Denatured alcohol availability

[ScottM]

The white gas thread had me thinking.  Does anyone have experience finding denatured alcohol in small towns?

Having forgot the fuel bottle on my trip this past weekend, this issue became relevant quickly.

Seems like most dedicated hardware stores would stock it (I was able to find a pint container in Oakridge, OR).  But a town has to be fairly sizeable to have a hardware store.  Sometimes the one gas station in town has beefed up its hardware section -- any luck finding denatured alcohol in a place like that?

I'm new to the stove game.

[SandLizrd]

My luck has been poor on all things fuel-related! Thus the white gas thread. Must learn from others.  Before I burn the place(s) down with their extra 7/8 gallon of fuel! Leaving it by the dumpster with a sign saying "have fun kiddos" would be bad form, ya know?

For denatured alcohol, you have opportunity to hit up a Home Depot or maybe even a Wally World, whereas WhiteGas is only (if ever) sold in small cans at real camping type stores.  Alcohol burns cooler, takes longer, burns more but weighs just as much.

I got a multi-fuel stove that will burn anything and stink most of the time.  A whiff of white gas will not turn my stomach like pure unleaded in the morning

[12wheels]

Fuel for alcohol stoves is easy to find if you know what to look for.  HEET, a fuel line anti-freeze and water remover, is carried by most gas stations. It is pure methanol and burns clean with little soot.  Prices range from around a buck and a half for the 12 ounce bottle to as little as 80 cents each in quantity or on sale. According to the Heet website, it is also available from Wal-Mart, AutoZone, Murray's, Menard's, Meijer's, Kmart, NAPA, Walgreen's, Pep Boys, ShopKo, Ace Hardware, True Value Hardware, Mills, Fleet Farm, Target, Carquest, O'Reilly's, Fred Meyer, and Blain's.

http://www.goldeagle.com/heet/products.htm

[sherpaxc]

Agree.  I use HEET, Denatured, Isopropyl, whatever is available with my cat can stove.  Works great if you just want to boil water or if you are heating something up.   I love using my stove.

[Goatrak]

I've read about, but not tried, using grain alcohol. So, if the one gas station in town is closed up, the liquor store might still be open.

[FeloniousDunk]

I was going to mention HEET as well.  I've also used 91% Isopropynal in a pinch.  You can find it at the pharmacy or grocery store.  It leaves a little soot, but not too bad and it heats just fine.

[ScottM]

Thanks, guys.  I didn't realize you could use HEET in pop can stoves.  Good to know.

I tried isopropyl, but it was 70% and I couldn't get it to burn hot enough to shoot flames out of the side vents on my stove.  It would have worked, holding the cup above the stove, I guess.  Just less efficient.

Grain alcohol, ha!

[12wheels]

I used some unknown high proof liquor in a Trangia years ago while travelling in Czechoslovokia. The stuff burned really sooty but activated the jets and eventually got the water hot enough to make coffee.  Unfortunately the coffee did little to cure the hangover from drinking the crap the night before.

[dave54]

I've read about, but not tried, using grain alcohol. So, if the one gas station in town is closed up, the liquor store might still be open.

Like a little 151?

Burning it in a stove seems like a waste.  It may be better used internally.

[Goatrak]

Guess you could say it was the original “flex” fuel.

[Eric]

that's hilarious.
so shoot if you cant get your stove to lite, just get lit yourself.

Aside from stoves and more on firestarting, I'm a big fan of carrying a little 2oz bottle of 99% in my chest pocket. A capfull is all you need to get excellent ignition on damp kindiling.

[scuppy]

This topic is why I prefer trangia type burners to the fancier sorts. Just about every service station and rural corner store in australia will have methylated spirits.

[Mike Brown]

Yeah, HEET is the ticket- or any gas line antifreeze that says "Methyl Alcohol", not iso..look for bottles with screw lids, a lot of the bottles come with snap-on lids that I've had hard time with leaking.

[Rabid Hillbilly]

Find some moonshine,good stuff is usally over120proof,(shine stills have a tendency to go BOOM!)