A year or so back I bought a 5 litre bottle of maths that came in a clear form from go outdoors.
A couple of people have commented upon seeing my "non standard" meths that they can only get purple meths.

Whilst at work today I had to purchase some for my job and purple was the only colour available.

Does either burn better?

Was the clear stuff Meths?

The purple stuff is just to stop the winoes drinking it as it makes it taste rank.

Says meths on the bottle.
Not tried drinking either.

One doesn't burn better / worse than the other ... trust me, I've tried

Methylated spirits = ethanol(the spirit bit) + methyl-violet(guess why)

Sooooo I'm pretty sure you didn't buy non purple meths, I do have some almost not purple meths...

Any way, quick google shows up 5l bio ethanol for sale in camping supplies websites. £15 seems reasonable too!

I'll just contradict myself by admitting I do have yellow meths.

I might have made everything up....

I've still got maths I purchased in France

Bought a few litres as it was cheap

It's clear, not coloured at all

But what about the taste?

Thats a good point!

Wouldit suffice if yor hipflask leaked?

Because the purple stuff is geniinely disgusting!

I've still got maths I purchased in France

That doesn't quite add up

I got propper meths that was CLEAR from B&Q (It was marked on the label for using with heaters/stoves)
I was surprised and had to dounle check, as I thought all meths had to be purple

Methylated spirit is just ethanol that's been denatured, often with methanol but sometimes with other additives. It can be dyed purple but not always. The stuff we use at work is 5% methanol and clear, not purple.

Fantasticmrmatt wrote:

I've still got maths I purchased in France

That doesn't quite add up

That's because its French


(blooming phone, I meant meths of course!)

My dad told me that the dye was used to make it easy to identify as something you're not supposed to drink (for those who couldn't read back in the day). I used to think it was the dye that old women used on their hair.

I don't think fantasticmrmatt got enough acknowledgement for that classic.

Well done sir. Have a drink on me... purple or clear?

There are a number of different types of methylated spirit. And different names for the same thing.

What everyone really wants is 'industrial methylated spirits'. 100% industrial alcohol. But you need a prescription for it. It can only be bought with a prescription or industrial licence from the home office.

Everything else is denatured methylated spirit. Purple, yellow or blue methylated spirit is 99.9% the same as above but with a little colour, so you dont mistakenly consume it.

Any thing that is clear and is a ' spirit' is 95% alcohol or less. The other 5% usually being water based.

But here's the catch. Anything 32% or more can call its self 'spirit' thus BnQ can sell you what ever they like. As these all are NOT highly regulated products and by products of other industry most have methanol and butyle alcohols etc, you cant consume them. And I would not fancy burning them.

£2 for 500ml of purple meths, from your local pharmacy. If they dont have it in stock, and you ask before midday they can get it in for you the same day. Surgical spirits is 95% and will work well as well but comes in a glass bottle.

Good luck to everyone this weekend. Dont forget your wind guards for your stoves.

Chris

I'm just gonna say "isopropanol".

Not looked into it chemically or anything, or even tried burning it. But I do have some and I use it for degreasing stuff before spraying etc.

My meths wouldnt light at the weekend. It was very cold though. I used my riding buddy's stove instead. couldnt be bothered waiting for the meths to warm up and didnt really have anywhere very warm to warm it

Any opinions on this bio-ethanol on offer at Go Outdoors at the moment?
It's cheaper than methylated spirit from B&Q.
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/fuel4-bio-e ... ml-p284700

Got a Toolstation? They do big bottles cheap

Whatever you do ..... don't try using the gel, horrible stove clogging stuff.

VeganGraham wrote:Any opinions on this bio-ethanol on offer at Go Outdoors at the moment?
It's cheaper than methylated spirit from B&Q.
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/fuel4-bio-e ... ml-p284700

Read the reviews on go outdoors. Good if you have the right stove.

Thanks for the Toolstation tip. That's about £3.40 a litre, so about the same as the GoOutdoors offer price.

Also bought some from GO a while ago at about five quid for the litre. However my best effort was a couple of weeks ago at B&Q who flogged me 2 litres of "La Hacienda" Bioethanol for £4.50. It's excellent. Managed to cook a three-course Christmas dinner for six on Stuart's 22g stove. Admittedly I had to refuel it 46 times and it was a bit of a job keeping everything warm as I went along, and we didn't start eating until well past midnight, but it was very well received by the assembled throng.

Reg

Im not sure on this one but one of the the denaturants added to ethanol is methanol which is poisonous and it was added not to stop people drinking it but because it has better solvent properties. Important if you are laquering, french polishing etc. Nowdays ethanol for room heaters etc is a growing market and without the addatives is cheaper. Massive discounts on Ethanol in the fires and heating section of B&Q at the moment. Whatever you buy the bulk of it will be maize based ethanol which can be a dilema for some riders.