This is an alcohol/meth stove/burner I made from a Vaseline Tin and Fire Rope. The fire rope cost me £1.50 (including shipping) for 1 metre (which is enough for about three burners!) and the vaseline tin costs £1.50 new from the shop (with vaseline in it).
I consider the tin free just as you would any jam or pickle lid you might use.
As for the fire rope... I measure it at 50p per stove so in my eyes the cost of that burner is 50p and at that price it doesn't fall short from the Trangia by very much in terms of effectiveness and although it's not as robust and although you can't carry meth in it or cook with it (it's only good for boiling) those minuses are also pluses. It's very lightweight, has a narrow and flat profile and you can easily put it in your pocket and you wouldn't even notice it.
I'm not suggesting it's "better" than the Trangia - I'm merely suggesting that for different purposes it would be better suited.
For instance - ultra lightweight backpacking where you only boil water for either a brew or dehydrated meals where all you need is to add hot water.
For that, at 50p, it might very well be the best burner ever. Of course, you can even make it better if you can find a similar tin from titanium. That will be even lighter and will certainly cool even faster.
Another idea is to use Carbon Felt. It's more expensive but should work well.
