Steel Can Heater/Stove! the 'Cotton Ball' Heater/stove! - Easy DIY

in this instructable i'll show how to make a heater/stove out of a couple of small metal cans and some cotton balls

Homemade Steel Can Heater/Stove! The "Cotton Ball" heater/stove!. Easy DIY. lots of heat. cooks great. items needed: two small metal cans, dirt, cotton balls and isopropyl alcohol. great for any off grid situation, SHTF, power outages, camping etc. or everyday use.

1.) 2 small metal cans (one slightly wider than the other)

2.) cotton balls

3.) 70% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)

4.) dirt

5.) optional: 2 or 3 extra cans that are slightly taller than the other 2 (used for making stove)

first step is to place one can inside the other. then add dirt between the 2 cans. should look like the pic above.

then add the alcohol and fire it up...

2 of them kept the surrounding area quite warm. note: always take care when using these. treat them with the same respect that you'd have for a candle or an alcohol lamp.

to convert it to a stove just put 2 or 3 larger cans around the heater (see pics above) and place a pan on them. i only needed to use two cans. it made a stable "burner grate". note that since the flame is centered under pan, it's best to use a cast iron pan (because those spread out the heat). cooked an egg as if it was a standard stove burner.