DIY Alcohol gel

[Ducks]

I picked up a BCB esbit style stove last week. And found some of the BCB Fire Dragon fuel blocks locally at a decent price. They’re usually ridiculously expensive in the states, so I got lucky.
But I was kind of curious about the fire dragon gel. I was doing some googling. I found out how to make it.

You take 4 grams of calcium acetate and mix in 8 to 10 mls of water. Then add that to 90-100ml or so of denatured alcohol.
Then shake it up.
You’re left with a gooey slurry that over the next few hours makes a pretty firm gel.
I had it in a squirt bottle that I picked up off Amazon.

I then filled the fuel tray in the BCB cooker with 35-40 mls of the gel.

Easily boiled a canteen cup of water. Burn time was over 15 minutes. After burning, there was no soot, just a white powder left caked in the cooker fuel tray that was easily knocked out with a stick.

Calcium acetate is a supplement used by dialysis patients to limit phosphate uptake and therefore “safe“. Of course anything in quantity can be harmful but it’s not toxic. 100 g of Amazon was about 8 USD, delivered. Theoretically enough to make over 2 L of gel.

Fun little project to kill some time.

 

[Falstaff]

That's interesting, thanks. Think I'd prefer that to the dragon fuel blocks, but it wouldn't surprise me if UK Govt quickly bans it somehow.

 

[Ducks]

That's interesting, thanks. Think I'd prefer that to the dragon fuel blocks, but it wouldn't surprise me if UK Govt quickly bans it somehow.

The blocks are certainly easier but in my very limited experience, it takes two blocks to boil a canteen cup of water. And they are stupid expensive in the US.

 

[stonepark]

I buy 4kg tubs of Chafing Fuel.
Transfer into 250ml plastic bottle (squeezy) and then fill stove when ready with correct amount to fill stove.

 

[Woody girl]

I think I may have seen a yt video of someone using powered up eggshells for the calcium component.

 

[Tengu]

Im baffled at the addition of water.

 

[TLM]

Calcium acetate is not soluble in ethanol so to get the gel it has to be solved in something.

 

[Tengu]

Ah.

 

[stonepark]

I suspect you need to dissolve the egg shells in vinegar to get the calcium acetate.

 

[TLM]

Yup, one has to get acetic acid from somewhere but once formed it is a solid in its pure form.

 

[ONE]

I think I may have seen a yt video of someone using powered up eggshells for the calcium component.

I remember something similar from way, way back. Possibly a recipe in SWAT magazine.