I'm sorry....I'm pretty well burned out on this thread...

I've got more, but I'm going to leave that one where it lies.

HJ

My first choice is Bacardi 151.
It's got a LOT of uses.
Kind of expensive to use just as a fuel, but you can if you need to :-)

If you use isopropanol, the version that's more pure works better. Standard rubbing alcohol is 70% I think, but you can buy 90%. The main thing is to NOT breathe the vapors, but this is usually not a problem because they smell weird anyway. The trick when cooking is to cover any pots or metal cups with a good lid. Otherwise some of the alcohol vapor can condense on cooler surfaces and drip down into your food or drink.

have fun!
Back to my Bacardi. :-)

Pete 2

Pete,

Obviously the 90% stuff will have higher heat content, but isn't it a sooty, nasty mess when you burn it? The 70% stuff burns cleaner, yes?

What kind of a stove were you burning it on? Do you have any photos of your set up?

HJ

Are you at all concerned about fumes?

Yeah, that's more my experience.

HJ

I'm surprised that breathing the fumes would be toxic. After all, Rubbing Alcohol being sold in the first aid/medical section has certain implications, such as being rubbed on one's body? Or is this not the purpose for which Rubbing Alcohol is sold?

In any event, my preference is 190-proof Everclear, but it's so darn expensive. I mostly use SLX. I do get some soot on the bottom of my containers, but not so much that it bothers me any.

In my area, a .750 liter bottle of Everclear runs about $13.79 or about 54 cents per fluid ounce plus tax. Several years ago I found a much cheaper 95% alcohol substitute at a local liquor store. It is called "Diesel" and is made by Brass Bull Co. It usually costs about $10.49 for a full (one) liter bottle — or about 31 cents per fluid ounce (plus tax). If you’re like me, you’ll find the savings can really add up. (For some reason, my state will not allow Everclear to be sold in any size larger than .75 liters and Diesel cannot be sold in any size greater than 1.00 liter. In other words, the most cost efficient size of either, being the 1.75 liter size, is banned statewide.

Everclear and Diesel are both precisely 190 proof and both made from grain. Diesel's made in Frankfort and Everclear is made just down the road (I-64) in St. Louis.

On the trail I generally keep it in my Trangia 500ml bottle or my 1,000ml bottle or sometimes I start with both full, depending on the expedition’s conditions and duration. On the trail it goes well with most any juice mix. However, I prefer it with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice - sometimes grocery’s can be found right off the trail. (The ultimate mixer of all time is carrot juice, but that’s usually impossible to obtain on the trail.)

I really like multi-use items tucked in my otherwise light satchel. Either of these neutral spirits would be helpful if, god forbid, an amputation was necessary in a remote area of the wildernism — and there was no other alternative. [Remember the makeshift (union) hospital scene in the 1959 movie called The Horse Soldiers w/John Wayne? My cousin was an extra in that movie, but I’ll save that story for another day.] Some say that Diesel comes on slower but hits harder than Everclear, but in any case I’ve found the end result is the same. Trust me, you’ll sleep soundly all night with either. Diesel and Everclear cook exactly the same, obviously produce the same amount of BTUs at the same burn rate (regardless of the barometric pressure, wind speed, humidity and temperature), burn remarkably clean, are environmentally friendly, and there is absolutely no discern-able difference between them as to how long they take to boil water using Trangia burners.

In summary, if the cost of Everclear is a major issue as, previously mentioned, it was with me, find reliable sources for Diesel in your community and without delay. You’re savings will really add up, and how! Note: Diesel’s usually kept on the bottom shelf (or sometimes you have to ask the sales clerk for it because they may keep it under the checkout counter). When its out for all the world to see, its usually kept on the economy clear spirits isle, for instance between the gin and vodka.

Yes the alcohol is a bit sooty when you burn it. And just like they said above - the 90% isopropanol can be hard to get. I think it's just because the 70% stuff is widely used for medicinal reasons.

Actually, I usually use these fuels with improvised stoves. For example, you can very easily build a stove out of an empty Coke can. Just punch a few holes around the base of the Coke can (about 4-5 holes, equally spaced) using a knife. Each hole should look like an indented triangle - you want good air flow into the base. The holes at the base should be about 1 inch (vertically) above the bottom of the can. Then punch a few open slots near the top rim. Then cut out the metal top of the can, leaving it open at the top.

Fill the Coke can with alcohol fuel up to the first row of holes, ignite it, and sit a metal coffee mug on top. Like i said above, your coffee mug needs to have a lid, or some condensing alcohol vapor can get into your coffee. This stove will heat the coffee (or water) inside to a fairly warm condition, but the fuel runs out. So you have to re-fill it and light it again to get it pretty hot. If you use a slightly larger can, should work much better. The Coke can does get pretty covered with soot.

Pete 2

Thanks Pete. I'm going to try that!

The main reason I asked is because of the experience of a friend of mine who was doing stove testing with isopropanol ("rubbing" alcohol) in his garage. He became quite ill. It took him a couple of days to feel better.

I've done very little experimenting with isopropanol for that very reason (my friend's experience) and the general reputation that isopropanol burns with a lot of soot. Nothing I've seen or read has encouraged me to try further experiments with isopropanol although maybe I should revisit that.

With respect to toxicity, it makes sense that "rubbing" alcohol wouldn't be too toxic although I know it is quite toxic if you drink it. The combustion by-products, not the ispropanol itself, are what seem to have made my friend ill.

HJ