thanks for the feedback guys
on the location of the atomiser, the reason I would put it where I chose instead of after the needle valve is because the fuel would be atomised and then VAPORIZED in the preheating tube. It would be reaching the needle valve as a gas, not as a mist. If I was planning to just have the mist go straight to the burner then I would agree with your point, but the hope here is that by the time the fuel reaches the needle valve, there won't hardly be any mist left. know what I mean?
on the fuel choice, by gas I assume you mean natural gas or butane or something like that that's gaseous at room temperature? I do see why that's become a more popular option, but I like the use of liquid fuel in concept... it's self-sufficient. Gaseous fuels are compressed into their containers by refined and expensive equipment... you're buying the fuel, but you are also paying for the manufacturer to do that service because you don't have the means to do it yourself (atleast most people don't). A liquid fuel burner sports the ability to manipulate the fuel into the most usable state on its own. I would much rather buy a can of denatured alcohol and refill my burner on my own at home at my own convenience than go and buy another can of butane each time one runs out. It's a stubborn point of mine, kind of like devices that use up batteries really quickly.
on using the burner heat to pressurize the system, this is the other option I'm considering. If I did this, I would probably still integrate a pump to use for initial starting. I was thinking of moving the fuel tank closer to the burner, and then having one or several lengths of solid copper/brass stock running right above the burner and into the fuel tank. This would provide radiant heating as well as conduction heating. Do you think this could make enough to get the job done? Denatured alcohol has a pretty high vapor pressure...
thanks again for the input,
-Jon