Supplies and Tools Needed for Alcohol Stove Construction

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Supplies For Wick Making

A few Alcohol Stove designs require a wick for optimal performance. Here are just a few.

Note - closed cell foam (such as those used for upholstery) should never be used since they release toxic gases when burned.

Fiberglass insulation - Sections can be scavenged from the walls or attics of your house or from scraps at a construction site. A more user friendly size comes in 1/2 inch thick pipe insulation and can be trimmed and stacked or rolled up.

Fiberglass wicks - Made for lanterns or for fire shows (often Kevlar blend), these can be wrapped around stoves as an alternative to using a primer pan.

Perlite - This is found in the gardening section of hardware stores and is made up of tiny volcanic rocks. This option can be very mess if used and requires metal mesh or something else to hold it in place. It may to pick out the largest pieces of perlite if used for your application so that you get less dust and small pieces spilling out later. Expect to get a little (or a lot) of dust spillage when perlite is used.

Please see our Wick Stoves Page for more on wicks.

Zen Backpacking Stoves