soot free cooking

nickfabbri

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went out and bought an origo spirit stove to get around gas regs however the fuel we are using makes a lot of soot. Does anyone know where you can get sootless fuel from. Origo make it but cant get it in the UK. Thanks.
 

jimbouy

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UK meths.... try adding 10% water

or apply for a licence to buy industrial alchy...


Better still take a day trip to france and buy a load of 90% Alc de brulee....

I beg as many people as i can to bring back the french stuff..... of course if you can afford it you could burn best Brandy.... no soot and smells lovely...




Jim
 

VicS

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[ QUOTE ]
Apply for a licence to buy industrial alchy

[/ QUOTE ] Formerly called industrial methylated spirit (IMS) but now called industrial denatured alcohol (IDA). Unfortunately Origo cooking stoves is not one of the approved uses. In order to qualify you will have to pretend to need it for model steam engines or something else on the approved list.

Full details on This Revenue and Customs web page
 

nickfabbri

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Am in the medical field and can get hold of surgical spirit in 2litre containers. This to the best of my knowledge is pure ethanol. Still soots up everything though
 

Andrew_Fanner

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Also make sure that there are no bts of old match on the burner mesh and that the mesh is clean. Meths should burn clean, or at best with only a little soot. Used an Origo for many years and never really felt soor to be a problem. Mostly used meths out of the local hardware place too so bog standard stuff. maybe I'm just not very picky?
 

jimbouy

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I applied for and got a licence a couple of years ago, based on use in the Origo. But found that it was not worth the hastle of finding a local supplier...

May be the rules have changed?

But I use either Meths or the French stuff and am very pleased with the Origo.


Jim
 

VicS

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[ QUOTE ]
Am in the medical field and can get hold of surgical spirit in 2litre containers. This to the best of my knowledge is pure ethanol.

[/ QUOTE ] Certainly is not pure ethanol. I think you would be very hard pushed to get it pure. It is a long time since I had pure (absolute) alcohol in the lab but every drop used had to be accounted for and our stock and records was inspected by a local customs officer (without warning) approx every 6 months.

According to the label on our bottle at home surgical spirit contains 2.5% castor oil, 0.5% methyl salicylate, 2.0% diethyl phthalate, and 95% industrial methylated spirit. All three of the "additives" would increase the tendecy for it to smoke and deposit soot.

The misconception that surgical spirit is pure probably explains why periodically hospital staff poison themselves with it at Xmas parties!
 

William_H

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I presume that you have a flame which burns with a blue flame and gives a healthy hiss sound. If there was a problem with insufficient air being drawn in by the jet(of vapourised fuel) then you might expect soot. Certainly never had soot on my metho stove when last I used it. (many years ago). I just buy Methylated Spirits from the hardware store but then this is a long way from UK
olewill
 

VicS

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[ QUOTE ]
I presume that you have a flame which burns with a blue flame and gives a healthy hiss sound. If there was a problem with insufficient air being drawn in by the jet(of vapourised fuel) then you might expect soot

[/ QUOTE ] They are not pressurised, have no jet and and burn silently. Not at all like a pressurised paraffin (kerosene) stove to which your comments would apply.

I think the trouble with soot arises because the pans are too close to the burners. If they were a little higher ie just above the flame rather than touching it the combustion of the meths would be complete and little or no soot would be deposited. I would imagine that the kettles (are they still available ) with recessed bases would not suffer from sooting
 

paulburton44

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I have just been given some " Brandspiritus" (2 litres) from Holland....

I was told it was good stuff with less smell.....

Havn't used any yet.....will let you know...

Anyone else used the stuff from Holland. ????
 

VicS

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From the Dutch Wikipedia:

De samenstelling van brandspiritus is doorgaans: 85% ethanol, 10% water, 3% methanol, 1% aceton en 1% pyridine (geurstof) plus blauwe kleurstof.

It is the pyridine that smells nasty just as in our own mineralised meths (CDA)
 
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