.

It will. – But not as well and will wash the bore of all lubricants so not good for extended running.

As it happens there is a thread on another site about this and linking a video.

Edited By Nick_G on 19/07/2017 18:02:17

.

The Naptha (not sure of spelling) is another and proven alternative to petrol although I think it has a lower octane rating.

Think a lot of environmentally minded councils specify it in their lawnmowers and strimmers etc. Don't think the fumes are anywhere near as toxic either.

Nick

If you use a product called 'Aspen' or one of its contemporaries, these are alkylate fuels , containing no petroleum, will not go off like unleaded, having a five year shelf life helps a lot as well! It is ethanol free, so no water problems, has no benzines, and burns without the fumes and smells associated with petrol. This is what most Authorities and Contractors now use for mowers and brush cutters, hedge trimmers etc., due to the improved health benefits to their workers and the environment. You could use Coleman fuel as well, but is the same stuff as Aspen, but is four times the price!

Methylated spirit is ethanol, Iso propanol is the next one up the series, so less volatile.

Methanol used to be added to ethanol to denature it (hence 'methylated&#39 – so it was not suitable for drinking and could be sold without being severely taxed (by the 'customer and exercise mob&#39.

Unfortuately methanol is poisonous and caused death or blindness in those that consumed it. Modern methylated spirits contain a bittering agent to give it a really nasty taste. Only pure, or absolute, ethanol approaches 100% purity. One cannot distill ethanol from an aqueous mixture without it containing at least 4% water, so 96% has always been the highest ethanol content in any sensible methylated spirit.

Here's what they thought in 1922!

Dave

I mostly use Colemans in my engines, suppose it depends on how much you want to run them but I find a litre lasts me a few years.

Don't know where people are buying their Colmans but 4 times the price is a bit steep, you can get it for about £6 a litre vs £4 for 1lts of Aspen.

J

This thread reminds me of when I was teenager; a friend was experimenting with mixing his own two stroke mixture for his model aero-engine. The lubricating component used was "3 in 1" general lubricating oil. He got the engine running, then tried varying the ratio of oil to fuel. He fumbled something, then dropped it. the engine continued to run on neat "3 in1", Its was very slow and lumpy, but it was going round! Experiments were discontinued. This is not meant as a recommendation.

You can buy what some call "industrial" meths which is 99.5% Ethanol.

Yes, but if DW thought aspen is stunningly expensive compared to petrol, what descriptor would he use for £65 a litre plus delivery (and that would llikely be problematic).

Possibly AR (analytical grade) grade reagent from a UK supplier might be no more expensive. Or just pay the duty on the stuff.

Maybe for an indirect reason. Digging into meths as a fuel I came across a reference to ethanol being used to control water in petrol. Apparently new petrol is often contaminated with water in storage and transport. An additional source of water in your mower's fuel might be the tank breathing damp air as it warmed and cooled during the day and through the seasons.

As water doesn't mix with petrol, it causes problems in tanks, pipe work and engines where ever it collects. Adding ethanol causes any water present in the petrol to dissolve in it, and the resulting mix is completely soluble in petrol. In this distributed form water in petrol does no damage.

So far so good but petrol goes off in storage. Ethanol would tend to evaporate with the other light fractions leaving any water in the fuel to separate out behind. Oh dear…

Dave

Of course methanol remains the principle ingredient of the fuel used in model glow engines; in which the other ingredients of circa 30% Nitro-Methane plus Lubricating Oil etc. are dissolved.

Edited By Brian Oldford on 21/07/2017 11:04:42

Methanol is also still used in "top fuel" dragsters