Running low on mentholated spirits need to buy some in what’s the going rate for 5L seen prices ranging from £15 - £30 when doing a quick search?
Maybe get bioethanol for patio heaters instead. Seems to work just as well. 2L for £8 from well known standard DIY place. You might find better pricing. (Used to be £5 before the last hike in prices)
I paid £12 for 2L last week (toolstation). You are ahead of the game I think.. Bioethanol worth a look, have never used it
Appreciated Jon will check it out best I’ve found so far is £14.50 for a 5L tub so not to differ to the bioethanol
There hasn't been much written about whether Covid hand sanitiser will burn. It was meant to be quite high alcohol content. It might behave like stove lighting paste?
Interesting one that I’ve access to quite a bit leftover from Covid days Will try some on a wick and see if it ignites
A tea light tin full did this. Meths has a bigger flame but this burns more slowly and lasts longer. It didn't need a wick. I was just filling the lighting torch of a Tilley with it when the heavens opened. Rain stopped play...
What I'm aware of is that they are mostly isopropyl alcohol or propanol. I've got a can of technical grade IPA. It does burn, but not with a clean blue flame. Its rather yellowish, sometimes a little sooty and leaves some residue in the spirit cup after the burn. Unless I really run out meths, I'd rather not use it.
Its has gone up a fair bit, in 2021 I payed $1.20 per litre. Now I pay $2.20 per litre in Australia Victoria, lucky for me I still have a petrol station that sells it from the pump. I mean come on that's a whole $1 increase in 2 years, what's going on, bloody oil company's. Lucky for me that I dont have to go to Bunnings Warehouse, they want $23.20 for 4L, by my calculation that's a whooping $5.80 per litre, or if you buy 20L you can pay $114 and save $0.10 per Litre. So I must say that I am lucky that I can get it from around the corner. Thinking about it now $2.20 does sound cheap compared to Bunnings or others places.
I think some hand sanitisers have more alcohol than others. One i have is a bit like those jelly fondue fuel cans. Others just don’t burn well or leave lots of residue.
Oh what a fool I am, you are talking about methylated spirits, here I am talking about kerosene. I should have went to Specsavers.
I just tried sone hand sanitiser to start a Tilley. This is what I used.... It takes longer to get going properly and leaves a slight amount of residue in the preheater cup after it's burnt... It works though and obviously supplies enough heat to vaporise the fuel! I'm off to Poundstretcher to womble up as many as they'll sell me!
Poundstretcher are selling 500ml of this hand sanitiser for 50p! Obviously I stocked up! Loads of places are getting rod of old COVID stocks for very little money, I've even seen places giving it away!!!
It would have most probably been isopropyl alcohol. Cheaper than ethanol, but not sure the gel is a good idea to burn.
I'm not advising anyone else to use it, but I probably will as it's very convenient. Sniffing isopropyl alcohol isn't a good idea but burning it seems to be OK. At least, I can't find any specific warnings about the toxicity of the combustion products - apart from CO2 of course. As the gel has been sold as a hand sanitizer in massive quantities for the last three years, it must be pretty safe if it gets on your skin - unless you have very delicate skin.
I'm sure it's a good idea. My point about the gel was that it might leave a residue when burnt, that's all. Probably IPA is a very good, cheap substitute for the ever increasingly-priced methylated spirits (ethanol + a few things to render it unsafe to drink)
Well the hand sanitiser gel certainly gets the green light from me Gives a nice blue hot flame with no smoke and there’s no residue left and it certainly pre heats as good as meths The longer it burns it quickly turns to liquid I’m impressed Lots of businesses throwing this stuff out due to expiry dates from Covid days
HI guys.. I saw this thread and invested in this 5litres of alcohol based liquid sanitizer ... NOT GEL .. he let me have it for 12 pounds .. look at the price of Meth spirits and fire bioethanol .. both well expensive. Hand Sanitizer Sanitiser 80% Alcohol 5 Litre kills 99% bacteria | eBay came next day real quick from Liverpool ... bit of an experiment .. I use sanitizer anyway ..I used it first to start a Bialaddin 315 without difficulty very clean burn no residue at all in the lighting cup , hot and strong.. well impressed' Just to be sure I used it fire up an Optimus blow lamp ...easy .. so 5 litres for twelve pounds + delivery I am well chuffed. I tried Gel HS and its sticky and spitty etc... but clean burn on this alcohol based fluid with a blue/ yellow flame.. no glass soot ... just saying
Good info! I can feel a purchase coming on...! I've used the gel to start a paraffin stove in the field and it's much easier to handle as it doesn't spill everywhere if you move the stove while it's pre-heating.
