Panel wipe

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tommy the cat

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 6, 2007
2,138
1
55
SHROPSHIRE UK
I guess this thread will be answered by our stove guru Rik.....but my mate bought some panel wipe that said petroleum distilate on the tin sooooooo was wondering if I could run this in the coleman whisperlight?
Ta Dave
 

jimford

Settler
Mar 19, 2009
548
0
84
Hertfordshire
Panel wipe is petroleum naptha. Coleman White Gas is also mainly petroleum naptha.

I'd suggest that panel wipe is purer than Coleman, because it mustn't leave any residue on the panels to spoil the paint finish.

I'm currently trying Aspen 4T which is a pure, clean petroleum distillate. It works as well as panel wipe, but doesn't smell so nice when you spill it!

Jim
 

tommy the cat

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 6, 2007
2,138
1
55
SHROPSHIRE UK
Ok whats naptha then?
My mate reckons he paid around a fiver for 5l cant remember the brand but it does say petroleum distilate and not naptha? I does evaporate very quickly as funnily enough we have been using it to wipe panels!!
Dave
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
A camping shop up my way is recommending white spirit for petrol stoves, i looked at the bottle it said it was petrolium distilate/naptha among other things.

It was about £1.50 for a bottle and called turpetine substitute, anyone tried this out in a petrol stove yet?

WS

No, while it might work after a fashion it will clog up the works. Some brands of panel wipe will just say petroleum distillate and not include the word naptha.

I'll put up a list about fuels when I get a chance.
 

ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,976
13
In the woods if possible.
Where's this list? :)

Will it include places you can get it from?

This post is prompted by running out of Coleman fuel last week in the middle of France and having to use unleaded for a couple of days. Ugh! I hate that stuff!

I've been trying to get Aspen 4T for ages and now I've just about given up. Before you ask, yes, I tried the dealers alleged on the AAOil Website to stock it, but every one I've tried locally (Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire) doesn't stock 4T, they either just have the 2T or none at all. Some of them have never even heard of it. One of them led me up the garden path for literally months saying he was going to stock it soon, and then he finally admitted that he thought it wasn't going to be a good idea for him to get involved because of things like the fuel storage regulations. Thank you very much, Mr. Holland.

If we can arrange a group of three (or more) of us to buy a gallon each then I'll be happy to order some 4T direct from AAOil, but for safety's sake I don't want three gallons of petrol lying around in cans, it would take me years to use it all. For one gallon the shiping cost is more than the fuel so that's stupid. For more than three you need a licence from the local authority so I'd have to insist on getting rid of it all quickly. If we can't do a group buy I'll give up on Aspen 4T and try some panel wipe.

The thing that bothers me is that there are so many different panel wipes. 'Naptha' is just a generic term for various hydrocarbons so it doesn't mean one single thing (check it out on Wikipedia for more info). To be safe you really need the Material Safety Data Sheet for the particular panel wipe that you're proposing to use in a stove.

Phew.
 

ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,976
13
In the woods if possible.
Would panel wipe be the right thing to clean up my mountain bike (which has accumulated lots of oil, grease and dust everywhere)?

As long as you use plenty of it and don't set light to it I'd have thought it should be fine, but the conventional approach is lots of water with a small quantity of detergent. You need flowing liquid to prevent hard particles in stone dust from scratching the delicate surfaces of plastics, paint, and various metal finishes. Without lots of liquid you're just making a grinding paste which will abrade almost anything.

Don't forget to re-lubricate everything afterwards, however you do it.
 

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