my man, most of those flames are because of the plastic burning, you should have used a flame resistant container for each of those (glass cups) to really test which ones truly evaporates faster
this is a pretty silly test because all kind of this stuff (petrol) burn just the same (flames). the difference is you need to burn aliphatic stuff (opposed to aromatic) because aromatic has a very toxic a vapor (burned or not). usually this kind of petrol is qualified as aliphatic/de-aromatized and contains mostly n-alkanes, isoalkanes, cyclics. The difference between aliphatic and aromatic is : -In aliphatics atoms are arranged in chains , versus aromatics (also called cyclics) that organize atoms in rings. You can also differentiate aliphatic versus cyclics by the smell. -Cyclics are also called aromatics because they have a nice smell, while aliphatic usually doe not smell good. -aromatics are considered as environmental pollutants and carcinogens. the classification is in the C7-C9 petrol extract (you often find also products as C12-C14, but you best bet would be C7-C9) . Petrol contains thousand of different molecules, that is why the naming convention is so fuzzy and at best you do not get a product, but a range of products mixed together . The only hope you can get when buying Zippo fluid (or other ultra refined petrol) is they removed as much aromatic components (like benzen) and you get almost 100% aliphatic. in reality you still get about 0.2-0.5% of aromatic, but it is nothing compared to other burning fuel that come for cheap and can easily contain up to 25% aromatic (even if they are advertised as de-aromatized). if you spend a lot of time burning these fuels in closed rooms (lamp, heater, camping stove), save your lungs by spending a bit more on the right product. Basically, these fuels are produced by evaporating raw petrol into a column, like in a distillation process. At different heights in the columns you will find different products named on the C scale. So for example at C7, you do not get only one component, but a range of petrol components mixed together. It is so difficult to separate them, that usually you do not even get a C specs alone (like C7), but a range (like C7-C9). If needed , you can chemically extract a particular component (like Hexane), but even there, there is no pure hexane, you always get a mix of hexane and a lot of products similar. You can find pure products, but they are usually reserved for chromatography labs.
It's fun to burn things but these catalyst hand warmers do not work by "burning" fuel. The fuel evaporates and when exposed to oxygen and heat, starts a exothermic reaction with the platinum catalyst in the head of the unit. This reaction gives off heat. Simply burning fuel tells you nothing about how the evaporated vapor will react with the platinum catalyst. It's fun to burn things through...
I see what you're saying. Good insight. But I'm the kind of guy that if it works it works and if it doesn't it doesn't. I just video recorded the very first part of my test.
Brian, Precisely. There are two critical qualities in this application, the ease with which a fuel will vaporize and odor; secondarily, you want a fuel that does not produce soot. This is why lighter fluid, naptha, white gas (such as Coleman lamp and stove fuel), and 95% alcohol are the only fuels that are appropriate for use in a hand warmer. Dirty fluids will soot up or foul the catalyst. Fluids that do not vaporize readily will be difficult to start and tend to go out. Fuels such as gasoline or diesel oil will stink and in the case of the former poison you. One interesting test would be a vaporization test. This could be as simple as setting a small sample of each fuel in open containers on a hot day and timing how long it takes for each to evaporate. Don't smoke while doing this. ;-) I suspect that lab grade alcohol would be the optimal fuel to use; but it is difficult to source and not inexpensive. White gas is probably the lowest cost option, widely available, has a long shelf life, and low odor. Naptha works a charm, is a little more costly than white gas, has a bit of an odor, but may be the best performer in very cold environments due to it's very high volatility.
I bought some Zippo hand warmers a couple of months ago and I've trying to find a fuel that doesn't STINK. Another video said that " Coleman Premium Blend Fuel" (in a 32oz red bottle) was the best and the cheapest, but I can not find it anywhere. Everytime I go to a store that claims they have it, it's a different product with the same SKU#.
I only use charcoal fuel in my hand warmer. Have done so for years. Only downside is you end up with a black oily buildup around the hand warmer cap, but it just wipes off.
You realize that Zippo handwarmers don't burn fuel, right? They use a platinum catalyst to generate heat? No flame, at all? No carbon monoxide, because there's no combustion?
Great questions. I'm not a chemist so I'm not too sure about the chemical reactions. But it's always been my belief there's something glowing Orange and there's heat coming off of it it's probably some form of combustion. But as I said I'm not a chemist
need to include the stove fuels for camping and test should be burned in a tin or any metal can not in a plastic flammable container that is not supposed to be part of the test... fyi ; in many warning instructions say not to use kerosene or gasoline in a hand warmer... a gallon of white clean camping fuel is only about $12 ,coleman a bit more.... zippo fuel is regular nafta at the hardware store and cheaper too.
Ronsonol is 70% Naptha and 30% Petroleum Ether. the logic for using the correct fuel is in the catalytic converter. It won't work if it gets sooted up. You can screw with the fuel you put in your lighter it may make your cigar taste awful but most fuels will work.
The way these hand warmers work is by catalytic combustion of a fuel and it has to be a specific hydrocarbon I don't think it will work with any hydrocarbon I think it has to be an aliphatic hydrocarbon
You sound like you might be an engineer. A lot of times in my experience Things Are over-engineered. My attitude is put a flame to it see what the f--- happens. Unfortunately the long-term effects may damage the equipment. And that's why we have Engineers so things don't get damaged over the long-term. The world definitely needs engineers. Thanks for your comments. Great insight
The only way your video will be useful is if you run the fuels through the warmers. Of course you'll be running the risk of ruining your warmers as some of these fuels are quite 'dirty' , gumming up your element, and some are quite smelly.
This burning plastic shows me nothing. Your hand warmer doesn't "burn" anything, let alone plastic. But what the hell, burning shit and filming it are fun, right?
my man, most of those flames are because of the plastic burning, you should have used a flame resistant container for each of those (glass cups) to really test which ones truly evaporates faster
Great idea
this is a pretty silly test because all kind of this stuff (petrol) burn just the same (flames).
the difference is you need to burn aliphatic stuff (opposed to aromatic) because aromatic has a very toxic a vapor (burned or not).
usually this kind of petrol is qualified as aliphatic/de-aromatized and contains mostly n-alkanes, isoalkanes, cyclics.
The difference between aliphatic and aromatic is :
-In aliphatics atoms are arranged in chains , versus aromatics (also called cyclics) that organize atoms in rings. You can also differentiate aliphatic versus cyclics by the smell.
-Cyclics are also called aromatics because they have a nice smell, while aliphatic usually doe not smell good.
-aromatics are considered as environmental pollutants and carcinogens.
the classification is in the C7-C9 petrol extract (you often find also products as C12-C14, but you best bet would be C7-C9) . Petrol contains thousand of different molecules, that is why the naming convention is so fuzzy and at best you do not get a product, but a range of products mixed together . The only hope you can get when buying Zippo fluid (or other ultra refined petrol) is they removed as much aromatic components (like benzen) and you get almost 100% aliphatic.
in reality you still get about 0.2-0.5% of aromatic, but it is nothing compared to other burning fuel that come for cheap and can easily contain up to 25% aromatic (even if they are advertised as de-aromatized).
if you spend a lot of time burning these fuels in closed rooms (lamp, heater, camping stove), save your lungs by spending a bit more on the right product.
Basically, these fuels are produced by evaporating raw petrol into a column, like in a distillation process. At different heights in the columns you will find different products named on the C scale. So for example at C7, you do not get only one component, but a range of petrol components mixed together. It is so difficult to separate them, that usually you do not even get a C specs alone (like C7), but a range (like C7-C9).
If needed , you can chemically extract a particular component (like Hexane), but even there, there is no pure hexane, you always get a mix of hexane and a lot of products similar.
You can find pure products, but they are usually reserved for chromatography labs.
I like how this guy gets straight to the point instead of rambling about giveaways and top comments
YAAAAASSSSSSS!
Yellowpole definitely
I actually appreciate your video as i've wondered this question but I can't believe you tested it by setting plastic on fire lol
LOL. I'm glad you appreciated my video. And I do believe the classic was inconsequential compared to the fuel.
Your test is so flawed that the only thing you proved is that plastic Burns !
It's fun to burn things but these catalyst hand warmers do not work by "burning" fuel. The fuel evaporates and when exposed to oxygen and heat, starts a exothermic reaction with the platinum catalyst in the head of the unit. This reaction gives off heat. Simply burning fuel tells you nothing about how the evaporated vapor will react with the platinum catalyst. It's fun to burn things through...
I see what you're saying. Good insight. But I'm the kind of guy that if it works it works and if it doesn't it doesn't. I just video recorded the very first part of my test.
Brian, Precisely. There are two critical qualities in this application, the ease with which a fuel will vaporize and odor; secondarily, you want a fuel that does not produce soot. This is why lighter fluid, naptha, white gas (such as Coleman lamp and stove fuel), and 95% alcohol are the only fuels that are appropriate for use in a hand warmer. Dirty fluids will soot up or foul the catalyst. Fluids that do not vaporize readily will be difficult to start and tend to go out. Fuels such as gasoline or diesel oil will stink and in the case of the former poison you.
One interesting test would be a vaporization test. This could be as simple as setting a small sample of each fuel in open containers on a hot day and timing how long it takes for each to evaporate. Don't smoke while doing this. ;-)
I suspect that lab grade alcohol would be the optimal fuel to use; but it is difficult to source and not inexpensive. White gas is probably the lowest cost option, widely available, has a long shelf life, and low odor. Naptha works a charm, is a little more costly than white gas, has a bit of an odor, but may be the best performer in very cold environments due to it's very high volatility.
Funny part is, you missed the equivalent... Coleman camp fuel...
I agree. The plastic is what's burning the difference we rent fuels just were the ignition
I bought some Zippo hand warmers a couple of months ago and I've trying to find a fuel that doesn't STINK. Another video said that " Coleman Premium Blend Fuel" (in a 32oz red bottle) was the best and the cheapest, but I can not find it anywhere. Everytime I go to a store that claims they have it, it's a different product with the same SKU#.
For anybody actually watching this.... Just purchased Naphtha in the blue bottle from any hardware store. It's bulk lighter fluid.
Wow. Great. Thanks for telling everybody.
Need instructions on how to get it in California?
@@56585656587 step 1, vote out the Democrats.
@@56585656587 Hardware store, Naphtha is an oil based paint thinner.
Wow dude, you're gutsy.
I would've had those fuels a lot further away.
Fumes travel.
These feelings are nothing compared to when I'm working underneath the diesel truck and the motor is running.
I only use charcoal fuel in my hand warmer. Have done so for years. Only downside is you end up with a black oily buildup around the hand warmer cap, but it just wipes off.
That is the way they're designed to be used. I just figured maybe we can find a cheaper way to get the same results.
I would like you to make a redo video that you use proper wicks or metal container and including white gas(coleman fuel) in your line up.
So the title of video let's burn different types of fuels. Not what Burns best in a zippo hand warmer
You realize that Zippo handwarmers don't burn fuel, right? They use a platinum catalyst to generate heat? No flame, at all? No carbon monoxide, because there's no combustion?
Great questions. I'm not a chemist so I'm not too sure about the chemical reactions. But it's always been my belief there's something glowing Orange and there's heat coming off of it it's probably some form of combustion. But as I said I'm not a chemist
need to include the stove fuels for camping and test should be burned in a tin or any metal can not in a plastic flammable container that is not supposed to be part of the test... fyi ; in many warning instructions say not to use kerosene or gasoline in a hand warmer... a gallon of white clean camping fuel is only about $12 ,coleman a bit more.... zippo fuel is regular nafta at the hardware store and cheaper too.
Great suggestion brother. You should have done the test yourself you probably would have made a better video than me. Thanks for adding though
I've been trying to get a plastic cup into my hand warmer. I can't figure it out so I'm sticking with straight lighter fluid.
😂
Lol. Nice!
I have tried kerosene...Warmer would not light...It would light but the catalytic burner would not actually ignite properly, nor would remain lit.
Ronsonol is 70% Naptha and 30% Petroleum Ether. the logic for using the correct fuel is in the catalytic converter. It won't work if it gets sooted up. You can screw with the fuel you put in your lighter it may make your cigar taste awful but most fuels will work.
That's great information. Thank you for teaching us. I still have fun doing the experiment.
The way these hand warmers work is by catalytic combustion of a fuel and it has to be a specific hydrocarbon I don't think it will work with any hydrocarbon I think it has to be an aliphatic hydrocarbon
Which is pretty much any petroleum distillate lol
You sound like you might be an engineer. A lot of times in my experience Things Are over-engineered. My attitude is put a flame to it see what the f--- happens. Unfortunately the long-term effects may damage the equipment. And that's why we have Engineers so things don't get damaged over the long-term. The world definitely needs engineers. Thanks for your comments. Great insight
Atta boy, safety second!
So ! Are you running it on kerosene?? Does it soot up ? Or does it burn cleanly?? Thanks
I tried burning mine on all these fuels. It seems to work fine. But please do it at your own risk because I haven't done it for long-term.
why didn't you include a gallon can of naptha available at any paint or home improvement store?
I didn't include it because I've never heard of that.
A 5l container of naphtha costs around $20. How you get it into the zippo though, I’m not so sure.
Syringe 💉?
5 hand warmers would of worked. Could of temp and time it.
You said You put 9 ounces in each cup, 8 ounces is a cup full those are not 8 oz cups did you mean 9 grams?
Have you tried diesel? If so how does it work?
Diesel would not work. Its flash point is too high.
Can you show us how it looks when coils are all hot and red because i am hoping it looks like a stove.
I'm not too sure if this is sarcasm or real request. Either way thanks for caring enough to comment
All I have is a charcoal fuel can I put this in the actual hand warmer?
It should burn just fine. But if you watch the video you'll see it won't burn the same.
I tried it and it worked fine. But please try to at your own risk because I haven't run it long-term with mine.
lighter fluid is $107 per gallon and
lighter fluid is $15 per gallon...HUH???
LOL. I fixed that. I was trying to say that charcoal lighter fluid is $15 per gallon. Thanks for the catch
The only way your video will be useful is if you run the fuels through the warmers. Of course you'll be running the risk of ruining your warmers as some of these fuels are quite 'dirty' , gumming up your element, and some are quite smelly.
So plastic burns
My ronsonol is $64 dollars a gallon so it’s the stuff I use
Absolutely useless and dangerous test but Its videos like these that keep youtube charming and wierd.
Colman fuel.
I wanted to test some of that but I didn't have any. If you do a video on it please let me know
That's a nice, quick, fair and scientific experiment
I really don't think I did a great job but it's something to watch and it gives you an idea. Thanks for commenting.
Not a very good experiment. Try them in the zippo and post those results.
I nevar buy to Zippo lighter I had accident I was not burning my house. Electronic-Plasma lighter it is more safety.
Propane will get the job done
Nope! LOL.
Coleman fuel…
This burning plastic shows me nothing. Your hand warmer doesn't "burn" anything, let alone plastic. But what the hell, burning shit and filming it are fun, right?
So flawed this is.
What a bad test! Results mean nothing to what you want to prove/find... Really bad “science” here... Don’t quit your day job.