Hi ! Here's some pics of a Pak Cook 123, clone of the Svea123. Not an antic, very simple, no cleaning needle but works great and Made in Taiwan, that makes it - to my eyes - more valuable than an original one Compared to a Campus 3 The stove is obviously copper-plated brass. I found it when, in Italy, I had mistaken "Benzina Avio" for white gas. It produced an intense phosphorescent blue flame (a wonder !) and immediately damaged the stove (and possibly my lungs). Here's a video: Now, after cleaning, I have a very unique plain-copper burner that everyone envies me! 8-[
Yes, sorry I may have built my english construction upside down... It is supposed to run on white gas. Not benzina AVIO", which appears to be a mix of esano and dichloroetilene
Well Benzina Avio is aviation fuel supposedly a kerosene concoction for jets. Please correct me if I am mistaken here. Ron
True "Benzina Avio" would be aviation gasoline (not kerosene). Aviation gasoline is problematic in a stove because it is leaded. It will poison you if you burn it without lots of ventilation, and it will rapidly clog most stoves, though some, such as the US M-1942 and M-1950, were designed to work with leaded gasoline at least up to a point. (I think I see an M-1942 in the background!) But this cleaning product is clearly different. Orsoorso says it's 70% "esano" (in English, heptane) and 30% "dichloroetilene", presumably that's Dichloroethylene in English. Heptane is great fuel, basically a purified form of white gasoline. That's why your stove has that beautiful blue flame. Dichloroethylene is not too bad in itself, but according to this MSDS its combustion products include hydrogen chloride (hydrochloric acid) and phosgene (WWI poison gas). Bad stuff indeed. Nikos, take care of those lungs!
Don't put high heat on chlorinated hydrocarbons, for the reasons stated by techie. Folk used to get phosgene poisoning when they put the blowtorch to paintstrippers to hurry things up. Had a case involving that once....
really, we use gallons and gallons of it at work that's UK gallons, so 25% more than gallons that you may be thinking of
tetley, If you can buy some from your company I'd give it a try for stove fuel. It should be pretty good, and I know UK users have difficulty finding good fuel for gasoline stoves.
... and don't forget the flame shot ! (before and after the BOUM! ) Thanks Techie for the very informative post ! I'll have a gas mask ready for the next phosgene-related experience !
As does Primus in their "PowerFuel." So powerful, it is the zero on the octane scale. You can also find it as a book binding solvent in the form of UnDu and a product called "Bestine Solvent and Thinner." The latter being especially good for spray adhesive cleanup for Super77.
According to the safety sheet, I was wrong about Primus PowerFuel. The info says it is naphtha and n-Pentane. No mention of Heptane. Only Optimus fuel info makes reference to Heptane. Not that it matters, but just so the record clear.
And I was wrong too. "esano" translates as hexane, not heptane. A 6-carbon chain instead of 7, it would be more volatile than heptane.
A final word from me on this, here's a very cautionary tale on the use of chlorinated solvents with heat: Link
i have a Pak Cook 123, bought it 30 years ago in Colorado , at the time i thought it was a Svea 123, but anyway it has been a real pleasure cooking noodles up in the mountains as it is so simple to operate. all good buzz
Hexane isn't too damn friendly to handle, either!!! A lot of workers in the PRC can attest to that, first hand!!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexane Murph
@Murph ...like ALL alkanes: (Same source) Propane: Hazards[edit] Propane is a simple asphyxiant.[51] Unlike natural gas, propane is denser than air. It may accumulate in low spaces and near the floor. When abused as an inhalant, it may cause hypoxia (lack of oxygen), pneumonia, cardiac failure or cardiac arrest.[52][53] Propane has low toxicity since it is not readily absorbed and is not biologically active. Commonly stored under pressure at room temperature, propane and its mixtures will flash evaporate at atmospheric pressure and cool well below the freezing point of water. The cold gas, which appears white due to moisture condensing from the air, may cause frostbite. Propane is denser than air. If a leak in a propane fuel system occurs, the gas will have a tendency to sink into any enclosed area and thus poses a risk of explosion and fire. The typical scenario is a leaking cylinder stored in a basement; the propane leak drifts across the floor to the pilot light on the furnace or water heater, and results in an explosion or fire. This property makes propane generally unsuitable as a fuel for boats. One hazard associated with propane storage and transport is known as a BLEVE or boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. The Kingman Explosion involved a railroad tank car in Kingman, Arizona in 1973 during a propane transfer. The fire and subsequent explosions resulted in twelve fatalities and numerous injuries.[54] Butane: Effects and health issues[edit] Inhalation of butane can cause euphoria, drowsiness, unconsciousness, asphyxia, cardiac arrhythmia, fluctuations in blood pressure and temporary memory loss, when abused directly from a highly pressurized container, and can result in death from asphyxiation and ventricular fibrillation. It enters the blood supply and within seconds produces intoxication.[17] Butane is the most commonly abused volatile substance in the UK, and was the cause of 52% of solvent related deaths in 2000.[1 By spraying butane directly into the throat, the jet of fluid can cool rapidly to −20 °C (−4 °F) by expansion, causing prolonged laryngospasm.[19] "Sudden sniffer's death" syndrome, first described by Bass in 1970,[20] is the most common single cause of solvent related death, resulting in 55% of known fatal cases.[19] A small amount of nitrogen dioxide, a toxic gas, results from burning butane gas, along with any combustion in the earth's atmosphere, and represents a human health hazard from home heaters and stoves.[21] Ethane: Health and safety[edit] At room temperature, ethane is an extremely flammable gas. When mixed with air at 3.0%–12.5% by volume, it forms an explosive mixture. Some additional precautions are necessary where ethane is stored as a cryogenic liquid. Direct contact with liquid ethane can result in severe frostbite. Until they warm to room temperature, the vapors from liquid ethane are heavier than air and can flow along the floor or ground, gathering in low places; if the vapors encounter an ignition source, the chemical reaction can flash back to the source of ethane from which they evaporated. Ethane can displace oxygen and become an asphyxiation hazard. Ethane poses no known acute or chronic toxicological risk. It is not a carcinogen.[25] Methane: Safety[edit] Methane is nontoxic, yet it is extremely flammable and may form explosive mixtures with air. Methane is also an asphyxiant if the oxygen concentration is reduced to below about 16% by displacement, as most people can tolerate a reduction from 21% to 16% without ill effects. The concentration of methane at which asphyxiation risk becomes significant is much higher than the 5–15% concentration in a flammable or explosive mixture. Methane off-gas can penetrate the interiors of buildings near landfills and expose occupants to significant levels of methane. Some buildings have specially engineered recovery systems below their basements to actively capture this gas and vent it away from the building. Methane gas explosions are responsible for many deadly mining disasters.[82] A methane gas explosion was the cause of the Upper Big Branch coal mine disaster in West Virginia on April 5, 2010, killing 29.[83] Heptane:
