RE: [at-l] Alcohol stove question (Jim Mayer???)

["Mayer, Jim" <JMayer@crt.xerox.com>]

Kahley,

I believe that the alcohol stoves are pretty darn safe.  For example:

(1) The fuel simply does not flare up the way gasoline does.

(2) There is no pressurized fuel anywhere, so you never have to worry about
an O-ring going.

(3) Alcohol mixes easily with water, while gasoline floats.  This means that
alcohol fires can be easily put out with water, while gasoline fires cannot.

(4) In normal, single person, use the stove never has more that about two
tablespoons of alcohol in it.  That just isn't very much.  Furthermore, if
your stove uses a fiberglass wick, most of that fuel is trapped in the wick
and very, very little is free in the stove.

The safety rules are:

(1) Never add fuel to a burning stove.  The little burners cool down very
quickly, so this isn't much of a problem

(2) Because the flames are difficult to see in daylight (they are quite
visible at night) always test for a lit stove by passing your hand over the
burner.

(3) Make sure your burner is on a stable platform, preferably someplace
where a spill won't cause a big problem.

Overall, I would be more concerned with the two cups of boiling water on top
of the stove than the two tablespoons of alcohol inside it.

Talk to you later!

-- Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: kahley7 [mailto:kahley7@ptd.net]
Sent: Sunday, September 12, 1999 1:48 PM
To: W F Thorneloe, MD; at-l@backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [at-l] Alcohol stove question (Jim Mayer???)


At 01:28 PM 9/12/99 -0400, you wrote:
  It can also help contain the alcohol if you bump the container, and avoid 
a flaming splash on yourself.

Awwww.mannnn.....just when I had myself talked into trying an alki stove, 
you have to go
talk about pain, blisters , infection and scars.   
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