- Joined
- Apr 14, 2008
- Messages
- 1,810
Heet, denatured, grain alcohol, and rubbing alcohol have been burned in my Swedish cook set. Any comments on it? Everclear seems to burn fairly hot in comparison. Just curious.
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/
Which alcohol burns hotter in stove?
- Thread starter Loosearrow
- Start date
As long as the alcohol is = or > 90% pure, it will burn OK.
Ethanol is preferred, as it is the most energy dense of the alcohols. It burns clean and won't dirty your pots. If it is denatured, don't drink it.
Methanol comes in yellow HEET bottles. This is a common stove fuel. I like how agressively it burns in cold weather. I prefer it on winter hunts since its high volatility makes it easy to light when cold. Methanol does bad things if it gets on your skin. Apparently, it goes through your skin and forms, um, formaldehyde in your body. Ick.
Isopropyl burns "cool" and super dirty. The thick coating of flat black soot it deposits on your cookware will rapidly transfer itself all over you and your camping stuff. Use only in an emergency. Heck, try it at home and see for yourself.
My fav. stove fuel comes in the form of gallon cans of denatured alcohol found at the paint store/hardware store.
If you store stove fuel in the odd plastic water bottle, you need to permanently re-label the bottle to reflect its current, poisonous contents.
When backpacking, I tend to use 8oz. per day.
Ethanol is preferred, as it is the most energy dense of the alcohols. It burns clean and won't dirty your pots. If it is denatured, don't drink it.
Methanol comes in yellow HEET bottles. This is a common stove fuel. I like how agressively it burns in cold weather. I prefer it on winter hunts since its high volatility makes it easy to light when cold. Methanol does bad things if it gets on your skin. Apparently, it goes through your skin and forms, um, formaldehyde in your body. Ick.
Isopropyl burns "cool" and super dirty. The thick coating of flat black soot it deposits on your cookware will rapidly transfer itself all over you and your camping stuff. Use only in an emergency. Heck, try it at home and see for yourself.
My fav. stove fuel comes in the form of gallon cans of denatured alcohol found at the paint store/hardware store.
If you store stove fuel in the odd plastic water bottle, you need to permanently re-label the bottle to reflect its current, poisonous contents.
When backpacking, I tend to use 8oz. per day.
Denatured alcohol is my favorite. Burns hot and very clean ( wont make your stuff black). The only downside is it burns very clear so its hard to see in the light. You can add a little bit of salt to give it more visability when burning. I burn mine in a homemade penny stove and can boil about 10 ounces in around 5 minutes. Its a great little stove and super lightweight and can be made in about 30 minutes with two popcans and a gerber, and of course a penny.
