We all spend time in nature: we go on vacation, go hiking, or simply travel outside the city. Situations often arise when you need to make a fire, but there simply aren’t enough matches. For these purposes, dry fuel, popularly called “dry alcohol,” is most suitable. For military personnel, dry alcohol is included in army rations, but for rescuers this product can be vital. Well, for experiments and modeling this is generally invaluable material.
Ready-made “dry alcohol” is still in demand among people. It exists in several varieties, differing in chemical composition. However, those who use it have never disputed its convenience, despite the fact that its fumes are toxic. After all, it provides a fairly powerful source of fire, which burns for quite a long time. In camping and country life, these qualities are very valuable.
Today we would like to offer you a version of such dry fuel, made from simple available materials and at home. Compared to dry alcohol, it even has some advantages. Of course, the flame from such a combustion product will not be large.But it is not afraid of dampness, since paraffin does not absorb moisture. It is easy to get, for example, to collect the remains of candles or waste from some kind of production. The burning time is quite long. And it will only take about 10-15 minutes to make. Go!
Required Ingredients
- Paraffin;
- Cotton pads;
- Technical tweezers;
- Empty can of canned food.
Step-by-step recipe for preparing dry alcohol
The product is prepared by heating, so a gas or electric stove is required. The workplace must be prepared for hot work.
You need several small pieces of paraffin. For those who are not in the know: paraffin is part of the “dry alcohol”. Heat it in a canning jar over low heat. Paraffin is a petroleum product, so it must be melted very carefully. Its vapors are highly flammable at just 100 degrees Celsius. Melting point – 50-60 degrees Celsius.
Having brought the paraffin to a liquid state, we begin to soak the cotton pads in it. Since paraffin is hot, we use metal tweezers with a long handle for this.
Place the soaked discs on a flat, absorbent surface. To do this, you can simply cover your desktop with unnecessary paper.
After the paraffin has hardened, homemade dry fuel is ready! It can be tested and set on fire by slightly breaking the disk until cotton wool appears on the surface. It is this substance that acts in this product like a wick in a candle, delaying the combustion process for a long time.
So, very simply and quickly you can provide yourself with a supply of dry fuel before a hike, a country picnic or a trip to nature.
