Which alcohol to use for priming MSR Dragonfly?

The Dragonfly and XGK prime clean enough that regular stove fuel works just fine for priming, and there is no need for a separate priming fuel. That just adds weight and complexity (it takes more alcohol to prime than white gas). The Whisperlite is a different story. Although I have primed a Whisperlite many times with white gas, I prefer alcohol for that stove since it is much cleaner.

 

When burned, isopropyl alcohol can produce soot and other residues that accumulate in the burner, creating a mess that requires regular cleaning and maintenance. Not ideal and not recommended.

Ben

 

You will get experience as you use the stove.

Methyl hydrate is the universally available alcohol fuel in BC, along with hand sanitizer. Keep methyl hydrate off your skin!

Priming with standard white gas is easy, Coleman fuel is the best, but they will all work. MSR superfuel is high quality, and high priced. Be sure to try Aspen 4 if you want a really clean burn for about the same price as Coleman fuel, if you buy it in minimum 15 litre lots.
The Dragonfly will burn kerosene with a jet change, for an inexpensive and hot fuel. I like to dilute it about 25 per cent with white gas or Aspen 4 to make it easier to light. That is my favourite cold condition fuel.

 

I burn a lot of automotive gasoline in the Svea, and have used 70% Iso “rubbing alcohol” once in a while for priming. It leaves far less dirty soot than car gas when preheating, and works OK for the purpose.

 

Interesting
Where do you find
Aspen 4 in canada?

 

Aspen4 can be found in larger quantities at your local fuel dealer. The bulk kind. The forest industry uses it a lot for chainsaws.
It is sold in small containers at some hardware stores, but it is costly. 15 litres in 3 jugs of 5 litres is the smallest quantity I buy.

 

Chainsaw ???
I thought Aspen 4 could be used as Coleman fuel . Didn't know that kind of fuel could be used in chainsaw. Do you have to mix it with something else to replace gasoline?
WoW!!!

 

Aspen4 is straight alkylated gasoline, for 4 stroke engines. Aspen2 has oil mixed in, for 2 strokes.
For stoves, use Aspen 4.

Lots of modern small engines can use alkylated gasoline fuel. It is becoming a safety mandated item for commercial use because it is safer for humans to use, without nasty carcinogens compared to regular old gasoline. In liquid form it smells bad, but the exhaust when it is burned is odorless. I use it in my Coleman lanterns for this reason, as well as it performing very well.

Snow blowers, fire pumps, tillers, string trimmers, things like that like it most of the time. Newer machinery.
My Honda mower hates it though, and won't run well on it.

 

Thank you for sharing that info.
NOW, you make me wonder if Coleman fuel is cancérigène , do you know?
Knowing now that we have Aspen 4 in canada, I will try it. Thank

 

Coleman fuel is much better than regular gasoline for safety. Aspen4 is better yet. There is a lot of good information explaining the chemistry.
As a stove fuel it us excellent.

 

Aspen isn't common here in the states, but there are lots of other brands of basically the same product, alkylate gasoline. Make sure you're using the 4 stroke version for your stoves and lanterns, and the two stroke version for any two stroke engines, or adding oil to the four stroke version.

Been using Trufuel for years, my saws love it.

 

@Marc

At $28.44/gal. TruFuel is pretty expensive compared to $20/gal. for Coleman Fuel. You should start running your chainsaw on Coleman.

Ben

 

@z1ulike I don't use my saws enough for fuel cost to be a concern, but the ability to store a saw on Trufuel and have it start 9 months later as if I'd just ran it the day before is NICE.

I know Ben's joking, but for anyone else possibly reading this a decade hence, Coleman fuel is 55 octane and only good for Ford model A levels of compression, ~4.5:1. Definitely don't run it in your chainsaw, lawnmower, or vehicle unless you know exactly what you're doing.

 

Thank to let us know.
Interesting

 

TruFuel has a 92 octane rating. Maybe I should start burning that in my stoves.

Ben

 

But octane isn’t needed or desired in stoves or lanterns

 

No but if you add a TruFuel sticker you get an extra 500btus!

 

If I could I would buy Aspen 4 in a 200 litre drum(45 gallons for you southerners.) It is quite cost efficient.
But, I don’t have a forklift, own a logging company or a big enough truck,and would have to explain to my wife….

A 15 litre lot is the closest I can come. Price not bad in that quantity, and lasts me about a year.

 

Price isn't all that much of a consideration in the US anyway. Even though Coleman Fuel has gone up dramatically from $3.99 per gallon when I started at CCS.

Last I bought was 3 or 4 gallons at about 13 bucks per gallon, and about the same time, 3 or 4 of Crown when Walmart had their $7 per gallon sale.

Enough to last a lifetime probably, even if I am granted many years more. (I'm 77.) Especially taken with my several gallons of kerosene.

And, as often observed here, you spend much more every time you drive to the trailhead....

 

Compare to what , Coleman Fuel ??????