I’ve had a lot of fun making these at public events where I have demonstrated survival skills. I have an “Every Day Carry” (EDC) tool kit on a keyring that includes two items that I use to construct this burner: a P38 can opener and a small multi-tool scissors. As shown in the video it needs only a knife to accomplish the same task. In an urban scenario aluminum cans are an easy resource to find. With no need for drills or a secondary can this method is ideal for in-the-field construction.

The inside walls of the burner are fluted, thus eliminating the need for small drilled holes like a conventional gas burner. They create channels for vaporized alcohol that naturally create the “holes” at the rim around the can. One single hole is made to relieve pressure/condensation caused when a pan is placed on top of the burner while cooking.

In my opinion denatured alcohol works the best as a fuel as it is completely consumed in the process whereas isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol contains water in it’s composition and can produce soot which increases as the concentration decreases. It comes in 90%, 75%, and 50% dilutions. Methyl and ethyl alcohols are also clean burning fuels. Denatured alcohol can be found in the painting section of a hardware store. The yellow “Heet” bottles of antifreeze gasoline additives contain ethyl alcohol and can be found at an automotive supply store. Acetone, an alternate fuel, can be found in the painting section of a hardware store, or, as most finger nail polish removers are composed of acetone, they can be found in most cosmetic departments of various stores.

I put this burner at the top of my list because it is cheap, easy to construct (it takes me about 5 minutes), easy to use, doesn’t need a primer lid, and is very reliable. Kudos to it’s inventors! I encourage you to make one for yourself so that you will have a burner on hand, and, so that you can show others how to make one for themselves.

(images taken from How to make the only travel stove you’ll ever need)

Making charcloth takes time and sometimes can be difficult to achieve the optimal conditions and cook-times for the best results. Like any process, consistency gives you the ability to produce predictable results which leads to perfection. I suppose that folks throughout history that used this fire method on a daily basis had the process down pat, but for those of us in the modern world who are “citified” are inconsistent in this process. However, modern technology can be our friend.

While visiting a local “flea” market I came across an electric single burner hotplate; a counter-top appliance that is typically used to percolate coffee or cook a one-pot meal. It had a rheostat to control the temperature and it dawned on me that I could use this to cook cotton fabric into charcloth. So, for two dollars, I walked away with what I hoped to be a solution to charcloth perfection, and as a bonus, no fire or coals were needed.

In a previous article “Making Charcloth” I showed how I form little cotton patch “burrito” rolls laid side-by-side inside of an Altoids tin. This is the set-up that I placed on the burner element set on “high”. At about two minutes brown smoke began to emerge. After an additional five minutes the smoke began to diminish and I pulled the tin off of the burner to cool. When I opened the tin I could see that I needed to adjust the timing slightly but still had usable charcloth. I will continue to experiment with the dynamic of temperature and time to find the right combination for optimum results.

Now I have the capability to make charcloth without the need for fire or coals and with the predictability of quality. So keep on the lookout for a single electric burner next time that you visit a flea market or yard sale so that you can produce and keep a ready supply of charcloth on hand for your next flint and steel fire.

When soda can burners became popular I enjoyed constructing various configurations, experimenting with ways to maximize the flame. Around the same time I made slush lamps using different wicks and fuels. Eventually this led to the realization that hand sanitizer contains 62 percent ethyl alcohol and can be used as fuel to cook small amounts of food. You can watch this being demonstrated in my video “Bottle Cap Burner“.

One of the key elements in the hand sanitizer cooking set-up is the need to protect the flame from wind while incorporating a support for the cooking vessel. Because I use a thimble-sized beer bottle cap full of hand sanitizer for a burner, and a Sierra cup for cooking, I find that a “Beanee Weenee” 8 oz. can is just the right size for support. Larger cans work best for larger pans.

To begin constructing a windscreen/pot stand you’ll need to find a can that has lids on both top and bottom as some cans are seamless on the bottom and don’t lend themselves to opening. You can use a conventional crank/rotary type of can opener or a military issue P38. Once the lids are removed a “church key” can opener is used to punch triangular holes along the outside rims on the top and bottom edges. I like to offset the top and bottom holes as I believe that it helps to facilitate the natural vortex created by flames. Different burners may require modifications in order to accommodate their unique features.

Needless to say that wider profile pot stands are more stable than taller ones. Check out my video “2 Minute Stove For $1“. The design of this alcohol burner incorporates a windscreen and pot stand. Because the Soda can has a tall profile, care must be taken when placing cooking vessels on top. This should be placed on a stable – level surface for operation.

So, next time you go shopping, check out the different sizes of canned-goods and imagine what creative pieces of equipment it could make.