| Penny stoves make budget camping comfortable. | | | | rule for how many holes you should have in your |
| For little more than the cost of a bottle of fuel | | | | penny stove, though the more holes you have, |
| and the time it takes to find two used soda cans, | | | | the finer - and hotter - the jets of vapor will be. |
| you can have an instant source of heat - useful | | | | Your burner holes should be no larger than a |
| for cooking, sterilizing water and warmth. | | | | thumbtack, to allow for the maximum amount of |
| Penny stoves are constructed using the bottom | | | | pressure to build up in the stove as the fumes |
| ends of two soda cans, slotted together to | | | | escape to be lit. |
| provide an enclosed container. One end of the | | | | 3. Protect the flame from wind: Lighting the penny |
| container is pierced to allow the fumes to escape | | | | stove outside without a wind guard is difficult in all |
| from the container, with a slightly larger hole in | | | | but the stillest conditions. Set up a physical block |
| the center of the same end, which is used for | | | | around the stove to prevent any turbulence from |
| filling the container with fuel. A penny is placed on | | | | affecting the stove, or your ignition flame (match, |
| this hole after the fuel has been added to the | | | | lighter etc). Be aware that in daylight the flame |
| penny stove, thus regulating the pressure, and | | | | from the stove will be almost invisible, so you |
| giving us the name: Penny Stove. | | | | may have a lit stove without realizing it. To create |
| Although simple in principle, penny stoves can be | | | | an affordable and portable wind break, nest your |
| quite difficult to light for the inexperienced user. | | | | stove in an old tin that is slightly larger and higher |
| Follow these steps to instantly light your penny | | | | than the stoves dimensions. This will also aid in... |
| stove every time: | | | | 4. Priming the stove: Although denatured alcohol |
| | | | gives off a large amount of fumes, it can be very |
| 1. Use the correct fuel: Denatured alcohol - the | | | | difficult to light. To aid in lighting the stove, you will |
| technical name - is the optimal fuel for your | | | | need to prime it, using a small amount of your |
| penny stove. The term "denatured" means that | | | | fuel around the base of the stove, external to it. |
| the alcohol has been poisoned, both to avoid liquor | | | | If you have used the tin from step 3, pour a |
| taxes/duties (thus keeping the costs down), and | | | | small amount of fuel - you could almost just wipe |
| to prevent people from drinking it. Denatured | | | | it on - and place the stove back into the tin. Light |
| alcohol burns cleanly and gives off a strong vapor. | | | | the fuel in the tin (not the stove). Shortly you will |
| It is also less prone to explosive combustion | | | | hear the fuel in the penny stove begin to sizzle |
| (unlike petroleum). You can find denatured alcohol | | | | and boil. This increases the amount of fumes it |
| almost anywhere: in your supermarket, local | | | | gives off, and the flames from the priming fuel - |
| hardware store, convenience store or service | | | | if you measure it correctly - will expire just as |
| station. | | | | they have the height to ignite the fumes from |
| 2. Space the burner holes correctly: The size and | | | | the top of the can. |
| frequency of the burner holes in your penny | | | | Above all though, practice! If you plan on using |
| stove will dictate the ease with which you can | | | | your penny stove for an upcoming camping trip, |
| light it, along with the size of the flame (and thus | | | | be sure to practice lighting and cooking with it |
| amount of heat it will give off), and the amount | | | | now as much as possible before you leave. |
| of time the fuel will last. There is no hard and fast | | | | |