Further update on old two stroke fuel

Charles in Aus. · Oct 28, 2015

Amongst other suggestions for use of old two stroke fuel was as the obvious bonfire starter .
Nothing really starts a big pile of brush as effectively as a petrochemical but I value my eyebrows and what little hair I have left .

I need to clear the front paddock before our bushfire season really gets into gear .
So I added polystyrene packaging to the fuel that came from the bottom of the cans I found that may have been contaminated . About five litres of fuel managed to dissolve the packing from two major appliances and a huge number of those annoying beads that come as post packing .
What I was left with was a half drum of really sticky , highly volatile paste somewhat akin to napalm .
The advantage of this is that I can open the container it's in and scoop out a little with a stick , the paste won't explode like raw fuel but it really burns hot and more importantly long .
This compound will ignite wet bark and leaves and keep them burning until they dry and burn on their own . A way of using two otherwise waste materials to help clear up a third .

NCWayne · Oct 28, 2015

MMMMMMM Napalm......your giving us pyro's evil ideas.......LOL

Seriously, not a bad idea when you get right down to it. I wonder how it would fare/how long it would last, if put in a small container and used as a fire starter?

MarkB_MI · Oct 29, 2015

I know several people who have been seriously burned starting fires with gasoline. I prefer not to use any accelerant at all, but if I must because the brush is too green or wet, I only use kerosene or diesel. I suppose your napalm is safer, but if it generates any fumes there's still a risk of flash.

Andy Martin · Oct 29, 2015

10% gasoline in your diesel makes it act like kerosene. Still respect it like gasoline but it really works great.

da.bees · Oct 29, 2015

My 15 yo at the time nephew burned his grandparent's house down useing gasoline to start the fireplace. Speaking of which,not my nephew but a kid acting stupid with gasoline is the reason fuel cans are so expemsive today.

dick1234 · Oct 29, 2015

I presume the smoke is NOT inhaled by people or animals down wind, as it is toxic with the poly in the mix.

Dick L · Oct 29, 2015

You also have polystyrene glue. You can only use it on polystyrene but it will work. Gas works like acetone on polystyrene. We used acetone to glue polystyrene in production.

keh · Oct 29, 2015

Under no circumstances start a fire in the house with gas. Starting brush fires with gas is not recommended, if if doing that anyway, the proper way is to have only about 1/4 cup (no, don't use your wife's measuring cup) of gas to start the fire. The important thing is remember to add gas to an already existing fire, don't pour gas on on brush and then start fire. Pile brush, arranging small pieces at edge under large on the upwind side of the pile. Wad up some newspaper and put it under the small pieces. Light newspaper. The best thing to do at this point is to add more kindling and let nature take it's course, but to speed things up the 1/4 cup of gas can the thrown on the little fire using an open top small can and be sure to throw all the gas at once from a distance.

KEH

NCWayne · Oct 30, 2015

Thanks for the advice, and not trying to sound like a smart aleck, but I'm not stupid..... anymore......LOL Seriously I started a BIG brush pile years ago with a 5 gallon bucket full of fluids from my Dad servicing his truck. I sweetened/thinned it with a little gas, and poured it on the brush pile. Thing is the pile was in a hole about 5 feet deep. I stepped back, lit a piece of paper on a stick, and tossed it into the fire. When the gas vapors that had gathered in the hole ignited, the whoe pile jumped nearly our of the hole, and flames were as high as the nearest trees. The BOOM shook the tin roof on Dad's shop over two football fields, through the woods, away. Some of the neighbors still give me a hard time about it...LOL

Anyways, I learned my lesson that day, but I am somewhat of a pyro, so it was kind of fun...LOL

Seriously though, I was basically talking about being able to keep the stuff in a small bottle to use, possibly, as a waterproof fire starter for camping, survival, etc.

Charles in Aus. · Oct 30, 2015

Exactly what I do NC Wayne , I now keep it in an air tight stainless steel canister . I have used it five or six times over the last week to either help start or restart the piles of scrub and debris from three 90 foot Monterey pines . It doesn't explode or even go woof when exposed to flame , it just burns for ages and at a very high temperature . No need for tedious piles of tinder and kindling , a few smaller branches and a gob of this stuff and the pile burns readily .

Further update on old two stroke fuel

Charles in Aus.

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NCWayne

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MarkB_MI

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Andy Martin

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da.bees

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dick1234

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Dick L

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keh

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NCWayne

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Charles in Aus.

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