drthumbs' Venom stove (pic heavy)

[chris]

I want my jets small. I did not have any drills with me, but I did have some expired IV catheters.  I selected our smallest, 24 gauge, discarded the catheter and used the needle to drill.  The 24 gauge has an IO of 0.02 mm so that is about the size of the jets.

Can you clarify this statement?

24 gauge wire is .02 inches. .02 mm equals .0007 inches.

My jets work well enough to cook with, but aren't performing as well as they should. I'm assuming that they're too big, and it's keeping the pressure low. The only thing handy I had gives a 1/32 inch hole, which is about 50% larger than a 24 gauge. I also may have to many jets. Thanks for any help you can give.

[drthumbs]

Can you clarify this statement?

24 gauge wire is .02 inches. .02 mm equals .0007 inches.

My jets work well enough to cook with, but aren't performing as well as they should. I'm assuming that they're too big, and it's keeping the pressure low. The only thing handy I had gives a 1/32 inch hole, which is about 50% larger than a 24 gauge. I also may have to many jets. Thanks for any help you can give.

good catch. that should be 0.02 inch for around 0.5 mm. 

[drthumbs]

1/32 should work well. I have even used thumbtacks to made the holes and it gets the job done well enough to cook with.  Without seeing it in action, I can't guess what might be going on

[chris]

Without seeing it in action, I can't guess what might be going on

I get lazy orange flame coming out. Rather than a higher pressure blue flame.

[drthumbs]

are you using isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol?

[Falling_blue]

To start out, thanks for the post.  I was looking for a light weight camp stove and this post started me on the path to make my own.  No one in my little town sold Venom brand energy drinks so I made a couple bud light stoves and a Heni-pot.  On a recent trip I was excited to pick up some venoms at a gas station so I figured I would make one today.  

Here is my build process and results:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXmUHz_5P_A#

The Power Dome EX was just to run the Dremel (and have some tunes to work to)

Drill was used to make jets with a sewing needle.  Makes good jets and cuts through like butter.

Initial impression compared to my bud light stoves:  Venom has larger capacity and larger platform (a little too big for the Heni-pot but great for regular pots).  Will work well when I need either more water boiled or longer burn time.  I primed by lighting the center and it took a little longer then my bud stoves.

Over all glad I made it.  Next stove project is a mini wood gas stove.

[CookingtoSurvive]

After making a couple of these for our BOB's I have a few comments or suggestions. The simple fact that these are so cheap and I believe more self-sufficent as yo are not stuck buying expensive fuel exclusive to your stove design. I am trying to slowly turn my dad into a  prepper, I persuaded him to take part in the manufacturing process. After completing my first stove I had an amazing idea. Why am I drilling the holes after I press the two halves together. I now measure where I want to place the Jets on can and drill the holes before pressing the halves together. I ruined one stove by drilling through both walls. One proviso though, you will want to sand the inside of the can where you have drilled for your jets. Also instead of filing the stove smooth use an orbital or inverted belt sander.

[OldManSchmidt]

Researching other small stoves like this - one idea that I like was to make a wind screen / pot holder from a metal coffee can. The version I saw removed top and bottom of the can, punched holes around bottom of the can to allow some airflow. Then put a few holes around the top and slide a few pieces of straight coat hanger through to make a pot holder.

This is a nice version as it is a little bigger - while cool, the beer can version just seems so tiny as to be almost useless. Certainly a good alternative to the esbit / triox stoves - also, can use grain alcohol as fuel or beverage.

I have done something similar to this using Sterno as fuel.  I took a 3 lb. metal coffee can, drilled a half dozen 3/8" holes around the top and bottom and placed the Sterno can in the middle.  I left the bottom on the coffee can.  The airflow was good and the can seemed to retain the bulk of the heat from the Sterno.  It takes a bit, but scrambled eggs are possible in my rig.

I suspect a metal, gallon paint can would work too as finding metal coffee cans is getting to be problematic.  Just make sure you get all the paint out first.  With the lid, a paint can would make a good carry case for the stove and a limited amount of fuel in small containers.  Just put them all in and pop the lid on.  Hook the handle on your pack and off you go.  Just remember to allow time for everything to cool first.

[Peter Pumpkin Eater]

Thanks Dr.Thumbs here is my first attempt at a Venom stove:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUCTFxPOcB8#

Thanks for the great idea.  One question though:  The edges of the two halves, if I heat them up with my torch will the temperature get hot enough to fuse the two metals together to make a cleaner top edge or will a file suffice?  Currently I just crimped the outer edge over the inner with a pair of linemans and then I used a sanding disc on my Dremel 4000 to lessen the thickness caused by the overlap.  The stove seems to work well but cosmetically is not as "pretty" as yours.

Pete

[BatonRouge Bill]

are you using isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol?

+1 and thanks for the informative thread,...but which one should I use and how many holes are in yours?
.020" is = to a #76 drill bit for the machinist/millwright types.
Again, really cool alcohol stove!
Falling Blue, I look forward to your woodgas stove also.

[Peter Pumpkin Eater]

Bill,
    I used HEET in my stove and it burned nicely.  You can use rubbing alcohol but make sure it contains the highest percentage you can find.  It really was a quick build it took me about 15 minutes total (not counting the time it took to drink it).  Since the video, I have sanded the Venom paint off and sanded the top lip to better fuse the metals.  Good luck.

Pete

[kc9eci]

Here is the one I made about a year ago. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M569L2lhWPc#

I cheated though, I used a chop saw and a pneumatic rivet gun.  Took about 10 minutes.

[kc9eci]

Here are some of my early attempts.  The one that the pan is sitting on is the easiest.  It was a tin of mixed fruit in a previous life.  I understand that cat food cans and vienna sausage cans work as well.  Just drill two rings of hols around it, pour in some alcohol (rubbing alcohol sucks, HEET in the yellow bottle is much better) and you're set. 

The beer/soda can ones are pretty simple to make as well.  I screwed a utility knife blade to a one inch thick block of wood, score two cans, peel them apart and press together.  Some people like to fill them with fiberglass insulation but I just leave them empty.  Once together I drill the holes, polish them up a bit on a wire wheel and we are good to go.  Takes about 10 minutes.  I think everyone I work with has one now.  I was building them compulsively on my 10 minute break at work for a while. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4iyqnC_u_0#

If you dig around my videos you can find some of my radio motivated camping trips and see me using them in the field.