View Full Version : Epson salt as a stove fuel
Has anyone ever heard of using EPSON SALTS as a stove fuel ?? Serious replies only. This request is for PAPA SMURF
I have never heard of this. Is it even flammable? I know it's used in gun powder, but I thought it was just a reactive compound that helps the burn, and wasn't the main burning ingredient. I can't see how it could be used as a stove fuel, but then I could be wrong.
kayak karl
06-20-2011, 13:02
although it has magnesium and sulfur it, it doesn't have the nitrate to get it to burn. have u tried burning it? i can't get it to burn, but mixed with potassium nitrate you will get a pot to boil.
I'm no chemist, but I doubt seriously that MgSO4 could be used as a fuel by itself. It is a dessicant and has a tendency to absorb moisture. You can mix it with Alcohol which gives the fuel a hotter burn. I also understand that when added to gunpowder it makes the explosion more powerful (I assume, from the magnesium). But as a stove fuel? Where did that come from? :-?
kayak karl
06-20-2011, 13:21
from http://zenstoves.net/How.htm
Flame Color/Chemiluminescence
Incombustible elements that may be present in fuel can cause a myriad of colors when heated. Besides this, the color of a flame is primarily dependent on the air-fuel ratio. This air-fuel mixture is often referred to as lean if there is more oxygen than required for complete combustion or rich if there isn't enough oxygen for complete combustion.
Color
Chemical
Carmine
Lithium Chloride
Red
Strontium Chloride
Orange
Calcium Chloride (a bleaching powder)
Yellow
Sodium Chloride (table salt)
or Sodium Carbonate
Yellowish Green
Borax
Green
Copper Sulfate
Blue
Copper Chloride
Violet
3 parts Potassium Sulfate
1 part Potassium Nitrate (saltpeter)
Purple
Potassium Chloride
White
Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom salts)
The light from a hydrocarbon flame comes from the energy released by electrons returning to a lower energy state after a higher energy state during combustion. Dependant of the amount of energy released, is the frequency of light and thus the color. Low energy equals low-frequency red light; medium-frequency equals medium-energy yellow, green and/or orange light; high-energy equals blue or violet high-frequency light. If you have a wide range of energy levels, you end up with white light.
delaford321
06-20-2011, 17:17
Yeah, its not gonna burn on its own. I'd be a little wary of using it as a bone and joint soak if it did. Ha.
Yeah, thats what I thought, but I promised PAPA SMURF that I would put this out there just to see if there was anything to it, I told him to buy a damn stove......haha, or try his SOCKS....lol
kayak karl
06-20-2011, 22:32
it does have its place in fireworks and rockets, but not stoves. you weren't far off :)