[pct-l] Denatured alcohol...

[csxii at schizoaffective.org]

I mean no disrespect here but I do have to say something to defend alcohol
stoves.    I  spend a lot of time around these stoves and making them is
one of my  hobbies. 


On Wed, 21 Mar 2007 16:25:09 -0700, "Georgi Heitman"
<bobbnweav at citlink.net> had this to say:

>Is this a good time to ask folks to really, seriously reconsider these little stoves and the fuel they use?  The stoves are clever, I'm fascinated at how they work and for sure they're lite.  But the problem lies, not really with the stove, it's the fuel.  Alcohol burns with an invisible flame as most of you know..

The flames are only totally invisible in direct sunlight.


>.that means that if a lit stove gets knocked over, you could be seriously burned as the first instinct is to reach for the stove and pick it up. 

I think most people know better then to try to pick up a hot stove no
matter what type of fuel it burns.

> It also means that your clothing could be on fire before you know it.  And it also means that unless you train yourself to look for grass, pine needles, whatever that's flammable that appears to be moving, disappearing in an ever-widening area, you can start a fire and have no realization of having done so.

If the grass and pine needles are disappearing they are burning up and
grass and pine needles do not burn with an invisible flame!

Also  alcohol  can be put out with water, you can not put gasoline out with
water.   I think that is why alcohol is the preferred cooking fuel for
boats.

 Gasoline stoves operate at higher pressures and are much more likely to
explode then alcohol stoves.   Gasoline is a much more volatile fuel and
contains more BTU's per ounce.

Another point that is important to some people, unlike gas, alcohol is a
renewable resource.