’m not sure duct tape is good enough.
Of course it would be foolish to drink an unknown liquid BUT you never know who might find your fuel bottle. could be a little kid or an adult with the sensibilities of a kid.:boy
jalan
does it piss anyone else off when you see someone using their can stove on a picnic table and it inevitibly leaks and catches the table on fire, i have yet to see a picnic table that doesn’t have charred rings all over it, i just find a nice rock or dirt, its not difficult, cept for the rain, that sux, i just think its kinda a courtesy thing
clong
What aggrevates me even more is beer bottles in the fire pits.:mad
Here’s a hint. Drink your favorite glug from a can…then make a stove out of it, and take it with you.
bryan