UK Licence for Industrial Denatured Alcohol

N

n6ric

.
Mar 19, 2010
208
When I decided to go with an alcohol stove, I never thought about the challenge of getting denatured alcohol in other parts of the world. I thought it was very common as it is in the US. I guess I'm having to rethink that.

I just finished reading Log of the Mahina, and I know it was written in the 70's, but he used a kerosene stove and swore by it. Checking on the Internet, I see kerosene stoves are still made. Has anyone used one? Does anyone know if kerosene is easier to get throughout the world than alcohol? I appreciate any input.

Ric
s/v Blue Max
#2692
www.ric-maxfield.net
 
T

tomfentonvega2977beowulf

.
Aug 29, 2011
103
On Beowulf we use a Taylor's kerosene stove. It is like the old Primus
stove (I think the burners are made by Optimus or some name like that). The
fuel is pressurized. The disadvantage is you either have to heat the
burners by burning methylated spirit in the dish below the burner (so you
still have the problem of finding meths) or you do it the Taylor's
recommended way of heating the burner with a gas blow torch, thus defeating
the objective of not having gas on board. Also you spend a lot of time
cleaning the smoke marks off the cabin ceiling.

Kerosene, or paraffin as we call it in the UK, is cheap here but there isnt
and exact equivalent as far as I can tell in continental Europe. I have
spent hours consulting Taylors and exploring chandleries, hardware stores
and supermarkets for appropriate fuel. Taylors recommended denatured
alcohol, so we come full circle. In France and Spain some products are
clearly marked as being for combustion in lamps. That is what I went with
and it seems to work, but it is much more expensive than in the UK.

Writing this from home watching the Olympics, but will be flying back to
Spain to resume cruising next week. I will try to find the technical
specification then.

Tom Fenton, Beowulf, V2977
 
P

pjacobs55

.
Oct 30, 2019
1,459
I found an intersting link on alcohol stoves. The bottom half of the page gives a list of different alcohol fuels, their names, and chemical makeup.

Zen and the Art of the Alcohol Stove

Guide to Alcohol Stove Basics
zenstoves.net

My personal experience: Methyl Hydrate is my favorite, readily available at many stores. I find that the blue "marine" alcohol puts out eye-watering fumes and is quite expensive, but clear Methyl Hydrate, to me, is odourless. I'd like to try some moonshine ... in the stove of course ;-)

Peter
www.sintacha.com
 
S

sailshiva

.
Jun 6, 2007
132
We have a kerosene stove with an oven on our boat. It's an old Shipmate from the 70's. It's a bit of a fiddle to get it going as the burners need to be preheated. There is a cup around the burner to fill with alcohol and set alight. Somewhat dodgy on a boat that's bobbing around. Sterno paste works well and is easier to store and handle. It's available at fancy kitchen shops where they sell chaffing dishes. It used to be available at camping stores, but I guess Sterno has gone out of fashion with campers.

Once lit, the stove works well--a hot steady flame, produces very little moisture, and burns cleanly. Because of the lighting process, we tend to make the most of the stove when it is lit--we cook what we plan to eat, and things we might want to eat later at room temperature, such as boiled eggs. We also boil a lot of water. We have a gallon size hotpot--you know, one of those large thermoses with a pump handle on top that convenience stores have for coffee. The water stays boiling hot for 12 hours, and very hot for another 12 hours or so. So without firing the stove, we have hot water for tea, after-meal clean ups, and personal hygiene.

We also have a kerosene heater which works equally well and is very appreciated in the chilly, damp, Pacific NW. We haven't taken our boat anywhere out of the country except Canada, but we've been told kerosene is easily obtainable overseas...easier to come by than in the US where it is not a popular fuel.

My husband has rebuilt the burners on the cook stove with a kit he got from a company in England. The fuel tanks are metal garden sprayers that we pressurize with a bicycle pump--usually to 8 psi. When we are done cooking/heating, we depressurize the tanks to avoid any possibilities of leaks. It's a simple system, cheap, and works for us. (the new kerosene stove are beautiful, but not cheap to buy new.)

Sheila

Sent from my iPad
 
W

winslowbuoy

.
Jan 31, 2009
122
I always use 'Alcool a Bruler' which I get in France at a fraction of the cost of meths. They sell it in most supermarkets and also use it for cleaning windows. There is a similar liquid obtainable in Germany and Scandanavia but it is not as cheap as the French stuff.
Mike
________________________________
From: Peter peter@...
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, 6 August 2012, 16:22
Subject: [AlbinVega] Re: Stove Alcohol



I found an intersting link on alcohol stoves. The bottom half of the page gives a list of different alcohol fuels, their names, and chemical makeup.

Zen and the Art of the Alcohol Stove

Guide to Alcohol Stove Basics
zenstoves.net

My personal experience: Methyl Hydrate is my favorite, readily available at many stores. I find that the blue "marine" alcohol puts out eye-watering fumes and is quite expensive, but clear Methyl Hydrate, to me, is odourless. I'd like to try some moonshine ... in the stove of course ;-)

Peter
www.sintacha.com
 
R

rifleman_maynard

.
Mar 24, 2011
1
Be careful with Methyl Hydrate, aka wood alcohol, methanol, methyl alcohol, etc. It is

what they put in clean wholesome ethanol to make undrinkable denatured alcohol aka methylated spirits. You want to keep it off your skin and try not to breath the vapour. 10ml can kill your optic nerve and cause permanent blindness, 30ml can kill you.

On the good side though, the antidote for methanol poisoning is ethanol. Break out the rum!

It IS an excellent fuel, but seriously be careful with the stuff.


I will find a way, or I will make one.

Hannibal son of Hamilcar
 
N

n6ric

.
Mar 19, 2010
208
Sheila,
Thanks. There is a line of kerosene stoves by Butterfly. I'm not sure who the maker is as the Internet searches only showed up companies selling them. The Butterfly stoves aren't pressurized and their high end uses 16 wicks and burns at up to 10,500 BTU. New it sells for only $50.00. It is only a single burner, but they also make an oven that sits on top of it for only $65.00. If kerosene is easy to come by, it sounds like a good deal. I'll have to check here in California and see how hard kerosene is to find.

Ric
s/v Blue Max
#2692
www.ric-maxfield.net
 
P

pelagicasd

.
Jan 28, 2001
694
Ric, Kerosene can be quite expensive or fairly cheap depending on where you buy it. Expensive at Walmart etc, cheap at gas stations and fuel oil distributers. Little difference between kerosene, diesel, fuel oil and paraffin as far as I know. I think they would all work but some would smell better than others. Check with the stove manufacturer. Walt
PS Judy cruised to Tahiti with Captain Bligh in the 80s and used a deisel stove, she hated the odor.To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
From: n6ric@...
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2012 01:25:18 +0000
Subject: [AlbinVega] Re: UK Licence for Industrial Denatured Alcohol





Sheila,

Thanks. There is a line of kerosene stoves by Butterfly. I'm not sure who the maker is as the Internet searches only showed up companies selling them. The Butterfly stoves aren't pressurized and their high end uses 16 wicks and burns at up to 10,500 BTU. New it sells for only $50.00. It is only a single burner, but they also make an oven that sits on top of it for only $65.00. If kerosene is easy to come by, it sounds like a good deal. I'll have to check here in California and see how hard kerosene is to find.
Ric

s/v Blue Max

#2692

www.ric-maxfield.net
 
G

groundhogyh

.
May 30, 2006
1,075
I think the alcohol stove is great.
I suggest you vote for someone that will let you buy something as simple as alcohol.
gh
 
R

rolyatad

.
Oct 30, 2019
119
I tried the smallest Butterfly stove and was unhappy with using it on the
boat, The wicks can be messy to trim, fuel tank doesn't have an adequate
seal, and smokes when lighting and extinguishing. I'm not at all sensitive
to kerosene odor but even I had to do that in the cockpit. It is so small
though I keep it around for emergencies.
 
S

samr90us

.
Mar 27, 2015
20
Ric

In California you can get Kerosene at Rotten Robbie gas stations. I think Valero also sells it.

Sam
 
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