View Full Version : What works best in Alcohol Burners.
IntrepidStu
03-11-2008, 14:20
Please....Dont say ALCOHOL!!!
Cant figure out what to use; Meths, White spirit,...What???
Im on my way to Wilkinsons in about 10 mins so some info would be great guys.
Cheers
Stu.
Meths every time. Cut it with 10% water to reduce the soot on your pots.
Meths every time. Cut it with 10% water to reduce the soot on your pots.
What he said!
Meths works well, but please don't dilute it, it reduces cooking time and for the sake of wiping a pan its not worth it, especially in cold weather
Meths is expensive, Methanol is cheap but remember its toxic and can be absorbed through the skin
This is a good place for bulk meths, much cheaper than wilcko's
http://www.jpennyltd.co.uk/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=348&=SID#MOREINFO
demographic
05-11-2008, 14:33
Just use meths, some people have been using industrial alchohol whish as far as I remember is just pure alchohol without the colour or the wood alchohol that makes it unfit for tramps to drink but it seems like such a palarver to get it and not a vast difference to the way it burns anyway that its pretty pointless.
Meths is avaliable from all kinds of shops so its much simpler to just use that.
ForgeCorvus
05-11-2008, 22:13
How good is Surgical Alcohol ?
helixpteron
06-11-2008, 10:34
Just use meths, some people have been using industrial alchohol whish as far as I remember is just pure alchohol without the colour or the wood alchohol that makes it unfit for tramps to drink.....
Many years ago I turned a corner into Brick Lane market and came face to face with a tramp whom was in the process of glugging down an inverted bottle of meths.
I recognized the brand he was drinking as I'd used the same one for my meths stove. I stood there, transfixed in utter horror that someone would do such a thing, watching the bottle empty. I wanted to stop him!
I'd heard that tramps drank meths, but always thought it was just an old tale, sorry to go slightly off topic but your post reminded me of the incident.
Many years ago I turned a corner into Brick Lane market and came face to face with a tramp whom was in the process of glugging down an inverted bottle of meths.
I recognized the brand he was drinking as I'd used the same one for my meths stove. I stood there, transfixed in utter horror that someone would do such a thing, watching the bottle empty. I wanted to stop him!
I'd heard that tramps drank meths, but always thought it was just an old tale, sorry to go slightly off topic but your post reminded me of the incident.
"Good god, man! You're wasting good fuel. Here, take this bottle of claret."
IntrepidStu
06-11-2008, 10:49
"Good god, man! You're wasting good fuel. Here, take this bottle of claret."
LOL ..Nice One.
Have you ever tasted meths, awful.
On the upside, one of the chemicals used to denature the Ethanol is Pyridine because it dissolves in many alcohols and water so is difficult to remove, it also stinks. But it is a male sterilant reducing sperm motility.
So meths drinkers can't have children, thus meths drinking is not inherited :) .
Landy_Dom
06-11-2008, 13:05
often wondered about diesel because it burns really hot - has anyone ever tried it in a trangia?
Dom.
often wondered about diesel because it burns really hot - has anyone ever tried it in a trangia?
Dom.
Diesel is a definate NO :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
Womble_Lancs
06-11-2008, 13:34
Many brands of meths also now contain an emetic, to make people sick if they try drinking it.
hobbitboy
06-11-2008, 15:07
ForgeCorvus
How good is Surgical Alcohol ?
Surgical Alcohol works fine. In the south of the continent it get harder to find meths. I spent 2days looking for meths in Slovenia before resorting to surgical alcohol. It was super cheap at 6quid for half a litre:eek:
ForgeCorvus
06-11-2008, 19:30
I bought some SA in Boots last year, I'm sure it was about 3 or 4 quid for a 1/2 ltr
I asked because I hate the smell of meths and thought I could use SA if there isn't too much of a price difference
Does SA soot-up like meths....or do I have to find out
Celt_Ginger
06-11-2008, 21:42
Normal meths for me. Don't bother trying to do the 10% water thing, it makes very little difference. fresh meths seems to burn cleaner. I suppose older meths may lose some octane value. Home made alcahol didn't work very well at all (It wasn't made in my home by the way, Someone left a bottle of it on my doorstep one day..........honestly!)
rancid badger
06-11-2008, 21:47
Meths every time. Cut it with 10% water to reduce the soot on your pots.
Absolutely the above ;)
I've tried all sorts of fuels and ultimately, meths tops out for me.
cheers
R.B.
Once when in Devon (Hatherleigh specifically) I was unable to buy meths for my Trangia in the chemists or (small) supermarkets and was advised that white spirit would do the same job... It doesn't!!! It does burn (if you fashion a wick out of something) but with clouds of sooty black smoke and a totally uncontrollable flame, which is very difficult to extinguish safely. I would advise that you do not try White Spirit!!
Incidently if you are venturing abroad with your "alcohol burner" you may want this list (from Trangia's web site) with the name that meths (or equivalent) is known as in various countries:
Names of fuels in different countries
Argentina alcohol des naturalizado (95 or 88%)/alcohol de quemar/alcohol metílico
Australia methylated spirit
Belgium brand alcohol
Chile alcohol de quemar
Denmark Husholdsningssprit -93%
Czech Rebublic technický líh
Finland spiritus
France alcool â brûleur
Germany spiritus
Greece vytistijo Oimopmeula
Hungary spiritusz or denaturált szesz
Iceland vinandi/spiri
Italy alcool denaturato
Japan Alcohol
Canada (English) alcohol
Canada (French) alcool
Norway spiritus
New Zealand methylated spirit
Sweden tenol / rödsprit / T-röd
Spain alcohol de quemar
South America metilico
Switzerland Brennsprithttp
The Netherlands methanol alcohol/spiritus
Unites States burning alcohol
The pdf is at http://www.trangia.se/english/3652.directions_for_use.html
under "List of fuels", as there are some languages whose letters I cannot display!
Finally... If it's a Trangia you could take some photos and upload them to
http://www.flickr.com/groups/trangia/
I'll get my coat....
Check this out:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-RK9WvgkiEvI/burning_acetone_and_alcohol_an d_acetone_mixture/
Neanderthal
04-01-2009, 21:21
Another vote for plain Meths.
In California last year we needed to buy some meths but the B&Q type hardware store only sold it in Gallon cans.:eek:
Luckily one of the camping/climbing shops had bought a can and were selling it per ounce into your own bottle. :D
Stu
Ethanol has more energy per volume than Methanol. The reason it smells bad is that they put additives in it so people don't drink it. Methanol is poisonus. Both of them will burn fine as long as they are fairly pure. You can burn something like 70% rubbing alcohol, but you will get alot of smoke.
Here in the US we have a brand of denatured alcohol (ethanol) called SLX, which is very pure and burns well. The best is probably a gas line antifreeze called HEET (in the yellow bottle). It is almost pure methanol. Check out http://zenstoves.net/Fuels.htm for fuel info and http://zenstoves.net/ in general for great alcohol stove information.
Meths works well, but please don't dilute it, it reduces cooking time and for the sake of wiping a pan its not worth it, especially in cold weather
Meths is expensive, Methanol is cheap but remember its toxic and can be absorbed through the skin
This is a good place for bulk meths, much cheaper than wilcko's
http://www.jpennyltd.co.uk/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=348&=SID#MOREINFO
Rik, will the 5L plastic container be okay for long term storage, or would it be better to move it into a can ??
I thought there were laws against shipping flammable liquids now, have I dreamt that ?
According to a professor chemistry 5ft away from me. Mehanol eats the fatty tissue surounding the optic nerve not good,:eek:
Lee