# Alcohol Burners



## dnp101677 (Dec 3, 2009)

I'd like to make an alcohol burner and would like some advice or maybe even some plans to build one. Nothing complicated, but something that looks nice. Thank you in advance. 

Dan


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## Jadecy (Dec 3, 2009)

Super simple! You just need a container with a spout for a wick and some cotton yarn. I made an aluminum one for a customer not too long ago and also make one out of copper plumbing parts.

One note: Use denatured alcohol or something similar from the paint section of a hardware store. Do not use rubbing alcohol. Most rubbing alcohol contains a percentage of water.


I like to have a spout with 3/16 to 1/4" hole. I buy my wick material from the walmart craft section. It is just a spool of 100% cotton yarn and one spool will probably last a life time!


Make loops of yarn with enough length to soak in the alcohol in the bottom of the burner. I use a paper clip to pull the yarn through the spout and then trim the loops off the top to make a nice wick end. 

Put alcohol in the burner, put a cap on it and light the wick!

I used a rubber o-ring on the aluminum one to seal the cap and drilled a hole in the center of the cap and threaded it for the spout. Worked very nicely!


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## Noitoen (Dec 3, 2009)

Maybe you can try this http://www.csun.edu/~mjurey/stoveinstruct.html


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## firebird (Dec 3, 2009)

Hi Dan

If you go to the WORK IN PROGRESS SECTION of this forum and look up my 2 projects A SMALL BOILER and A SMALL STEAM ENGINE you will find the burners I made and some of the different methods I tried.

Cheers

Rich


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## cobra428 (Dec 3, 2009)

Dan,
Somewhere I saw a lamp made out of cheap brass plated door knob. Took the guts from the knob leaving an empty shell. Brass tubing to your liking. Drill a hole near the top to fit tubing at an angle. Glue tube to knob from the inside (JB??). Turn a lid to fit.
It looked good. Oh you'll need to flatten the bottom (side firdist from the door).

I look thru my stuff tonight to see if I can find it

Tony

I think it my be on this site do a search


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## rake60 (Dec 3, 2009)

I made a mini burner to go with my Poppin engine out of a block 
of scrap brass. It was a ridiculously simple design but it works.

















Rick


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## cobra428 (Dec 3, 2009)

I like it Rick
Tony


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## don-tucker (Dec 4, 2009)

A friend gave me this picture of a meths vapour burner and I thought you guys might be interested,he says they work very well ,and has made them with several burners.


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## NickG (Dec 4, 2009)

Firebird, (Rich) did some experimentation with this type of burner and made a really good one with his findings. Have a look at his boiler thread.

Nick


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## dnp101677 (Dec 5, 2009)

Thanks for the ideas guys. A couple questions though...What are people using to seal the joints? It looks like silver solder, but is it then just buffed away of what? I've never done any soldering or brazing. 

Also, for the wick, someone said to use cottom yarn and "loop" it. What exactly does that mean? Would one braid it together or just twist it up? What works best?

Thanks again.


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## rake60 (Dec 5, 2009)

Mine was soft soldered then the excess was scraped and buffed off.
The wick is made from a piece of flat oil lamp wick rolled to fit in the 
spout. 

Rick


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## shred (Dec 5, 2009)

cobra428  said:
			
		

> Dan,
> Somewhere I saw a lamp made out of cheap brass plated door knob. Took the guts from the knob leaving an empty shell. Brass tubing to your liking. Drill a hole near the top to fit tubing at an angle. Glue tube to knob from the inside (JB??). Turn a lid to fit.
> It looked good. Oh you'll need to flatten the bottom (side firdist from the door).
> 
> ...


Phil Duclos' "Fire Eater" engine in the Steam and Stirling Engines You Can Build (book 2) has a doorknob-based lamp. No doubt those plans were also published elsewhere, but the word 'plans' is a bit of a stretch for the few sentences on making the burner-- it's pretty easy, as above.


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## raym 11 (Dec 5, 2009)

A bit off topic, but the 'fire eater' runs a lot better with a 50/50 methanol/alcohol mix.

Ray M


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## NickG (Dec 6, 2009)

Ray,

That's interesting as I'm having problems running my flame licker to Jan ridders design. The methylated spirits seems to gum it up quickly with brown deposits making friction too high. Also not sure how hot the flame is, and it keeps getting blown out.

Nick


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## dnp101677 (Dec 10, 2009)

Can someone tell me where to find a wick for the burner? Thanks.


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## Powder keg (Dec 10, 2009)

Mine has a piece of cotton shirt stuffed in it for a wick) Been there for 15 years now.


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## Stan (Dec 10, 2009)

Alcohol burners are still used in labs so if you google laboratory supplies you will find lots of wick suppliers. They come in packages of a dozen for a couple of bucks.


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## firebird (Dec 10, 2009)

Hi

I bought a cotton mop from a market for £1.00. Enough to last me for years.

Cheers

Rich


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## rake60 (Dec 10, 2009)

I use the flat oil lamp wicks that can be found at any hardware or home store.
I just cut a piece out of it and roll it loosely to fit the spout of the burner.




That one cost me $1.29 and there is enough material there to make about
8 more wicks from it. 

Now maybe some day I will finish cleaning up that burner.
:hDe:

Rick


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