Alcohol Stove Made from $1 Walmart Water Bottle - Best Design Yet?

[@davidhelmuth5707]

If you want the pieces to go together without pressure then heat the bottom section and put the top section in the freezer. When you assemble them no pressure and will be super tight to seal it together.

[@tzekubbaloyan1613]

Woooww. This is a real ingenier. Thankes, cdmx.

[@akbychoice]

And dry ice works even better

[@keywestpuma4095]

I finally decided that I like your videos, you explain everything well without talking it to death, and show us the result and how it works, and for the most part all your videos seem to contain useful info.. keep up the good work!!! I subscribed and liked your video hope that helps.

[@PaleoHikerMD]

Thanks so much!

[@robertcwillifordii2630]

Always leave your inner piece taller than the outer piece, so you don't have any problems pressing them together (this is where he went wrong and had some troubles finishing the seal). You can trim it back with the snips after seating the seal, if you like. However, I always make my inner piece quite a bit taller than the outer piece so I can take it apart and modify the burner at will, according to the purpose of the burn (baking v boiling). The other thing I noticed is that his notches on the bottle mouth are too big. They should be shallow knicks all the way around the neck (like the jet holes). By doing this, the fuel usage is optimized, since the flames die out quickly when the fuel runs out. Another thing to do on a burner where the jets are around the outside of the can, is to insert the drill bit backwards into the jet hole and bend the hole pointing upwards by lifting the bit upwards as vertically as it will go. When you do this, it directs the flames upwards, more directly at the bottom of the pot, increasing your fuel efficiency and lowering your boil time. Because it usually takes a while to prime these thicker burners, I suggest using priming fluid around it, to drastically lower the bloom time, which increases the fuel efficiency (not just in cold weather). Of you make a burner with the jet hole on the neck around the inner piece, then the height of the inner piece acts as a wind screen for the flames and you have to have an independent pot stand. If you make one out of stainless steel, you will want to "turbo boost" it with a buddy burner placed underneath it to warm the fuel throughout the burn, to get a usable flame size pattern for boiling water. Unboosted, it will produce pea sized flames (very low temp) that I believe would be useful for warming things, but definitely not be suitable for cooking, but only if you had a windscreen around it. Since, unboosted, it burns at a much lower temperature (once it blooms:priming fluid is a MUST for stainless steel burners), the fuel capacity will last a very long time. The trick to drilling jet holes in stainless steel is to use a hammer and nail to punch a divot to start your drill bit in, if anyone is interested in making a burner from a stainless steel waterbottle.

[@chrisatyootoob]

Hey there. This was very helpful and inspired me to try for my very own. Found my water bottle source at Goodwill. One thing while I was testing was getting the mouth to set right. You cut the mouth part a little shorter and then used the round wood piece to keep pushing the mouth to set. This was causing problems for me so I thought why cut it so short? I used a thick paint pen to mark my cut line on both the mouth and the base at the same height. Then cut the top edge of the line for the base and the bottom edge of the line for the mouth. So when you push the pieces together, they line up at the top and bottom because of the thickness of the base transferred to the thickness of the cut line! Worked beautifully. Easy enough for my kids to make.

[@guskoerner75]

That's the one I'm going to build! At the thrift store, you can buy these all day long for a dollar or less. Thanks Ernie!

[@psycholocke4090]

This should support a normal kitchen pot. That would be a good addition for me and the boys while car camping.

[@RomeoEdward]

Great instructional video doc. I made a few of those stoves years ago. You could buy those water bottles at the $1 store for a buck anytime. I switched over to making the fancy feast stoves because I liked the built in pot stand. Easy to make from a cat food can and a tomato paste can. I painted the steel can with high heat grill paint to prevent rust. I have used both fiber glass and a welders mat for the wick. You should build one and do a video on it. They work great and are very light.

[@wordwalker3]

Consider making another with carbon felt or fiberglass cloth between the two parts to act as a wick, possibly enhancing bloom time and efficiency.

[@blindfredy6128]

Smoosh, I love technical jargon.

[@071453Baxter]

Now that is a lightweight strong camp stove. I am totally impressed.

[@daverathbone9941]

Great idea. Great video. You explain things well and, unlike many videos, don't have unnecessary yakking. Thx!

[@BingWatcher]

Ernie, nice design. I don't want to repeat the suggestions already proposed, so here are two more:1) Add a wicking media that increases surface area, such as fibreglass exhaust wrap.2) Experiment with a preheating burn, by putting a foul barrier underneath with a few drops of fuel and light

[@Coach.Lewi.1979]

I've built many of these and they are absolutely the best DIY alcohol stove. Tip. Use the scrap aluminum as a wind screen.

[@alwaysvictoria9455]

Freakin' perfect! Lucked out on the $1 bottle and you knew how to use it. Great job.

[@carolyng651]

I'm absolutely out done...you did an amazing job on that. Perfect flames for making coffee eggs etc.

[@parecearabe]

Easy build and genius tape use. Cool vid. Gonna try this

[@PaleoHikerMD]

I'm working on another version soon, thanks for watching!

[@ScinnerNo1]

Gotta love the genius thinking of the first messaurment @1:28 where you wanted the same height at top and bottom and brought out the painters tape and started marking and adding to it because of the cone shaped top instead of just flipping the bottle using the same boards between the table and the marker :) Im pretty sure that messurement wont change no mather which way you hold the bottle :) And also you didn't seem to notice it even when you made the second(top) mark using the same boards :)

[@thomasherbert5790]

Made that very same stove about 2 years ago, Like you said super sturdy, and never fails

[@datkins883]

Just made this. Works awesome! Only getting about 4 mins burn time but certainly enough to scramble eggs. Thanks for sharing this.

[@ironked]

I found some slim spun aluminum spray bottles in the dollar store. and built a micro version a couple of years ago. I'm going to look for one of those larger cheap water bottles. Good job.

[@peterzebot9863]

LOL at the ladybug

[@bokusimondesu]

You could make the two height marks in one setting. Mark the height, turn the bottle around and mark the height of the inside part. The put half inch marks on the tape and put it on to drill the jets. Nice build!

[@meandyou2469]

I have seen this before with soda can ,but this one is Got to be the best .thanks I'm going shopping tomorrow lol.

[@brianterrill9587]

One trick I use to find any center is to wrap it in tape, slice through the tape when wrapped, unpeel, lay it out, and you get your circumference. Then you can mark off spacing that way.

[@danielkutcher5704]

Looks like it would work well on a wider pot. The flame goes out farther than the diameter of the cup shown in the demonstration, so it's much better at heating the surrounding air than the contents of the cup. Alcohol stove 101: use a wider pot. The narrower the pot, the narrower the stove must be for the flame to hit the sweet spot of the container. Best bet if your heart is set on a tiny, tall pot is to use a stove that directs the flame inward, not outward, and use a pot (or cup) stand. Better yet, forget alcohol as a fuel an use a canister stove. I only use alcohol because it's a "greener" fuel.

[@stationplaza4631]

Really nice work !

[@viewsandreviews180]

Great project. I would like to suggest that adding a fiberglass wick on the inside seems to increase efficiency.

[@mattywollaston3996]

Bloody awesome mate, hands down the best one on YT so far!!!!!!!

[@PaleoHikerMD]

Very kind, thanks so much for watching!

[@newguy2794]

Great job. Great instructions. Nice machine work. Very professional. Thank you!

[@huntercook6605]

That's a really beautiful stove. I prefer the redbull/v8 can ones though, since they're only like 5-10g. They're certainly not anywhere near as durable, but they just live inside my Ti pot, and anyway when they're worn out or damaged I can make another one in

[@MatoNupai]

Yes those stoves work and they’re very strong. There’s usually two problems with stoves like this. 1 poor fuel economy 2. The bloom (flame pattern is going to be 5-7 inches wide. Won’t work with small titanium cups if you want to reduce the weight of your pack Get a thick aluminum cann about roughly 2 inches in diameter Place the jets 10-11 mm apart (15 jets 1/16th in diameter if memory serves. This will give you a strong stove that works with smaller cook pots and weighs a lot less. I made alcohol stoves since 2010 I make them of 53 mm diameter juice and energy drink cans (8.4 fl oz Red Bull diameter) To speed up the bloom time of an alcohol stove wrap the ouside below the jets with carbon felt or fiberglass wick and super glue in place. Wet the wick with alcohol set set your pot on the stove. Light te alcohol in the Wick and your stove will light in less than 40 seconds.

[@TheJimtanker]

I did the same thing and used the middle section of the bottle, cut down the side, and use that as a windscreen.

[@thomasmusso1147]

👍👍👍 .. nice. Looks just like my 'Whitebox' Stove. Burns hot and due to the fairly broad flame pattern, it and works best with larger diameter bases, such as my Trangia knock-off Aluminium Kettle.

[@brendonshave7776]

I used a thumb tack for my holes

[@KevinN3]

Great video! I found a used sunscreen spray can. I built the same thing for free thanks to you.

[@yasserfaried438]

Well done you are the best one who made this type of alcohol stove wonderful video I will make one soon on your amazing way thanks a lot

[@bruceaskin9645]

I watched this video and guess what. I just happened to have the same drink bottle sitting on the desk beside me. So I made one , only bummer is that I have to wait till the shop opens tomorrow to test it. Have also made two half circle windshields, from the remainder of the bottle. Now to find the right size billy that it will all store inside.

[@Brayne01]

I build some of these a few years ago - followed the Bud aluminium bottle tutorials. Whats missing here is the rolled edge top to avoid a sharp edge. You need two bottles for this...

[@huey0328]

Just found your channel got to say enjoying it. After seeing this video I happened to be in Walmart and found two single walled stainless steel bottles. Did basically the same setup only I added carbon felt between / around the bottle neck. One thing I noticed was that two of the the flame ports don't light otherwise it's my 1st stove and boiled water. Thanks I do plan on buying the Evernew titanium stove.

[@pappabear379]

I have two different size beer can penny stoves. I love them, but this looks absolutely awesome! I have one or two of those bottles so fixin to get started. Thanks great video.

[@oldbatwit5102]

Before assembly, put the neck part in the freezer for an hour and just before you join them, put the base in boiling water for three minutes. The base will expand a little and the neck contract. Press together.

[@melissahoffman4687]

The unused middle part of the bottle that was made for the stove would make a great wind screen with air holes in it.

[@stanlocke1009]

Hey Ernie -Awesome video - nice build. Just wonder how long to boil two cups of water vs. how much fuel needed to do so. Please keep us updated of any changes / improvements as I'm sure ya can't build just one of theses . Ignore the thumbs down crowd keep and thanks for doing these great videos.

[@ultimatewarrior1970]

Right on bro! Im going to go buy 4 water cans,the drug store has the exact bottles you used.I will make 2 stoves,for me and my sister. Yep,i liked and subscribed. Thanks.

[@scottyh72]

Built one today. Works fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

[@HK-qj4im]

The tape will also help when drilling holes.. The bit won't drift

[@iceman256]

I would suggest add fiberglass inside neck end. If tipped over,you aint gonna have fuel running all over the place.

[@toml.8210]

16-24 holes is the usual number of jets for something this size. More just or bigger holes burns fuel faster. After you mark the circumference of the bottle on the masking tape, you can figure out the spacing between the holes. It just happens to work out to 1/2 inch in this video.

[@billyedwards1520]

thank you i was looking to make portable stove to eat healthy when traveling on the road this is exactly what i needed you rock!

[@gregscountrycabinoutdoors7359]

I found that if you file a few notches in the top as well, your pot will not suction to the burner. The heavier aluminum heats up really slow in cold weather. I have made several different kinds. I like the trangia, because you can keep your fuel in it. Nice video

[@PaleoHikerMD]

I'm gonna try this out because I really would like to see it perform better, thanks for the tip!

[@robertcwillifordii2630]

The biggest factor in bloom time is the volume of the inner chamber vs the volume of the initial heating.... which is why I advise adding an external wick or simply dripping some extra fuel on the outside of this burner (while sitting on a suitable surface, of course). Also, you should angle the jet hole upwards with a nail, to concentrate the flame pattern more "up", rather than "out".

[@brendonshave7776]

I made this for my PCT hike in 2015 and it’s still cooking

[@MrTangent]

Yeah, but how do you get the cap back on or store water now?

[@MrTangent]

(joking… excellent design)

[@banevuk58]

Excellent 👏👏👏BTW.... How you do put out the flame, or you just leave it to burn it's self out ?🍻

[@travisgulley2652]

Is there a way to make produce green flames without using boric acid and without mixing other chemicals in with the alcohol.

[@oppositefields5567]

Slow and wild, I made mine out of an old battered SIGG water bottle using David H method of cooling the inner and warming the outer before assembling. But it took some brute force to push the inner into position. Using 28g / 0.89 ounce of fuel (meths) it took 2 minutes to bloom and 3 minutes to boil a mug of water, just before it ran out of fuel. That said it works but maybe not the most efficient.

[@azazulbaz1077]

hello Ernie, I Could You tell me please - is it possible to use simmering of trangia burner into trangia triangle? I cannot find any information about this

[@BUZZKILLJRJR]

I love it, but how well does it work?

[@johnnyo3fan]

Now that's a sweet stove.

[@johnhoward7298]

Try making a burner out of a rave hair spray can ( useing the bottom of two cans ) . I'm talking about the travel size cans ( I think the barbesol shaving cream travel size can is just the least bit larger ... should make them go to gather easier ) . Punch ( or drill ) fill hole and jets in top ( makeing it a top burner ... experiment w/ number of jets for heat & burn time ... no need for a penny ... fill hole will become a jet ) . This won't set the world on fire ( or the fire alarm off ) , but , it will heat a can of soup & make noodles . Best part is it won't use much fuel . It depends on number & size of the jets , for how hot it gets & how long it burns . I think You'll like it . Let Me know .

[@Jesus_Is_King_111]

Genius! I wish you could make me one. I’d buy it from you, of course! I don’t have the tools to do it myself. I love your videos and have decided on the larger Firebox stove. Thank you for the help and let me know if you’d consider making me a stove like this!

[@davescheer5038]

Question ! So can you make the burner taller to give you more reservoir to hold more fuel and adjust the inner bottle neck height to match , I want to give it a longer burn time , and do you need to notch the top we’re the cup will set on to give it air ?

[@russelllieser4226]

Great video.have 2 bottles like that that I got a a company picnic. Now I know what to use them for.

[@brendonshave7776]

FYI I used a tennis ball placed inside the funnel side and then pressed. No scratches or dents.

[@calvinmonroe2408]

Thats awesome sir good job making it

[@roseburton3771]

Where did you put the fluid that you burn

[@hayyou3213]

You do alot of stove reviews. I was wondering if you would do toaks vs evernew alcohol stove test. Love this channel. Good luck.

[@PaleoHikerMD]

I don't have any Toaks stoves, but have looked at them quite a bit. Any model you are most interested in?

[@hayyou3213]

@@PaleoHikerMD the siphon alcohol stove.

[@sitgesvillaapartmentneilsc7924]

Does the height of the holes matter exactly or can you get nearer to the top so you dont have such long jets coming out. What would putting a wick in bring to the tables, I see some people have mentioned it, you wont increase the capacity but does it affect the quality of the burn ? I guess it would be safer as well. Need to see if anyone produces wider water bottles to get a larger capacity stove. It doesnt necessarily have to be round, for example a army water flask is oval and that you would be able to cut quite easily and press together,.

[@tonyjamjaar2294]

Nicely done.

[@gregpreston7301]

@PaleoHikerMD I've been watching a lot of your alcohol stove builds and now I'm obsessed with making them. I fou d a $1 water bottle similar to this but it's stainless steel. It works but takes a full two minutes to "bloom" and the jets are very small. Any thoughts on what I might have done wrong? 2 7/8" diameter with 17 - 1/16th holes 1/2" apart and 1" from the top. Could the stainless be an issue? If anyone can help its you. Thank you. I appreciate all you do. -- Greg

[@shaunwilliamson9193]

Wow that works awesome

[@billtravis7293]

Great stove Ernie

[@mymmandme3452]

Can a "Weber stailess steel smoker box" be use as a alcohol stove wind blocker or support stove

[@weatherstorms]

Use the rest of the unused bottle as a wind screen with air holes in it so that part of the bottle does not have to go to waste.

[@robertcwillifordii2630]

I put the jet holes on the inside, so the windscreen is built in.

[@Bill23799]

Hey Ernie, check your local Walmart. They just put their 4 Pak of HEET in the yellow bottle on sale for $3.00. That is half normal price. As I am sure you know HEET in yellow bottle is basically denatured alcohol only cheaper. Oh by the way I would clean up the burrs on the inside of the stove where you drilled your jet holes before i compressed the two sections together. It looks to me your top section is still not seated all the way down. This would cause your stove to lose some pressure. I have one of my stoves that will boil 2 cups of water in about 3 minutes flat. Not bragging if you can do it hehe.

[@jadekayak01]

i use methylated spirits-$5 per litre.way cheaper than your heet(especially as your dollar is wort about $1.27 of mine

[@Akindone53]

@@jadekayak01 Four 12 ounce bottles of heet is about 1.42 litres. Right now selling at mall wort for the equivalent of 2.10 of your pound sterling. I would say Heet is "way cheaper" here than your methylated spirits at $5 a litre

[@jadekayak01]

@@Akindone53 firstly-im not a fucking pomme and how could you possibly think i am. You correctly quoted me saying meths is about $5 a bottle and you said pound as a currency. We use DOLLARS so that obviously excludes pomgolia as my country or residence. However,at £2.something and an exchange rate of 1.9555 $ per pound that is about $4 per litre. This exchange rate seems a little low to me as we normally sit around $3 to £1 or close to it(maybe brexit has something to do with it) But by far the biggest concern is heet is unavailable here unless by special order at $20 per 12 ounce bottle. That makes meths the best option here.

[@John..18]

How far down from the top are the holes ??..

[@tab5613]

Can i use gasoline instead of alcohol ?

[@RickMoreberry]

Extraordinariiiooooooo absolutely fantasticoooooooooo little stove 😁😁😂😂😂😃😃😃

[@markflick1641]

Nice stove

[@robertfanfalone3099]

Can one burn alcohol in the house?

[@MrSTOUT73]

What's the burn time? How much fuel does it hold?

[@UtahSustainGardening]

This stove is not gong to be efficient with the size pot you were showing, the jets come out to the sides of the pot rather than under it. This will lose a lot of the heat you want for cooking.

[@MohAwad-mw2oz]

Beautifull..im gona make one..thank you, i learned a lot from those video..fantastic..(..may be a stupid question, but is it posible to juse jel instead of alcohol etc. ? i hope soo..eazy to make..good day

[@brittanyh1228]

Wow nice job dude.

[@raczyk]

how does this compare to a store bought trangia or a titanium variant from evernew?

[@subseeker]

05:28 a new pet? I hope it's just a ladybug.

[@joeltham1979]

This lady loves it.

[@peggyalbright3745]

Super cool!

[@sinfonianbarelytone9191]

Hey are you a fan of Hiram's videos? Love the concept for larger pots or pans but for the pot you used in your video the flames barely touch the pot let alone stay on the bottom. You don't want the flames to lick up the pot. And you want a 1 inch gap from the jet to the pot. Very cool looking stove. Interested to see how it performs with a small pot vs. a frying pan or something?

[@PaleoHikerMD]

Yeah, this was literally the first burn with it and it was quickly apparent I needed a wider pot. Thanks for watching!

[@robertcwillifordii2630]

If you stick a nail in the jet holes and bend them up, it will direct the flames more upward than outward (applying more direct heat=quicker boil time : and if you place the Jets on the inside, the windscreen is built in=smaller flame pattern=allowing for use with smaller pots. My burner made from stainless with inner jets burns for a CRAZY 57 MINUTES at full fuel capacity). As is, with the jets on the outside, I'd suggest you add an external wick, because the larger inner volume of fuel (because of the shape of the bottle's neck, relative the the heating volume: which is why the fancy feast stove blooms so quickly) takes longer to heat to blooming temp. I make all my aluminum burners with taller inner parts than outter parts so I can hand press them into place easily and modify them (inserting or removing a wick) at will, for whatever application I want, in conjuction with my height modifiable pot stand.

[@briancunningham9857]

Nice vid Ernie.

[@barkingspider2007]

Nice Job! 😎👍

[@neemancallender9092]

It has a very wide flame spread, so you will need a wide pot You will need to use your flat based kettle A standard cup saver will be too narrow to get the heat of the flames

[@조중선-t5l]

It is a white box alcohol stove. Good job!

[@ronhudson1161]

How far from the top did you drill your holes?

[@matthewtingle1399]

Was wondering the same! It's kinda The Most important thing.. Looks like about half the 1.25in. so 3/4in...I guess.

[@georgekatsinis5224]

Holes have to be below where the pieces are tight together - where shoulder tapers in from the bottom piece. On the inside piece, measure from cut line to where shoulder tapers in. Add~1|4" Use this measurement on the outside piece, from the cut down.

[@MabrysDad]

Is there a formula to how far down the jets are drilled? Seems the higher they are the closer to the pot and faster to the boil. Would love your input on this.

[@PaleoHikerMD]

It is definitely something I need to “test” more. There has to be a sweet spot, but I’m not sure I know what it is.

[@robertcwillifordii2630]

The height of the jet holes determine your max fuel capacity (=burn time) This particular bottle type is substantial. My stainless version with inner piece jets (built in windscreen) burned an insane 57 MINUTES.

[@alexwbanks70]

Nice job on that stove.

[@PaleoHikerMD]

Thanks!

[@TommieG_B_ME]

Well now, gotta do that!!

[@pakleader4]

Hey boss I am still trying to show people how to distill water that is beyond questionable for those SHTF type scenarios. Can you make one with that type of container. See everyone still thinks they can walk up to any stream or creek and just filter. Can you make a travel version of one to save lives for potable water when filters will not filter out pollutants. Thank you very much if you can. SEMPER FI

[@andygrigsby6663]

Awesome man, I've been looking for the best DIY alcohol stove and I found it. Was that a Stanley French press pot you tested it with because that's exactly what I'm trying to heat

[@PaleoHikerMD]

I’ll be putting up another stove build in the next few months that may be even easier and lighter weight, stay tuned...and thanks for watching!

[@davidoickle1778]

Very good design.

[@jadekayak01]

bought a can of beans today. it is a little wider than this bottle so will end up more stable. one ring of 6mm holes 40mm up from base and one ring dkwn from the top. about 12 to 16 holes diameter dependant. if tge worst occurs i have 2 bean meals for 70cents and the stove is a washout. if it works i have a FREE stove that is the easiest to make,does not suffer from cold pot shutdown,AND 2 bean meals.