Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

White Spirits is Turpentine.
White Gas is Naptha also known as shellite, not to be confused with the explosive shelite which is a totally different product

Dave on that pdf I posted Digger says that White Spirits is a Turpentine substitute and 100% Naphtha.

My two cents....

  White gas has been used for Coleman stoves forever.  I'm glad to hear it
has minimal additives - but not none?

  When burning a fuel, especially indoors, no additive fuels are the only way
to go.  I used 90% rubbing alcohol in the past (I did learn to dilute it a bit
for small burners), but now use grain alcohol, Everclear.  You can steam with
it and have a wee bit, diluted, for your pleasure.

  So, never burn anything with additives is my mantra.  As for mini IC engines, that
ought to be the goal.  Has anyone modified one to run on alcohol?  The backwoods
boys up yonder in the country used to run their stock car on alcohol.  Nobody
dared to ask where the gallons he used came from.

  As to oils, the absolute cleanest and most pure oil I've found is Shell Dialla oil.
Very hi vapor and flash point.  I use it in my rock saw when cutting agates.  Minimal
smell and no danger of fire.  I also use it as a cleaner, nice and mellow.  makes
you feel like you are doing your engine a favor.

Good Luck,
Wayne

  Alcohol has a lot less energy per unit weight/volume,
but you can run it at a high compression without the
fear of detonation/pre-ignition.  I think 13:1 was
the compression ratio for pure alcohol IC engines.
If I'm not mistaken, they use methanol in the Indy
type race cars.  If you see the pit workers hopping
around like madmen while or just after fueling, it may
be an alcohol fire whose flames are invisible in the
bright sunlight.  It has happened and I've seen it,
in real time, on TV.

  Grain alcohol is the best.  You can steam with it,
run it in a race car engine, or drink it for pleasure,
diluted, of course.

Have fun steaming,
Wayne

Thanks one and all appreciate the replies.