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squeezebox
10-15-2014, 11:39
I've heard that some folks put food coloring in their alcohol supply to mark it against other stuff. Since alcohol burns clear, a problem since you can't see the flame. Does the food coloring do anything to the flame color?

Slo-go'en
10-15-2014, 12:03
Don't know, but easy enough to try if you have any food coloring. I sort of doubt it would.

The only problem with adding color to the alcohol is that a lot of drinks are colored too.

OCDave
10-15-2014, 12:17
I never drink from my fuel bottle. I never put any thing in my fuel bottle that isn't fuel. I can't think of a reason coloring my fuel would ever make sense for my application.

To answer your question, the alcohol will burn the same, the dye, will likely not vaporize and will leave an accumulating residue in your stove.

OCDave
10-15-2014, 12:21
I never drink from my fuel bottle. I never put any thing in my fuel bottle that isn't fuel. I can't think of a reason coloring my fuel would ever make sense for my application.

To answer your question, the alcohol will burn the same, the dye, will likely not vaporize and will leave an accumulating residue in your stove.

To be fair, I have not tried this. Just my assumption based upon a handful of chemistry classes.

Let us know if your result is different.

BuckeyeBill
10-15-2014, 14:39
I know that truck drivers get dye in the fuel for their refrigerated trailers. ( It is taxed different). the dye does not effect the performance of the fuel.

theinfamousj
10-15-2014, 15:42
Former Chemist here - certain metallic salts can oxidize (burn) to produce various colors which is pretty, but the chance that there will be a high enough concentration of those salts in food colored alcohol is pretty low. 😞

Not sure how it would affect alcohol (a thought I haven't fully thought) but tossing some calcium carbonate ("Damp Rid") or some potassium chloride ("Morton's Salt Substitute") in to your alcohol to make a slurry and then rimming your alcohol stove jets with it like you salt a margarita glass ought to solve that 'colorless in daytime' problem.