I didn't know where else to put this and trust the mods to put it where it belongs . . . including the toilet. :yahoo:
I use briquettes kinda often even though I have an MES40 and the AMNPS. Mostly I use Kingsford stuff because I can buy it on special and have enough for a year. Years ago, I bought a Weber chimney charcoal starter. I used it happily for years with the newspaper collar but was always put off a little because of the paper ash getting into and onto things. I was reading a forum about hiking and camping and ran across a lot of talk of making stoves for burning isopropyl alcohol using aluminum soda cans as the material.
I found several YouTubes that 'splained the process pretty well. Here's one, you can search for others. Soda Can Stove.
I started making these little stoves just to use to light briquettes in my chimney starter. I found that you can buy a pair of pint bottles of 70% iso alcohol at Sam's Club for less than $4. I pour about a half inch of alcohol in the stove and light it off with a match (very carefully) or a propane lighter or torch. I then place my loaded chimney over the stove and let the alcohol light it. The chimney makes a great windscreen. No muss! No fuss! No residue of ash or smell (which charcoal lighter fluid is known for) and very inexpensive. Also great for starting a charcoal fire at the park or wherever because the stove weighs about as much as 3 or 4 paper clips and a pint bottle of alcohol will last a good long time. Small, lightweight, cheap, efficient.
I found that when I need to light just a few coals for a modified Minion fire requiring me to invert the chimney the little stove isn't close enough to the briquettes to work as quickly; so I saved a 28 oz tomato can and keep it with the chimney and the stove.
Hope this tip is found useful by someone.
I use briquettes kinda often even though I have an MES40 and the AMNPS. Mostly I use Kingsford stuff because I can buy it on special and have enough for a year. Years ago, I bought a Weber chimney charcoal starter. I used it happily for years with the newspaper collar but was always put off a little because of the paper ash getting into and onto things. I was reading a forum about hiking and camping and ran across a lot of talk of making stoves for burning isopropyl alcohol using aluminum soda cans as the material.
I found several YouTubes that 'splained the process pretty well. Here's one, you can search for others. Soda Can Stove.
I started making these little stoves just to use to light briquettes in my chimney starter. I found that you can buy a pair of pint bottles of 70% iso alcohol at Sam's Club for less than $4. I pour about a half inch of alcohol in the stove and light it off with a match (very carefully) or a propane lighter or torch. I then place my loaded chimney over the stove and let the alcohol light it. The chimney makes a great windscreen. No muss! No fuss! No residue of ash or smell (which charcoal lighter fluid is known for) and very inexpensive. Also great for starting a charcoal fire at the park or wherever because the stove weighs about as much as 3 or 4 paper clips and a pint bottle of alcohol will last a good long time. Small, lightweight, cheap, efficient.
I found that when I need to light just a few coals for a modified Minion fire requiring me to invert the chimney the little stove isn't close enough to the briquettes to work as quickly; so I saved a 28 oz tomato can and keep it with the chimney and the stove.
Hope this tip is found useful by someone.
