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From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Trangia stoves
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2000 09:20:16 -0700
Walt Chudleigh wrote:
> 
> As a result of the posts last year I bought a Trangia last year and like it
> very much.  [snip]
> I have been a long time MSR Whisperlight user and still use it along
> with the Trangia for group trips.  For solo or two person trips I prefer the
> Trangia now.  The ease of setup and clean fuel are big pluses.  It seems to
> me that it burns more fuel than the MSR.

It should.  Alcohol being an oxygenated fuel, it has fewer calories to release
as heat when combusted than a hydrocarbon fuel such as white gas, butane,
propane, or kerosene.  I'd guess maybe 20-30% more fuel, yes?

>  I have had best luck with alcohol
> from REI.  The drug store variety burned dirty.  I found out later that I
> should have added water to it.

Don't think adding water to the drug store stuff would have worked.

I suspect that the "drug store" alcohol you used was isopropyl alcohol, and
most likely only 70%, Walt.  It is a three-carbon alcohol, and is not as
volatile as ethyl alcohol (a 2 - carbon alcohol), the prefered fuel for a
Trangia.  Make sure that you get ethyl alcohol (aka "denatured alcohol," most
places; known as "methylated spirits" in the UK), in future.  I believe a good
source of denatured alcohol in the US should be hardware stores.

If you can get hold of 100% isopropyl alcohol, that should work in a Trangia,
albeit it may burn sooty.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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