This is an Optimus bottle for dispensing maths/spirits to the priming cups of lanterns and stoves. It is made of plastic with a curved brass delivery tube. It is also 'mint' - yipeee! It works on exactly the same principle as The Radius Bottle HERE, where how the bottle delivers a measured dose to the priming cup is described. As the plastic is translucent, the bottom compartment can be seen in sunlight. The depth of the chamber is approximately 5mm and the internal diameter is 43mm which gives a measured dose of about 7.25ml (there is also a small amount in the delivery tube, varying due to the level of fluid in the bottle). The last photo shows the hole in the inner compartment.
A usage note to Trevor's excellent descriptions of these bottles. You'll notice both of them have a breather hole in the tops (in the filling lid of the plastic one in this thread). If you keep your finger over the hole until you have placed the tube exactly where you want it (i.e. the priming cup) you wont end up with half your priming dose where you don't want it. Probably stating the bleeding obvious but it took a while for me to work it out for myself Basecamp used to sell these plastic bottles - it's where I got mine from. Cheers, Graham.
Funny I was just looking at these last night when looking for my primus No5 regulator control knob.. I think they were a bit pricey though 16 bucks or 20? bucks plus shipping? Although handy I have to say. I rather buy the one of those replacement metal cans for 20bucks.
A laboratory wash bottle should do almost the same thing. Wikipedia definition: A wash bottle is a squeeze bottle with a nozzle, used to rinse various pieces of laboratory glassware... Wash bottles are sealed with a screw-top lid. When hand pressure is applied to the bottle, the liquid inside becomes pressurized and is forced out of the nozzle into a narrow stream of liquid.
Hi Because wash bottles have a pipe that extends right to the bottom of the bottle and are sealed, if you leave them for any length of time, variations in pressure wil cause them to leak meths everywhere. A fix for this is to drill a hole in the top and put your finger over it when you need to use it. You still need a "swan neck" for some lamps though. Bialaddin meths tins are numerous over here and good for stoves also, rust is still a problem.
Coleman sells meths priming bottles (simple plastic w/bent brass spout) for $2.50: Item# 201-5511 ALCOHOL BOTTLE of course, you'll pay $5.99 S/H if you only want the bottle... :-) willie on the dark and quiet Gulf of Mexico
Just a practical note, and I'm sure many people have a more steady hand than me, but I prefer a metal spout in case I need to double prime on a cold and/or windy day. After the first prime there is enough residual heat in the priming cap area to mess up the tips of plastic spouts, especially if they have some sort of fancy sealing mechanism. I also happen to prefer gravity fed rather than any sort of squeezy pressure bottle just in case in a double prime the meths from the first prime is not fully extinguished - it's not always that obvious when operating a stove in less than optimal field conditions. I often find lighting a stove in anger when out and about in variable weather is a different experience to doing so in the sanitised conditions of my garage or garden. Just personal preference based on the knowledge of my own terminal clumsiness. I know what works for me! Cheers, Graham.
Walmart pharmacy has been known to give away LARGE droppers for dosing babies with liquid meds. I have a couple and they work fairly well and are impervious to meths.
A while back, I picked up a 3 pack of squeeze bottles from harbor freight , now on sale for $3.00... Works fine, Last a long time... Cheap too!
