Was at Home Depot the other day and bought a 1 quart paint can and a roll of fiberglass pipe insulation to stuff into it. Poured 1/2 pint of denatured alcohol in and cooked some corn to see how well it worked. Put it under a pot stand I made years ago...
Boiled three loads of water/corn in a 2 qt pan in ~1/2 an hour and was still going strong. Finally put the lid on it after three hours with plenty of fuel left...
I put some stainless mesh on top since I had it handy but it's not really needed...
I think I could probably fill this thing with a pint of alcohol and do heavy cooking for a multi-day camping trip. With the fiberglass 'wick' it's safer than some other types of alcohol burners; I turned it on it's side while burning and the fuel didn't run out. Bottom was cool enough pick up after burning three hours. The lid can be used to snuff it as well as seal and store fuel (probably for years if need be) ready to go. Might be good to keep on a shelf for an emergency if the gas were cut off. Just pop the lid and put a match to it.
Doesn't burn as hot as a Trangia or "Pepsi can" stove and is no doubt less efficient, but nice if you want something hotter than a can of Sterno that will burn a lot longer and can be refilled. Only costs ~$5 (not accounting for fuel) to make.
