Fuel recommendations?

I keep lampoil away from my pressurelamps. Any kind of kerosene has been used, but I mostly use "purified kerosene" if avaliable (terms used may vary within nations, so I hope I do not mixup my attempt here). Recently I have been using the same stuff I used in my webastotype kerosene heater in my boat. The safety manual for this fuel says it is Naphta-based (crued oil), hydrotreated Heavy, 95-100%. The shop says the fuel equals "purified kerosene", and recommend this for wick-lamps, wick-heaters and webastotype heaters. Their statment that it equals purifyed kero has led me to belive it is OK to use in our precious lamps. However, one of the Norwegian web resouces warns against use of heavy hydrotreated fuels as he belives they may burn to hot and damage nozzels and flamespreaders (in stoves?). Who would like to comment on this? What is your preferred fuel, and why?

 

Im currently using statoils lamp paraffin from wilhelmsen chemicals. Mostly because someone told me it was ok, and it seems to work and dosnt smell to mutch. However im trying to get ahold of a can of statoils solvent 60, since that what the army uses i thought ill have a try.

 

I use KarminX Regular, almost the same as Zibro-fuel, but a bit thinner.
Never had any problems with that fuel and it is cheap too. I did have problems with the Zibro, while some of my Petromaxes hates it even they are in fine condition. If I switch to KarminX Regular then all problems go away.

Claus C

 

X Regular is the fuel in question. Here is the safety leaflet in Danish - for Your convenience :-) I usually buy 4 X 5l at the time and as you mention the price on this fuel is fair.
I also have a few wick-lamps and this webpage suggests there are issues also here that I have not been aware of. I have used X regular also in my Wick lamps. Flashpoint is 62C/143F so should be secure ref Lanternnet.

 

I just scimmed the page about the wicklamps warning against "paint thinner".
I believe paint thinner in Danish is Terpentin and that I would not use in lamps - nor did I ever try.
Karmin X Regular is hydro desulfurized raw-nafta, freely translated to English, and that should be another term for petroleum.
Can anyone here explain the difference to terpentine and kerrosine ?

Claus C

 

In the UK, paint thinner is turpentine substitute, often known as 'turps'. It's nothing like real turpentine, which is a thick, brown resin obtained from pine trees. You couldn't even easily pour it into the tank of your lamp in less than a couple of hours.

Turpentine substitute is kerosene-like and it might do as lamp fuel in an absolute emergency. I wouldn't recommend it, though...

 

I tried either white spirit or Turpentine substitute (can't remember which one now) out in a Primus No. 5 stove. It has a higher vapour temperature than kerosene so is not recommended!

 

What do you think of this as fuel?

//Fjellot

 

I think that it's written in a language I don't understand beyond C10-C13 would suggest it's more like paraffin/kerosene than petrol/gasoline/Coleman/naphtha

 

Yes its paraffin typed fuel, but is it suitable?

 

I think Hydrocarbon C10-C13 is a solvent.

Terry

 

That is lampolja, which is a more "kind", odorless (or atleast less smelly), fuel meant for small wick lamps.
You know the mood lights with small, round wicks.

It's not suitable for our stuff.
Get some real paraffin (lysfotogen).
Charcoal lighter fluid work well too. Atleast the kind we have here in Sweden (tändvätska).

 

Whats the best product (not that super costly) that one can buy in sweden when it comes to "real paraffin"?

 

I'm not sure. When I need paraffin, I just buy on any petrol station I pass.
It's hardly the cheapest, but it is "real" paraffin for the things we use.

But I know that there has been much talk about this at Fotogenforumet. Perhaps best for you to browse through it.
Many in there have had good experience with cheap barbeque lighter fuel from discount stores like Dollarstore and Willys.
Might be worth a try.

 

Whats the negative side of burning "lampolja" in a preassure lamp?

 

Barbeque Lighting Fuel is used here. Bottle is marked very similarly to OP's (but in English!)

The difference is C11-C14 rather than C10-C13.
I think it is still slightly "thinner" than most Paraffin/Kerosene. It is completely clear in colour - gives no odour when burned at proper mixture.

I'm very happy with it at £2/litre. It may not be the cheapest but I'm not changing as it comes from the shop just around the corner.

Kolvaten - coal water?? I like that.

 

Kolväte=hydrocarbon.

The barbeque lighting fuel I mentioned is about the same price as yours.

 

thanks for that.
Hydrocarbon versus coal water - that's near enough!

 

If i understand it right the C value is how many carboncouplings the molucyle has.

 

Not quite - it's the number of carbon atoms in the molecular chain rather than the number of links between them. In this case, the liquid is a mixture of four substances with a chain length of 10 (= decane), 11 (= undecane), 12 (= dodecane) and 13 (= tridecane) carbon atoms...