Creating a Portable Steam Unit Without Stove Heating

[pravspresso]

Is it possible to create a portable steam unit similar to this but without the use

of the a heating element from a stove.

http://vimeo.com/42042554

If so?, briefly how would one go about this?

I would like to create something identical but with it's own heating unit

and be hand held.

Cheers!

 

[Danger]

It's beyond my ken how anybody could put that crap into an otherwise decent drink like coffee, but I'll overlook that for now.
What about basic chemical heating? You know... Sterno fuel, a candle, napalm...

 

[Alt-Bringer]

i don't know how big it would end up but...
water boils cold at high altitudes, so some sort of vaccum/pressure chamber might work

or using a battery pack you could power a form of "prison immersion heater"

 

[pravspresso]

That's great information.

Thank you kindly sir.

I'm going to a local engineer to talk further about this.

Cheers!

 

[Danger]

you could power a form of "prison immersion heater"

I don't think that I even want to know what that is.

If simply boiling, as opposed to heating, is required, then you have a mighty fine idea with that suggestion of a vacuum pump. One could probably fit in a backpack. My concern about it is the power requirement. I assume that Pravspresso wants the unit to be battery-operated. That could present a problem.

 

[pravspresso]

Hi Danger,

Yes, preferably battery operated but plugging into an outlet is an option

if it makes any difference whatsoever.

Cheers,

p.

 

[Danger]

plugging into an outlet is an option

if it makes any difference whatsoever.

It absolutely does. Where I live, that means 1,500W at your disposal. Visions of sugarplums...

Hang on a second here...
I might have misunderstood the first post; I took it to mean that you didn't want to use electric heating (the element from a stove). Did you in fact just mean that you didn't want to use the whole stove? If that's the case, a few car cigarette lighters and a 12V battery could have you on your way.

 

[pravspresso]

Yes,

You got it right "no stove".

The outlet would be more desirable for my purposes of steaming 8-12oz of milk while in the kitchen

or some other area at work.

Cheers,

p.

 

[Danger]

That shouldn't present any problems, then. You could scavenge the guts out of a toaster oven (or even just a plain toaster) or a space heater or something else with a healthy dose of nichrome wire in its DNA.
Safety first, though. I'd like to see a thermistor in the design, set for about 105° (I don't know what the boiling point of milk is at any given altitude, but you want to stop just above it.) Also both electrical and thermal insulation and a fuse.
You can build it yourself, but get a qualified electrical expert to check it before you plug it in. (My eyebrows have never forgiven me for an incident with rebuilding a razor when I was about 12.)