How to Make a Wax Stove

Backpackers and minimalist campers like to travel light, but they still enjoy a hot meal at the end of the day. Camping-supply manufacturers offer many different camping stoves, but they can be expensive. The frugal camper can turn discarded trash into a useful stove that heats food hot enough to fry eggs or boil water. The stove is small enough to carry in a pocket but powerful enough to cook with all weekend.

Things You'll Need

  • Round tin with lid, 3-inch
  • Corrugated cardboard
  • Scissors
  • Double boiler
  • Paraffin wax
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the lid from the tin and set it aside. Place the tin on a sturdy surface.

    • 2

      Cut a strip of corrugated cardboard the same height as the inside of the tin. Make the strip about 12 inches long.

    • 3

      Coil the strip and slip it into the tin. The coil will unwind slightly and move toward the outside of the tin. This will not impair the use of the stove.

    • 4

      Melt one block of paraffin wax in the top of a double boiler. Pour the melted wax carefully over the cardboard, filling the tin. Stop pouring when the level of the wax is 1/2 inch below the edge of the tin. Allow the wax to cool and harden.

    • 5

      Place the stove on the ground to light it. Light the top of the cardboard, using a match or lighter. The cardboard will act like a long, spiral wick as it melts the wax and creates heat for cooking.