Paraffin, Wax and Oil Burning Stoves

[pyrite]

http://zenstoves.net/Wax.htm

Paraffin/Wax/Candle Stoves

Wax has a lot of heat potential per ounce but can be difficult to harness enough to make it worthwhile as much of the heat is used to melt the wax and some of the fuel will go unburn and blacken your pot. Stoves fueled by paraffin wax (not to be confused with kerosene - often referred to as paraffin) generally incorporate a wick and are basically wide candles with enough wick(s) to cook. Unfortunately, paraffin wax stoves can produce a lot of soot and don't always work in the wind. Some candles stove setups are only capable of warming food and wont' bring water to a boil, but these same setups may work adequately for melting snow if you're willing to sit and tell stories in your snowcave while your stove does it's work. Candle stoves are nice to have since they can be used as emergency heaters, zipper unstickers, match waterproofers, fire starters (melt over kindling), reading lights, night beacons and to help produce the right atmosphere for telling scary stories. These are also one of the few fuels left that you can take on an airplane.


link takes you to many different stoves, some you can easily make at home


Buddy Burners (aka Wax Survival Stove)

3.6oz Wax over corrugated cardboard in candy tin

Note Candle wick in center to allow for lighting

Homemade candle stoves have also been around for centuries. It doesn't take much imagination to envision one of Merlin's alchemists in a darkened room boiling up a small tonic with the heat from a smoky tallow candle. Commonly referred to as Tuna Can Stoves or Buddy Burners, a simple and more modern candle stove can be easily made by pouring melted wax in a metal can (tuna or 7oz cat food is fine) filled with rolled up corrugated cardboard (center wick is optional). If you over fill the wax so that it covers your wick, use a knife to scrape it off before trying to light it.

These candle stoves have several good qualities. They are completely waterproof, don't spill when stored, are easy and economical to make, are not an explosion hazard, don't decompose like other solid fuels, don't require any environmental constraints for storage and are ready to use as is without any special stove or equipment. Their indefinite storage life and easy of construction/use makes them ideal for stockpiling for an emergency. This makes them also popular with survivalists and the Zombie Apocalypse crowd.

zombiehunters.org 1322655

People who actually use this type of stove to cook report that using a cardboard to section off the wax as shown above allows for better air flow to the gasified wax. This allows more of it to be burned.

Related Links:

midwestbushcraft.blogspot. wax-stove
survivalblog.com building_a_dryer_lint_and_wax
YouTube 10lVe_cGn8k Alcohol & vegetable oil stove
zombieapocalypsesurvivalists.com homemade-stove
wiki Buddy_Burner
zombiehunters.org 55950
bryceandkate.blogspot.com how-i-made-my-buddy-burner
randomcreativity.wordpress.com tuna-can-burner
web.archive bushcraftliving.com how-to-make-a-wax-stove - interesting wick pattern
savagesisters.wordpress.com keep-kids-entertained-with-a-hobo-stove Paper/wax stove and Hobo Stove
thesharpenedaxe.blogspot hand-warmerportable-stove-however

Wax Stove Notes

backpackinglight.com

Note: A clean metal can (such as a 12oz drink can or soup can) works fine for melting wax if you don't desire waxing a good pot.

Related Links:

backpackinglight.com Explorations into Candle Stoves
instructables.com Altoids-mess-kit
Fowler, Ryan. The Design of a Wax-burning Stove. University of Johannesburg, 2005

---

Liquid Wax/Oil Burners

Liquid Candles

Plastic Liquid Candle

Liquid candles are just like solid candles in that they require a wick to vaporize fuel for burning but also need some sort of holder. Ready made liquid candles can be purchased in either refillable or disposable plastic containers such as the one above (also available in tealight 1oz size), all of which can be refilled (use a needle and syringe for or squeeze fill the non-refillable types) with various flammable fuels and oils.
Vegetable oils, candle fuel, lamp fuel and other liquid oils can be burned with a wick but can be quite sooty, depending on your lamp, wick (type and length) and fuel. Remember that some oils will solidify or gel at low temperatures encountered on winter treks.


Plant/Vegetable Oil Stoves (aka Pflanzenölkocher)

Aluminum Can Oil Stove

A simple, yet adequate, stove can be made from an aluminum can, aluminum foil and tissue paper. Fuel such as plant or vegetable oil will allow you to cook with this stove system.

Note: According to lodge-tech.net Veg-oil-Stoves:

"Soy bean oil is classed as a drying oil and will leave a residue on metal parts and wick and should not be used, Corn oil leaves a crusty residue on wicks and should not be used. But blends of various oils including these are possible, and can be explored."

[Dera]

Reminds me of a project we did as kids--Scouts, maybe? Gosh I barely remember the whole thing, but we cooked on it and ate it.

Anyhow, the project was to make Buddy Burners (small "stoves") and actually cook something. In those days a 5-lb. coffee can was big. The can was inverted and we had "fuel" underneath We used a triangular can opener (aka "church key") and made a number of 3-corner holes all around the bottom of the coffee can so that our fire could get oxygen. We took strips of corrugated heavy cardboard and soaked them thoroughly in melted paraffin. When the wax was was cool enuf to handle, it was rolled up tightly and put in a small can. That "fuel" was lighted and placed under the inverted coffee can with the air holes (now on top). The coffee can got very hot and we cooked some stuff right on the bottom of the big can. Worked well, but messy. We were told if we over-melted the paraffin to put on our cardboard, it might catch fire (and maybe blow up? I dunno. That is what the grownup said, anyhow!).

Sorry if that is clear as mud. It is a good boy/girl scout project. Needs a lot of adult supervision.