Running on Coleman stove fuel

wrote:
> Jim Warman wrote:
>
>>That's just me being me..... I can't change what I am - but I do get my
>>message across, most times...
>>
>
>
> Heh heh! I'll take advice from a knowledgeable curmudgeon over a
> polite idot any day.
>
> But Coleman fuel is pretty pure stuff. I wouldn't hesitate to use it if
> I were out of gas, and I *certainly* don't think it would hurt to mix
> some in with a tank of gas. I once gassed up and drove about a mile
> before my car started running rough and died. I popped the hood and
> immediately saw the problem. I had one of those clear fuel filters- it
> was bright orange, filled with rusty water. That came out of a gas
> station nozzle.
>
> So using a little white gas specially purified for use in cooking as
> gasoline doesn't sound very risky. Here's the composition:
>
> Chemical Name COLEMAN FUEL
>
> Specifications: Coleman Fuel is a complex mixture of light hydrocarbons
> (primarily aliphatic) produced by distillation of petroleum. Carbon
> number range is C5 to C9. Coleman Fuel is fully hydrotreated to remove
> aromatics, and contains less than 0.001% benzene. The boiling point
> range is 100-350° F (Goldsmith, 2002). Coleman Fuel contains up to 25%
> n-hexane and up to 15% cyclohexane by weight (Calumet, 1998).
>
> Synonyms Petroleum ether, petroleum naphtha, light hydrotreated
> petroleum distillate, white gas, Amsol 10, Kensol 10, VM&P (varnish
> makers & painters) naphtha, petroleum benzin.
>
> I agree with the guy who said "why would you?" The main reason not to
> is that Coleman Fuel is more expensive. Which is because it's more
> pure. The aftershave comparison is bogus.
>
> Interestingly enough, that chemical composition info came from a page
> about the use of Coleman Fuel by meth labs...
> -Paul
>

So maybe my question wasn't so idiotic?

Bob wrote:
>
> So maybe my question wasn't so idiotic?

I don't think it was. But I like to live dangerously. Why, just
yesterday I ripped one of those "Do not remove under penalty of law"
tags off a mattress. So far so good... I think I got away with it. ;-)
-Paul

Bob wrote:

> So maybe my question wasn't so idiotic?

Your question wasn't idiotic at all. In the old days before unleaded
gasoline was available, Coleman fuel was "white gas". That meant simply
that it was was unleaded gasoline. As I recall, the lead in normal
gasoline somehow buggered up vapor generator in the Coleman
stove/lantern, so the use of "white gas" was mandated.

Jim Warman, I have unlimited respect for your knowledge, and I look for
your posts every day. And sometimes sarcasm is a great way to get a
simple answer across. But sometimes a bit of real knowledge attached to
the sarcasm is helpful, too.

Bill

I seem to remember that naptha is a component of gasoline. Not one of
the higher quality components, and it might lower the octane rating of
the fuel in your tank. One gallon in an 18 gallon tank shouldn't hurt,
but it might run a little funny. If your engine is already operating
on the edge of the limits, you might have some problems.

Bob wrote:
> I've got a few gallons of Coleman stove fuel (naptha?) I need to get rid
> of. Can I put it in my 1994 Explorer's gas tank? Thanks, Bob.

Bill Jeffrey wrote:
> Bob wrote:
>
> > So maybe my question wasn't so idiotic?
>
> Your question wasn't idiotic at all. In the old days before unleaded
> gasoline was available, Coleman fuel was "white gas". That meant simply
> that it was was unleaded gasoline. As I recall, the lead in normal
> gasoline somehow buggered up vapor generator in the Coleman
> stove/lantern, so the use of "white gas" was mandated.
>

Lead may or may not affect the health of your lanterns and stoves, but
you sure don't want people to be breathing or eating it. Particularly
children and women of childbearing age... So it ain't the vapor
generator you should worry about. You don't want lead in the air you
breath or anywhere near your food.

> Jim Warman, I have unlimited respect for your knowledge, and I look for
> your posts every day. And sometimes sarcasm is a great way to get a
> simple answer across. But sometimes a bit of real knowledge attached to
> the sarcasm is helpful, too.

Yeah, I'm mostly here learn, and Jim knows his stuff. That said, while
there ARE dumb questions, this wasn't one of them. ;-)
-Paul

On Mon, 07 Aug 2006 17:04:00 -0700, Bob > wrote:
> You're right. I paid for that Coleman fuel already so it's not free, but
> now I have to pay to get rid of it, plus it would have meant 4 less
> gallons of gas I would pay for at my next fill up. Plus I wouldn't have
> to drive to the recyclers...

Don't pay to get rid of it.

There is probably a freecycle group near you. Perhaps craig's list.
Advertise it there. Somebody will come get it.

sdb


--
Wanted: Omnibook 800 & accessories, cheap, working or not
sdbuse1 on mailhost bigfoot.com

On 8 Aug 2006 11:39:49 -0700, cmiles3 > wrote:
> I seem to remember that naptha is a component of gasoline. Not one of

gasoline is a naptha. So are lots of other things.

naptha is not anything in particular, it is any petroleum product or
combo of products with a density in the range defined as "napthas".

sdb
--
Wanted: Omnibook 800 & accessories, cheap, working or not
sdbuse1 on mailhost bigfoot.com

"cmiles3" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I seem to remember that naptha is a component of gasoline. Not one of
> the higher quality components, and it might lower the octane rating of
> the fuel in your tank. One gallon in an 18 gallon tank shouldn't hurt,
> but it might run a little funny. If your engine is already operating
> on the edge of the limits, you might have some problems.

Best answer I've seen yet. It WILL lower your octane, so use it a little at
a time. I remember a 326 Pontiac Tempest that would hardly run at all on
white gas. :-)

Dave

Any campgrounds near you? I expect they would be glad to have it. I
suspect you could add it to your Explorer a little at a time and run
without problems, but I would be concerned that a sensor might not
like it and turn on the check engine light. Then you have another
problem to deal with.

On Tue, 8 Aug 2006 22:52:24 -0500, "Hairy" > wrote:

>
>"cmiles3" > wrote in message
roups.com...
>> I seem to remember that naptha is a component of gasoline. Not one of
>> the higher quality components, and it might lower the octane rating of
>> the fuel in your tank. One gallon in an 18 gallon tank shouldn't hurt,
>> but it might run a little funny. If your engine is already operating
>> on the edge of the limits, you might have some problems.
>
>Best answer I've seen yet. It WILL lower your octane, so use it a little at
>a time. I remember a 326 Pontiac Tempest that would hardly run at all on
>white gas. :-)
>
>Dave
>

> wrote in message
oups.com...

Jim Warman wrote:
> That's just me being me..... I can't change what I am - but I do get my
> message across, most times...
>

Heh heh! I'll take advice from a knowledgeable curmudgeon over a
polite idot any day.

But Coleman fuel is pretty pure stuff. I wouldn't hesitate to use it if
I were out of gas, and I *certainly* don't think it would hurt to mix
some in with a tank of gas. I once gassed up and drove about a mile
before my car started running rough and died. I popped the hood and
immediately saw the problem. I had one of those clear fuel filters- it
was bright orange, filled with rusty water. That came out of a gas
station nozzle.

So using a little white gas specially purified for use in cooking as
gasoline doesn't sound very risky. Here's the composition:

Chemical Name COLEMAN FUEL

Specifications: Coleman Fuel is a complex mixture of light hydrocarbons
(primarily aliphatic) produced by distillation of petroleum. Carbon
number range is C5 to C9. Coleman Fuel is fully hydrotreated to remove
aromatics, and contains less than 0.001% benzene. The boiling point
range is 100-350° F (Goldsmith, 2002). Coleman Fuel contains up to 25%
n-hexane and up to 15% cyclohexane by weight (Calumet, 1998).

Synonyms Petroleum ether, petroleum naphtha, light hydrotreated
petroleum distillate, white gas, Amsol 10, Kensol 10, VM&P (varnish
makers & painters) naphtha, petroleum benzin.

I agree with the guy who said "why would you?" The main reason not to
is that Coleman Fuel is more expensive. Which is because it's more
pure. The aftershave comparison is bogus.

Interestingly enough, that chemical composition info came from a page
about the use of Coleman Fuel by meth labs...
-Paul

Thanks for that concise explanation, Paul. I tried to find out what Coleman
Fuel was made of and only got a lot of what I would call "guesses." For me
it's the other way around: I always have VMP Naptha on hand and wondered if
I could put it in a Coleman lantern or stove.