Diesel in a paraffin blow lamp?

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

Out of curiosity does anyone know what happens if you put diesel in a paraffin/kerosene blow lamp?

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

You have to pay the AA £130 to sort it out for you.

Nile

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

Diesel will work OK, but will probably be smelly and smokey, a bit more heat tho'. Also need cleaning more. I would not try it for soldering or paint stripping but ok for heating. PS have not tried this for many years so things may have changed.

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

I get an extra 0.1MJ per penny this way and avoid special trips to B&Q. Current job is just busting some bearings off a shaft anyway.

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Either go for petrol or denatured alcohol.

Michael W

EDIT: PLEASE DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME…

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 09/09/2016 20:04:17

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

Thats a bit light isn't it?

[TobaccoBurnerParticipant @tobaccoburner]

Posted by Michael Walters on 09/09/2016 16:48:22:

Either go for petrol or denatured alcohol.

Michael W

Should be good for a Darwin Award – unless,of course, you already have descendants.

Mike

[alan-lloydParticipant @alan-lloyd]

Don't forget your pricker

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by TobaccoBurner on 09/09/2016 18:53:12:

Posted by Michael Walters on 09/09/2016 16:48:22:

Either go for petrol or denatured alcohol.

Michael W

Should be good for a Darwin Award – unless,of course, you already have descendants.

Mike

.

Couldn't have put it better myself, Mike

[Michael W] Sorry to be a bore, but : If it was meant to be funny, then a winky smiley thing might have been in order.

… Who knows what some pillock may do to themselves, in a few years time, when they find your post ?

And … If it wasn't meant to be funny …

MichaelG.

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

To be fair I have a blow lamp than runs on petrol and some do run on alchohol.

I might test petrol in a paraffin one day… once I get a full firefighters foil suit and one of those robots that can defuse bombs…

and I have two prickers infact. Blow lamp is new in box

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Years ago I have used Diesel as a test in the blowlamps of the flash steamer and it worked ok instead of the usual paraffin petrol mix only downside was the smell.

Edited By Windy on 09/09/2016 21:20:09

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Rainbows on 09/09/2016 20:18:07:

To be fair I have a blow lamp than runs on petrol and some do run on alchohol.

.

… But not the ones that are designed for Paraffin

MichaelG.

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

When sorting out the results of petroleum refining, cracking etc, the stuff that is less volatile than petrol is divided into two lots. The stuff which smells less and is mainly straight-chain or 'aliphatic' molecules goes to make paraffin, the stuff which is in rings of atoms and is called 'aromatic' goes as diesel. So, while diesel will work in a paraffin lamp, it will smoke and smell. And paraffin will work in a diesel but not so well.

Cheers, Tim

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

O.K. … I give up

So far as I am aware, Paraffin blowlamps have pressurising pumps, and are VERY dangerous if filled with Petrol.

[ref. Michael W's post and my response]

If I'm wrong, then would a Moderator please remove my posts on the matter.

MichaelG.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Someone help us! (God, if you are religious).

 

These things were carefully designed for use with a particular fuel. The preheating section was arranged to evaporate a fuel of particular volatility; the nozzle jet was also sized appropriately for the fuel.

 

They can be dangerous enough in inexperienced hands, without further tampering….

Edited By not done it yet on 10/09/2016 07:31:20

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

A kerosene lamp would probably be ok , and a bit hotter if you use Avtur/ aviation turbine fuel, if you know someone in the aviation industry, you might be able to get some reject fuel. A petrol lamp will burn white spirits, and probably Coleman stove fuel.

Ian S C

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 09/09/2016 21:54:15:

O.K. … I give up

So far as I am aware, Paraffin blowlamps have pressurising pumps, and are VERY dangerous if filled with Petrol.

[ref. Michael W's post and my response]

If I'm wrong, then would a Moderator please remove my posts on the matter.

MichaelG.

Not all of them have pumps, with smaller ones the heat from the well you fill up and light is just enough to start the flash point of the fuel and create pressure and force from the vapour. You open the valve and the fuel burns off.

Michael W

Edited By Michael Walters on 10/09/2016 14:36:16

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

I wouldn't try petrol in a blow lamp. There is another type of lamp that's intended to give out light that is pumped up the same way and does run on petrol. Coleman make them – to run on unleaded.

**LINK**

John

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[Raymond AndersonParticipant @raymondanderson34407]

Rainbows, Unless you like the record by The crazy world of Arthur Brown called "Fire " or, have a death wish in which case you could fill it with THF and make a right job of it . Seriously though, If it's designed for paraffin then it's paraffin that you should put in, nothing else. It's ok using a range of fuels in a multi fuel engine, but it's not a multi fuel blowlamp !!. [ in spite of what SOME others think ] stick to Paraffin.

[SandgrounderParticipant @sandgrounder]

Posted by Tim Stevens on 09/09/2016 21:44:11:

When sorting out the results of petroleum refining, cracking etc, the stuff that is less volatile than petrol is divided into two lots. The stuff which smells less and is mainly straight-chain or 'aliphatic' molecules goes to make paraffin, the stuff which is in rings of atoms and is called 'aromatic' goes as diesel. So, while diesel will work in a paraffin lamp, it will smoke and smell. And paraffin will work in a diesel but not so well.

Cheers, Tim

That's cleared up something that I've wanted to know for a while, I have a sailing boat with a diesel engine and it has a Taylors paraffin cooker in the cabin, often I've wondered if I could use diesel for both, I'll carry on using separate fuels.

John

[SandgrounderParticipant @sandgrounder]

Posted by Rainbows on 09/09/2016 20:18:07:

To be fair I have a blow lamp than runs on petrol and some do run on alchohol.

A chap I knew about 40 years ago did some plumbing work for me and he used a petrol blowlamp and he was adamant that only 4 star petrol should be used in it, he said it wouldn't work as well on any other grade, perhaps he'd had the compression ratio increased?

John

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

Posted by Sandgrounder on 10/09/2016 16:31:04:

Posted by Rainbows on 09/09/2016 20:18:07:

To be fair I have a blow lamp than runs on petrol and some do run on alchohol.

A chap I knew about 40 years ago did some plumbing work for me and he used a petrol blowlamp and he was adamant that only 4 star petrol should be used in it, he said it wouldn't work as well on any other grade, perhaps he'd had the compression ratio increased?

John

Coleman had to alter their lamps to run on unleaded.  Just to show that even these should be run on the correct grade.

John

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Edited By Ajohnw on 10/09/2016 16:37:36

[RainbowsParticipant @rainbows]

Posted by Sandgrounder on 10/09/2016 16:21:25:

Posted by Tim Stevens on 09/09/2016 21:44:11:

When sorting out the results of petroleum refining, cracking etc, the stuff that is less volatile than petrol is divided into two lots. The stuff which smells less and is mainly straight-chain or 'aliphatic' molecules goes to make paraffin, the stuff which is in rings of atoms and is called 'aromatic' goes as diesel. So, while diesel will work in a paraffin lamp, it will smoke and smell. And paraffin will work in a diesel but not so well.

Cheers, Tim

That's cleared up something that I've wanted to know for a while, I have a sailing boat with a diesel engine and it has a Taylors paraffin cooker in the cabin, often I've wondered if I could use diesel for both, I'll carry on using separate fuels.

John

I was looking around on the paraffin vs diesel thing before I made this thread and one boat forum talked about mixing paraffin to motor oil 20:1 to use in the diesel motor. Not sure on the economy of that though.

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

It seems that paraffin can be mixed in with diesel. Older diesels will run on paraffin but I doubt if the modern engines will tolerate it due to far more sophisticated engine management. I used to work with some one that worked for the ministry during WWII and spent some time finding out exactly what diesel engines can run on. All sorts as he put it.

People have put petrol in diesel engines. It not like putting diesel in a petrol engine. Opinion is that it's ok providing there isn't too much. If I recollect correctly I tried maybe 20% petrol in a diesel and noticed no difference at all. A mechanic suggested that I should top up with diesel when I could, no rush and that it was good for cleaning the system out. Seems others had put way more in.

My current diesel states no bio diesel under the flap over the filler. Nothing about central heating oil though. I understand some do mix that in. The tax is a lot lower.

John

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