Trangia flame: what should it look like?

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pjclinch
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Joined: 29 Oct 2007, 2:32pm
Location: Dundee, Scotland
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Re: Trangia flame: what should it look like?

Post by pjclinch »

PDQ Mobile wrote:Years ago I replaced a totally battered re-soldered Optimus with a new multi fuel burner.
Use gas for a quick brew up and paraffin for that 3 course meal (!) and winter camping.
It's been very good. Stable and reliable.
The thing also burns petrol and at a pinch diesel.
But I don't really like either as a camping fuel.


Multi-fuels that do gas don't do gas as well as a pure gas burner, or at least judging from my Primus MFS. The spreader on a multi-fuel is much simpler than a multi-hole gas head and it's consequently noisier, not as controllable and I'd imagine less efficient. Still quite usable though, but if you're not going to use the liquid fuel capabilities the multi-fuels are quite a bit heavier (and a lot more expensive).

My MFS doesn't do diesel as when it was made they hadn't got it burning hot enough to vaporise the fuel well enough. The replacement Omnifuel does diesel but it's not a Weapon Of Choice as it doesn't burn that cleanly, AIUI. Petrol works very well once it's going and it's easily available and doesn't need a separate priming fuel but you need to have practised very thoroughly before using it inside as the possibilities for flares when priming are rather high. I don't use petrol anything like often enough to trust myself to use it in a tent. I've known habitual petrol stove users who I'd consider completely safe to do so... and other habitual petrol stove users who I wouldn't want to be within 10 feet of outside, never mind inside the same tent!

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
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Gattonero
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Re: Trangia flame: what should it look like?

Post by Gattonero »

pjclinch wrote:...
My main reservation about meths is the potential for human error in pouring the stuff, particularly refuelling a dried-out still-hot burner.

Pete.


Because there are no controls on the burner, the use IS the control.
FWIW, a home-made "pepsi stove" even when made with double thickness by using two cans for the bottom, would still cool down in seconds. Yet, is not a good idea to refuel right after the flame has extinguished... just as you don't lit a gas stove that has been left pouring gas out :o or you leave the ashes of a wood stove still hot in the woodland :shock:
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
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