I've done the same thing -- complete with the copper wire. There are a couple of hidden dangers here: The first is that kerosene has more energy per ounce and is harder to vaporize in the generator. When run at full throttle, the generator cannot keep up with the fuel it is getting. The copper wire helps, but I found after a time some liquid kero will start leaving the generator and begin flaring. It will be obvious. Running it a more modest heat level is a simple cure for that. The second risk is more dangerous. If you leave the stove on simmer for too long, not enough heat will be picked up by the generator to vaporize the fuel it is getting and liquid kero will start pooling in the bottom of the stove while there is still a live flame above it. It doesn't happen right away, but I found after a long slow simmer (e.g., boiling a pot of beans) it will consistently do that. Eventually the flame itself will go out. Even regular Coleman fuel can sometimes do this with a long simmer in very cold weather. I know from experience. This is not a stove to leave running unattended. The solution to both problems is to keep the stove running at a more happy medium setting when using kero. The other solution is to use regular auto gasoline. Even a regular model 425's generator can go for many days/gallons without clogging up when using motor fuel. And it will last even longer if the generator is regularly pulled apart and wire-brushed clean. The simplest priming method I found was to just hit it with a small propane torch of the kind used to sweat pipe solder joints. A couple of minutes is plenty.
@@kevinrowe3936 the lowest octane like 85 works best. I used 89 once and it sooted up so bad , had to clean it. I Believe JJ2000 mentioned it in a Video.
Have not tested this myself, but I understand adding a small amount of acetone to the gasoline will prevent buildup from the additives in the gasoline.
What a great video! We keep about 20 gallons of kerosene on hand all winter to run our 3 kerosene heaters in case of a power outage and also for supplemental heat. I have an old Coleman two-burner stove with a couple gallons of white Coleman fuel that I'm keeping - just in case - for emergencies. I would have never thought of converting it to kerosene until seeing your straight forward method. Thank you so much for this video. Way to go, Jiujitsu!
@larryware1 👍Up Brother. It's nice to be prepared. Here in Florida I try to stay prepared, for Hurricanes and what not. Us Larry's are few and far between, just wanted to say Hello, to another Larry. Take Care Larry.
Used an old Coleman stove like that when camping in Canada and the USA back in the late 1960's , just brilliant , simple and easy to use . Never had a problem .
That's really great. There is also a cheap generator you can buy that lets you use the propane bottles on the old suit case Coleman's for even more versitility. Also I've used unleaded gasoline for decades and never had a problem. Always worked fine. Hasn't seemed to hurt seals or gaskets even with the alcohol in it.
5 years ago a new one was $100 . Now my 50 year old one or one like it is $300 used and dirty on ebay . But i bought a coleman 533 single burner new on its way for $55 . Today
In the Uk Colemans White gas is expensive,£9.99 a litre, Paraffin(kerosene) is a lot better, £9.99 for 4 litre BUT Holts Brake cleaning fluid which is pure naphtha is £11.50 for 5 litres so I use The Holts brake cleaning fluid and its as good as Coleman's fuel(white gas).
I collect and repair these Colman stoves. I know it seems strange, but people throw these out at our local trash transfer station. Thanks for the instruction.
Thank you.! My dad used to have an old stoddard two burner, similar to coleman, I like the utilisation of kerosene because I feel it is safer than white gas, or unleadded gas. My dad used to refinish furniture in a bigger than 55 gal drum and he used a kerosene stove. You have given me confidence to go ahead and buy an old coleman stove. I boughtt one years ago but had heard white gas stoves were known to explode. So i never used it. Thank you again, and what model number again? Is best for this conversion to kerosene? Bless your soul, I may just get to eat ham and eggs outside anyway! Youve made my day! ILL TRY IT MAY TAKE A WHILE TO LOCATE ONE, BUT IT SOUNDS MUCH SAFER THAN WHITE GAS, AND KETOSENE IS MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE! MAY GOD BLESS, I THINK YOUVE JUST GIVEN ME COOKING INDEPENDANCE.! BLESS YOU, I REALLY NEEDED TO SEE THIS VIDIO.😅
Thanks for this! I'll be trying this with diesel. Around here, pump kerosene is not at many gas stations, and it is currently over $6 a gallon. Gasoline is about $2.60 and diesel around $3. For indoors use, kerosene is king.
Flames around the whole pot is really overfiring and if done a lot can warp your stove cabinet. Read that on a camp stove. But I get that this was a demo. Thank you for this hack and mod. The more you know the more you can do and get thru. I always wanted a way to use kerosene, jet, and just maybe diesel. For cooking.
Coleman 'suitcase' stoves are very adaptable and reliable! White gas, UNLEADED auto gas, propane (whith adaptor), kerosene (with mods), and some alcohol fuels.
I have used these stoves for a long time but never thought to try Kerosene (of course, before C19 we did not have a lot of jell type disinfectant around). Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the Video Jiujitsu2000. I bet this technique would also work with the Coleman 550b stoves with the kerosene generator installed. It takes a lot of heat to warm up the burner box and generators on those bad boys. I use a Propane torch, attached to a 1LB Propane canister to warm up the burner box and generator before I open the valve to introduce kerosene to the generator. I usually have the stove all pumped up using a bicycle pump with the Coleman stove bicycle pump adapter cap...before I start the priming process with the propane torch. This method seems to work but I like your idea of adding the copper wire to the generator. Cheers to you and your channel!
Another grate video, Thanks. I found out , proved it at least 3 times, that you can flood whole "defuser" badly if you open supply too soon without preheating enough
I've done this with several Coleman 2-burner stoves over the years. Another dodge is to get some cotton balls, methyl hydrate or other alcohol, and a bit of petroleum jelly (not water-based gel). Mix up alcohol and petroleum jelly, then soak the cotton balls. Store these in a sealed fuel-proof container, and fasten it inside the stove for transport with 2 more pieces of copper wire. Remove before lighting ! (That also gives two pieces of copper wire to replace the one wrapped on the generator). My Dad was an outfitter, and his method was to make a shallow metal dish from one end of a tomato paste tin. That hung under the generator from 2 wire hooks, or (getting fancy) could be cut as one piece with a metal strip at each side cut from the sides of the tin. The strips folded over to make hooks that hung the shallow dish under the generator. This would hold a little liquid alcohol, or saturated cotton ball, or a blob of Sterno. He'd unhook it after pre-heating. The tomato-paste can is readily available, about the right size and simple to make. Alcohol gel is certainly easier, but sometimes not available. Thanks for posting.
I have a 1950s pressure lantern that I will use diesel with a bit of 91% isopropyl alcohol in the diesel and the alcohol by itself as a primer. I get heat and lots of light. It burns the mantle fine . The oil in the diesel keeps the seal in the pump, made of leather, from drying out
I have had great luck running these stoves on regular pump gas regardless of whether it is the dual-fuel model or not. Around here I don't really see the point in running kerosene with the need to preheat and kero being twice the price of gasoline.
Supplement to my previous post. Just saw the lives stream and your explanation about this being a post just for the info and not necessarily a promotion to use kerosene. I agree it is good info to know in case kerosene is all you happen to have for fuel ! My bad ! Thumbs up , subbed ! Looks like I have some old vids to catch up on ! Thanks
I use kero mixed with white gas, like that jug of Keri with 1-2 cups of white gas/gasoline. It starts fine, is he'll of a lot less explosive and has higher energy density than gasoline alone
Excellent video - I watched because I am looking for prepping ideas & being on a budget it's looking economical to use kerosene for cooking, heating & lighting in emergency situations. When the post Christmas sales arrive I will buy a propane & liquid fuel Coleman stove plus a kerosene heater.
I bought a single burner chines stove with the generator tube over the burner and it has 3 nozzle sizes for gasoline , diesel and alcohol . Alcohol hole is noticeably biggest and the diesel nozxle fuel jet looks the smallest . I only used gasoline so far in it . Yeah looking at it the Alcohol jet hole looks huge compared to the gas or diesel fuel jet hole . Not as big as bailing wire . But about 1/32nd inch .
Wow! I've converted a Coleman lantern to kerosene and it works wonderful. Never once thought to use it in the stove though. This is a great idea for when you run out of white gas.
@@Bucky1836 Lots of videos on UA-cam. I purchased a kerosene generator and an alcohol cup that fits around the new generator. Very simple, check out a few.
Thanks for the video, I have not tried the copper wire trick, so I will retest. I did not have success with Kerosene, but I did have great success with something called the "Amish Mix".
Wow, NICE IDEA!!! i am not super keen on petrol as a fuel i much prefer kerosene/parraffin , ive bought a few gasoline stoves but found coleman fuel to expensive to be viable here in the UK , so i switched out and bought some Naptha , only issue is this stuff is kinda volatile still.. so I have been wondering if i could get some of these whitegas stoves to burn nice safe parrafin/kero instead. your mod looks very intesting and i might try it on a Motor Sich Pt-2 to see if it can stabilize it on kero, i just dont trust the thing on naptha, interestingly the Jet size for white gas and kerosene are near identical....
I have 3 now. My father's 3 Burner (And stand) from the mid 70's and a pair of two burners that I use regular gas in. They are my apocalyptic backup that the younger generation is clueless about. Try getting a propane refill after a disaster. Ain't gonna happen. I have just gone through a 24-hour power outage in below-freezing temperatures with ease. My gasoline generator failed me (Old gas) but my reliable woodstove kept me toasty and cooked my dinners without breaking out the trusty Colemans. Our grandparents would be proud.
I recently watched a video of the impurities in unleaded gasoline. White gas is an engineered gas and burns cleaner than gas from the pump for sure.I would be curious how clean the kerosene is. It is used as jet fuel so I’m pretty confident its way cleaner than gasoline ( from the pump) and I can’t wait to give this a try. I do think it would be interesting to find out. Great video, I like camping and appreciate these types of video. 👍
Hey, Harold, I've used kerosene in camping stoves designed for kerosene only when I thought I might have to use a stove inside a tent because of the cold or bad weather. More smelly and more difficult to prime, but it seemed a lot safer than dealing with a more volatile fuel like gasoline in a pressurized tank. I've never seen any build up in a stove like a model Optimus 00 backpacking stove. Straight kerosene is a pretty clean fuel. Moreover, it is the favored fuel for cooking in the developing world. I've rarely seen gasoline used for cooking stoves, but I often saw kerosene used for household cooking in pressure stoves in dozens of countries.
Would you use this same method with aviation fuel, jet fuel and kerosine are simply a higher grade of diesel fuel. Can “Cole-man” be happy as a crispy¿
I have two different models of those old liquid fuel ones. I'll have to give this a try. Wondering how well it works while winter camping in Colorado. Might not vaporize on the colder days
Just the information I was looking for. I have one of those suitcase Colemans, and have been wondering about alternative fuels! I have quite a few 4 quart containers of kerosene for my lanterns, and this information helps me amalgamate my resources!
I'm seeing a fair amount of discussion here about using fuels other than kerosene as alternative fuel in a Model 425-type camping stove versus regular Coleman fuel. So I will add one more: CHARCOAL LIGHTER FLUID sold under many brand names. For non-American/Canadian readers, it's the stuff they sell in grocery stores by the pint or quart here to fire up charcoal BBQ grills. It's usually advertised on the bottle as 'odorless'. They lie, but it is not nearly as stinky as regular kerosene. We are not talking about the Ronson-type Zippo cigarette lighter fluid here. That is almost pure naphtha and it is very volatile. I'll start with the disadvantages. It's expensive and only available in small quantities. I tend to buy mine at the end of the summer when the grocery stores sometimes have closeout sales for reasonable prices. It also typically comes in a spray nozzle bottle intended to saturate a bed of charcoal. So you will definitely need a funnel to fill a fuel tank with it. Also, it is slightly more volatile than kerosene. Still, it needs to be primed just like kerosene. If you are using it in one of those camping stoves that is actually designed for kerosene, that must be taken into account, since there is also a slightly higher possibility of self-pressurization than with kerosene. So why bother with charcoal lighter fluid at all? Well, as Jiujitsu2000 suggests, using a kerosene substitution in a gasoline stove, is something you would only want to try if you have a prolonged power outage and you need to cook stuff or boil water to sterilize it and you cannot get hold of some 'real' Coleman fuel. I can see a grocery store selling out of Coleman fuel or propane pretty fast in a civil emergency and gasoline stations not having the electricity to pump their fuel, but charcoal lighter fluid might still be on the shelves long after the other fuel alternatives have run out. And you are probably not going to need that much to get through a disaster. So, onto the the advantages of using charcoal lighter fluid in a Coleman 425-type stove. Less smell. A little bit more volatility (a good thing in this situation). A cleaner fuel substitute -- something I might tolerate burning indoors, although I'm really leery of burning pressurized liquid fuels indoors, even in an emergency. If you spill some while refueling, the odor is less likely to linger if you spill a drop or two. Basically, this stuff seems to be kerosene with most of the aromatics taken out of the mix. I looked up the flash points of both fuels. That's a measure of their volatility. Basically, it is how high the temperature of the fuel will have to be to get a match to set it alight For both fuels, if you drop a match onto them, they will not light at room temperature. Try it yourself if you have doubts. Their typical flashpoint ranges overlap, but kerosene is typically less volatile. I like charcoal lighter fluid so much better than kerosene, that I regularly use it in my kerosene camping stoves because it is easier to prime and light, and because it smells less. As to Jet Fuel A, I am less enthusiastic with that as a substitute for kerosene. Not because of the volatility, which I think is the same as regular kerosene, but I've read it has a few sophisticated chemicals in it used to prevent problems with jet engines firing at extreme altitudes and temperatures. I've never tried using it. And I don't know what is added to that fuel, but I don't want to be breathing it's exhaust fumes. With regular-grade gasoline, the added chemicals can't be that bad or the EPA would not be allowing it in motor fuel where we are all breathing the exhaust up close. I was glad to see them banning ether as a gasoline additive some years ago -- and lead well before that. There are lots of other substitute fuels possible for use in one of the 425 stoves such as citronella lamp oil or #1 or #2 diesel, but I see little point in trying these less-volatile fuels when straight automotive fuel is so readily available and works so well as a substitute for Coleman fuel when it can be simply siphoned out of a car's gas tank for a reasonable cost. One last thought if anyone were considering trying it. You cannot substitute a 426 multi-fuel generator for a 425 generator in a 425 stove as an upgrade for the better burning of automotive gasoline. I've tried that. It will not fit. That 426 generator has a nice brass fitting on one end designed to absorb the flame heat better and improve the vaporization of the automotive fuel before it passes into the burner -- just like Jiujitsu2000 and I did with our added copper coil trials.
IF YOU PLAN TO DO THIS: i recommend wrapping the internal generator coil in #60 brass mesh. this slows the flow of liq kero so it can vaporize better. this is a common practice for coleman lanterns. you will notice jujitz stove on HIGH is spewing orange yel flame....that is poor vaporization. only cure is a smaller jet orfice OR slowing down fuel in the gen.
I’ve always liked anything old like this and wanted to buy one for my cabin , once I saw the price of the Coleman naptha camp fuel here in Canada I gave up on it , now seeing this I will probably get one At Canadian tire a gallon of camp fuel is $30 and about the same price for 2 gallons of kerosene so hopefully it will be more efficient
Their used to be some gasoline tractors which were made with burning kerosene or diesel as an option in mind, which were started in a similar fashion, when they used kerosene or diesel. It was a long time ago, and it was for when there were shortages of gasoline. I think, that there was also a kit for a Model T automobile.
sweet. did you do a boil test on white gas also just to see how that stove did on that? I just got a 550 and plan on testing to see whether one fuel is hotter than the other.
I have tried mixing kerosene/white spirit with a small amount of white gas, about 3 to 1 on a small FMS f-5 camping burner, it works well, pure kerosene does not produce a blue flame, besides some kerosene pours down and may ignite. I also think that mixed fuel will work for example on a trip when you have gasoline left in the tank, but you find diesel, pure diesel burns much worse than kerosene and gives a lot of soot and yellow flame
Another great video thanks… I am wondering if you think that this can be done using DIESEL as a fuel source? In a grid down situation DIESEL could be found easily…just wondering what you think! And it stores pretty good to! Thanks again 👍🇺🇸
You would need to add a solvent to decrease the viscosity of diesel. It will also burn with a bad smell. I cook on a diesel stove outside when camping.
Hmmm... I guess I'll be out in my shed setting things on fire tomorrow. Cost wise, I've found that burning regular pump gas is the cheapest option. I do keep a bit of white gas (Coleman Fuel) on hand for cleaning the crap gas residue out before long term storage. Run all the pump gas out, add a few ounces of Coleman fuel and run until the ethanol junk is gone. Actually, I do the same thing with my lawn mower and snow blower.
I'm going to armchair quarterback a little bit and say you're losing heating efficiency by turning up the fuel supply past that pretty Blue Flame point. Something I was taught about Oxy/ Acetylene torch setting. Your Blue flame is hottest.
Yep I agree, any flame that licks up the side of the pot is wasted energy, I’m pretty sure that goes with all camping stoves. Mind you still a great video 👍 Kind regards from deepest Dorset England 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Well that depends on what's burning as well. Blue is not the hottest flame. In fact it's the lowest, then yellow, then orange then white. The torch thing is the tip of that blue flame or any flame that is the hottest area of that flame. White is the hottest, hence the need for protection of the eyes. Also don't look at the sun for the same reason. Blue is not the hottest, it's the very apex tip and if you'll notice it starts to get super light blue. Almost white
Cool video. I never gave it much thought about using multi fuel. Have a small portable hiking stove that is multi fuel, the difference is that I need to change the jet to run kerosene. White gas vaporizes much easier, I wonder if you were able to unscrew the nozzle at he end, or change the needle in the generator end. Something to play with over the winter if I can dig my old stove out of storage.
Interesting hack. Not sure other than the flammability issues why you'd want to use K-1 kerosene. It's about the same price as Coleman white gas, here. K-1 went crazy with pricing some yrs back. I have some excellent kerosene room heaters that just sit unused because of the fuel price. Price is high even at the bulk plants.
I have a 4m stove ive tried to run on kerosene. It always pools fuel in the mixing chamber after the generator. Ends up pooling and catching fire. I had the idea of swapping generators with more modern and available stove generators. Have you experimented with anything like that?
I did not thank of that I have always use unlead gas in mine they said u could not do that to but I have doing it for over 40 yrs I try to look out of the box but some time time I get stuck good luck to u thank u for the info
My little MSR WhisperLite International stove burns white gas, gasoline, jet fuel and kerosene. Kerosene would not do any harm using it in this Coleman stove. I might try a mixture of 70% white gas and 30% kerosene and see how that would perform in my old Coleman 425.
I did this and it worked splendidly. Do any engineers or scientists want to comment on what’s happening here? My hunch is the copper wire with all the surface area, redirects more of the burner heat into vaporizing the fuel stream, than the stock white gas/gasoline configuration. I tried denatured alcohol fuel also as an experiment but it wouldnt stay lit.
As for dsl fuel..I suspect one MAY have to use a tiny , cheap little 12volt air pump with a variable-output burner "assist" tube ring! Just a little scrap of 1/4"...etc. bent circularly, & tiny holes drilled. Mount closely. Attach air pump with either electronic speed control or heck..be cheap & wire small dc lite bulb in series to control air speed. Light first beFORE air pump on... to give that heavy oil fire a CHANCE to "wick-burn" using the steelwool "wick"..then SLOWly turn up air flow. Probably wont need much. A furnace..it aint! So start it all GENTly.
What is the model number and description of the generator which runs the stove on propane? I have a model 424 stove. I saw JUJITSU2000's video about it and also a comment below. Great idea. Please advise.
I wonder if a multi-fuel generator would work better. I know they make kits to swap out the parts. I am not sure but I think the main difference is the opening diameter at the end of the generator that makes it multi-fuel.
What was it burning/running on before it got hot/you turned on the Kerosene? (Also will this work with Diesel instead of Kerosene?) Given its much the same just slightly more viscous as far as I know but pretty similar and as I have a diesel BMW it's fair to say it's not hard to buy an extra couple of litres in a Jerry can while at the pump.. Good video but lost me half way through where you cut the video in middle though as went from waiting for it to heat up to running on kerosene so didn't see a transition or what you were burning before the kerosene to warm it up? Cheers from London England 👍😎🏴
If you leave the end of the wire long and extend the end into the burner flame, it will transfer more heat into the tube making it more efficient. I have also done this on stoves with a wire surrounding the fuel tank to increase performance. Be Careful!
I tried this in a 1980s vintage single burner Coleman based upon the old military M50 Coleman. It's rated for White gas only, but the one time I tried refined kerosene it quit even lighting white gas after emptying out the kero. Any suggestions?
I've done the same thing -- complete with the copper wire. There are a couple of hidden dangers here: The first is that kerosene has more energy per ounce and is harder to vaporize in the generator. When run at full throttle, the generator cannot keep up with the fuel it is getting. The copper wire helps, but I found after a time some liquid kero will start leaving the generator and begin flaring. It will be obvious. Running it a more modest heat level is a simple cure for that.
The second risk is more dangerous. If you leave the stove on simmer for too long, not enough heat will be picked up by the generator to vaporize the fuel it is getting and liquid kero will start pooling in the bottom of the stove while there is still a live flame above it. It doesn't happen right away, but I found after a long slow simmer (e.g., boiling a pot of beans) it will consistently do that. Eventually the flame itself will go out. Even regular Coleman fuel can sometimes do this with a long simmer in very cold weather. I know from experience. This is not a stove to leave running unattended.
The solution to both problems is to keep the stove running at a more happy medium setting when using kero. The other solution is to use regular auto gasoline. Even a regular model 425's generator can go for many days/gallons without clogging up when using motor fuel. And it will last even longer if the generator is regularly pulled apart and wire-brushed clean.
The simplest priming method I found was to just hit it with a small propane torch of the kind used to sweat pipe solder joints. A couple of minutes is plenty.
I can attest to the fact wire brushing works. My stove went from not working to working like new. Also it says to use non leaded gasoline only. 😉
@@kevinrowe3936 the lowest octane like 85 works best. I used 89 once and it sooted up so bad , had to clean it. I Believe JJ2000 mentioned it in a Video.
Have not tested this myself, but I understand adding a small amount of acetone to the gasoline will prevent buildup from the additives in the gasoline.
Interesting information thanks!
@@dathat555 I have heard that injection cleaner added to old gasoline will keep it from carbing up also.
What a great video! We keep about 20 gallons of kerosene on hand all winter to run our 3 kerosene heaters in case of a power outage and also for supplemental heat. I have an old Coleman two-burner stove with a couple gallons of white Coleman fuel that I'm keeping - just in case - for emergencies. I would have never thought of converting it to kerosene until seeing your straight forward method. Thank you so much for this video. Way to go, Jiujitsu!
@larryware1 👍Up Brother. It's nice to be prepared. Here in Florida I try to stay prepared, for Hurricanes and what not. Us Larry's are few and far between, just wanted to say Hello, to another Larry. Take Care Larry.
@@oklarry6056 - Yes, always good to be prepared. And, not too many Larrys around either.
By far one of my favorite stove youtubers. Keep em’ burning my friend!!
Used an old Coleman stove like that when camping in Canada and the USA back in the late 1960's , just brilliant , simple and easy to use . Never had a problem .
That's really great. There is also a cheap generator you can buy that lets you use the propane bottles on the old suit case Coleman's for even more versitility. Also I've used unleaded gasoline for decades and never had a problem. Always worked fine. Hasn't seemed to hurt seals or gaskets even with the alcohol in it.
Oh car gas already has alcohol in it ?
@@gregorydahlUp to 10 percent ethanol. Unless you buy rec90 which is pure gasoline 90 octane.
Pretty cool man. The original "multi-fuel" stoves. I have a couple 425's, a 413 and a 426 all stacked up in the garage. Thanks for sharing!
5 years ago a new one was $100 .
Now my 50 year old one or one like it is $300 used and dirty on ebay .
But i bought a coleman 533 single burner new on its way for $55 . Today
In the Uk Colemans White gas is expensive,£9.99 a litre, Paraffin(kerosene) is a lot better, £9.99 for 4 litre BUT Holts Brake cleaning fluid which is pure naphtha is £11.50 for 5 litres so I use The Holts brake cleaning fluid and its as good as Coleman's fuel(white gas).
I collect and repair these Colman stoves. I know it seems strange, but people throw these out at our local trash transfer station. Thanks for the instruction.
Hi, i need a fuel tank with its generator for mine, would you help me?
Very interesting idea with these stoves. Just got another 525 stove yesterday at a flea market for 10 dollars. Like brand new still. Gonna try this🇺🇸👍
I use odorless mineral spirits in al my "kerosene" lamps. Try it in your Coleman. I think you'll like it!
I'll be worried when I stop learning from your channel, man. Another great video.
Years ago we had a Jungers fuel oil heater in our house. A starter fluid like for starting a charcoal grill was used to pre-heat the elements.
Thank you.! My dad used to have an old stoddard two burner, similar to coleman, I like the utilisation of kerosene because I feel it is safer than white gas, or unleadded gas. My dad used to refinish furniture in a bigger than 55 gal drum and he used a kerosene stove. You have given me confidence to go ahead and buy an old coleman stove. I boughtt one years ago but had heard white gas stoves were known to explode. So i never used it. Thank you again, and what model number again? Is best for this conversion to kerosene? Bless your soul, I may just get to eat ham and eggs outside anyway! Youve made my day! ILL TRY IT MAY TAKE A WHILE TO LOCATE ONE, BUT IT SOUNDS MUCH SAFER THAN WHITE GAS, AND KETOSENE IS MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE! MAY GOD BLESS, I THINK YOUVE JUST GIVEN ME COOKING INDEPENDANCE.! BLESS YOU, I REALLY NEEDED TO SEE THIS VIDIO.😅
Thanks for this! I'll be trying this with diesel. Around here, pump kerosene is not at many gas stations, and it is currently over $6 a gallon. Gasoline is about $2.60 and diesel around $3. For indoors use, kerosene is king.
Flames around the whole pot is really overfiring and if done a lot can warp your stove cabinet. Read that on a camp stove. But I get that this was a demo. Thank you for this hack and mod. The more you know the more you can do and get thru. I always wanted a way to use kerosene, jet, and just maybe diesel. For cooking.
Coleman 'suitcase' stoves are very adaptable and reliable! White gas, UNLEADED auto gas, propane (whith adaptor), kerosene (with mods), and some alcohol fuels.
I have used these stoves for a long time but never thought to try Kerosene (of course, before C19 we did not have a lot of jell type disinfectant around). Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the Video Jiujitsu2000. I bet this technique would also work with the Coleman 550b stoves with the kerosene generator installed. It takes a lot of heat to warm up the burner box and generators on those bad boys. I use a Propane torch, attached to a 1LB Propane canister to warm up the burner box and generator before I open the valve to introduce kerosene to the generator. I usually have the stove all pumped up using a bicycle pump with the Coleman stove bicycle pump adapter cap...before I start the priming process with the propane torch. This method seems to work but I like your idea of adding the copper wire to the generator. Cheers to you and your channel!
Another grate video, Thanks. I found out , proved it at least 3 times, that you can flood whole "defuser" badly if you open supply too soon without preheating enough
I've done this with several Coleman 2-burner stoves over the years. Another dodge is to get some cotton balls, methyl hydrate or other alcohol, and a bit of petroleum jelly (not water-based gel). Mix up alcohol and petroleum jelly, then soak the cotton balls. Store these in a sealed fuel-proof container, and fasten it inside the stove for transport with 2 more pieces of copper wire. Remove before lighting ! (That also gives two pieces of copper wire to replace the one wrapped on the generator).
My Dad was an outfitter, and his method was to make a shallow metal dish from one end of a tomato paste tin. That hung under the generator from 2 wire hooks, or (getting fancy) could be cut as one piece with a metal strip at each side cut from the sides of the tin. The strips folded over to make hooks that hung the shallow dish under the generator. This would hold a little liquid alcohol, or saturated cotton ball, or a blob of Sterno. He'd unhook it after pre-heating. The tomato-paste can is readily available, about the right size and simple to make. Alcohol gel is certainly easier, but sometimes not available. Thanks for posting.
I wrote simillar comment and imagined someone not thinking small is like a ping pong ball then edited it down
I have a 1950s pressure lantern that I will use diesel with a bit of 91% isopropyl alcohol in the diesel and the alcohol by itself as a primer. I get heat and lots of light. It burns the mantle fine . The oil in the diesel keeps the seal in the pump, made of leather, from drying out
I have had great luck running these stoves on regular pump gas regardless of whether it is the dual-fuel model or not. Around here I don't really see the point in running kerosene with the need to preheat and kero being twice the price of gasoline.
Supplement to my previous post. Just saw the lives stream and your explanation about this being a post just for the info and not necessarily a promotion to use kerosene. I agree it is good info to know in case kerosene is all you happen to have for fuel ! My bad ! Thumbs up , subbed ! Looks like I have some old vids to catch up on ! Thanks
I use kero mixed with white gas, like that jug of Keri with 1-2 cups of white gas/gasoline. It starts fine, is he'll of a lot less explosive and has higher energy density than gasoline alone
This is a great vid ! I've assembled
A collection of 4 old stoves of various models to rehab. Definitely going to give this a try.
Thanks for that piece of knowledge man. The copper wires a great addition. Take care brother
Excellent video - I watched because I am looking for prepping ideas & being on a budget it's looking economical to use kerosene for cooking, heating & lighting in emergency situations. When the post Christmas sales arrive I will buy a propane & liquid fuel Coleman stove plus a kerosene heater.
I bought a single burner chines stove with the generator tube over the burner and it has 3 nozzle sizes for gasoline , diesel and alcohol . Alcohol hole is noticeably biggest and the diesel nozxle fuel jet looks the smallest . I only used gasoline so far in it .
Yeah looking at it the Alcohol jet hole looks huge compared to the gas or diesel fuel jet hole . Not as big as bailing wire . But about 1/32nd inch .
Hi from Syracuse NY brother and thank you for sharing your thoughts and adventures
Wow! I've converted a Coleman lantern to kerosene and it works wonderful. Never once thought to use it in the stove though. This is a great idea for when you run out of white gas.
How did u do it?
@@Bucky1836 Lots of videos on UA-cam. I purchased a kerosene generator and an alcohol cup that fits around the new generator. Very simple, check out a few.
@@bayoubees9447 ive got 6 butterflys 🤣
amazing! my coleman propane takes a lot longer to get the same amount of water to boil like that! Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the video, I have not tried the copper wire trick, so I will retest. I did not have success with Kerosene, but I did have great success with something called the "Amish Mix".
Heck yea! Kerosene has a lot of BTUs! 👍🏻
Even so, I prefer to run my Coleman stoves with Coleman fuel. Of course, it’s more expensive than kerosene.
Right on brother. People need to know this stuff.
Glad to see ya back dude! Hope all is well!
Who knew. You nailed another one. Thanks
Wow, NICE IDEA!!! i am not super keen on petrol as a fuel i much prefer kerosene/parraffin , ive bought a few gasoline stoves but found coleman fuel to expensive to be viable here in the UK , so i switched out and bought some Naptha , only issue is this stuff is kinda volatile still.. so I have been wondering if i could get some of these whitegas stoves to burn nice safe parrafin/kero instead. your mod looks very intesting and i might try it on a Motor Sich Pt-2 to see if it can stabilize it on kero, i just dont trust the thing on naptha, interestingly the Jet size for white gas and kerosene are near identical....
Great video and great information.. I had the opportunity to get one of those stoves last week… I passed it up
I honestly thought Coleman fuel was just kerosene. Thank you for this.
I have 3 now. My father's 3 Burner (And stand) from the mid 70's and a pair of two burners that I use regular gas in. They are my apocalyptic backup that the younger generation is clueless about. Try getting a propane refill after a disaster. Ain't gonna happen. I have just gone through a 24-hour power outage in below-freezing temperatures with ease. My gasoline generator failed me (Old gas) but my reliable woodstove kept me toasty and cooked my dinners without breaking out the trusty Colemans. Our grandparents would be proud.
I recently watched a video of the impurities in unleaded gasoline. White gas is an engineered gas and burns cleaner than gas from the pump for sure.I would be curious how clean the kerosene is. It is used as jet fuel so I’m pretty confident its way cleaner than gasoline ( from the pump) and I can’t wait to give this a try. I do think it would be interesting to find out. Great video, I like camping and appreciate these types of video. 👍
Hey, Harold, I've used kerosene in camping stoves designed for kerosene only when I thought I might have to use a stove inside a tent because of the cold or bad weather. More smelly and more difficult to prime, but it seemed a lot safer than dealing with a more volatile fuel like gasoline in a pressurized tank. I've never seen any build up in a stove like a model Optimus 00 backpacking stove. Straight kerosene is a pretty clean fuel.
Moreover, it is the favored fuel for cooking in the developing world. I've rarely seen gasoline used for cooking stoves, but I often saw kerosene used for household cooking in pressure stoves in dozens of countries.
Some say kerosene drips into the coleman stove . In the bottom .
Would you use this same method with aviation fuel, jet fuel and kerosine are simply a higher grade of diesel fuel.
Can “Cole-man” be happy as a crispy¿
Excellent video! I am going to test this and hopefully use it on my single burner 550 as well. Thanks!!
Thank you I personally don't know if the generator on A 550 is as forgiving as these. I'd recommend picking up a spare just in case it's not
I replaced the top plate on the primary burner with a 2 3/8” freeze plug to use as an alcohol pan. (Part # 2386R.T on ebay).
Very nice idea. 👍 I also use alcohol for pre-heating Coleman stoves.
I have two different models of those old liquid fuel ones. I'll have to give this a try.
Wondering how well it works while winter camping in Colorado.
Might not vaporize on the colder days
Don't use them anymore but back in the day a friend of mine showed me that AMOCO high test gasoline worked just like the expensive canned stuff.
Yes but do i have to wrap the copper wire around the generator?
Very interesting and I love when people think outside the box.
Just the information I was looking for. I have one of those suitcase Colemans, and have been wondering about alternative fuels!
I have quite a few 4 quart containers of kerosene for my lanterns, and this information helps me amalgamate my resources!
How in the world did you figure out how to do that.great video
I'm seeing a fair amount of discussion here about using fuels other than kerosene as alternative fuel in a Model 425-type camping stove versus regular Coleman fuel. So I will add one more: CHARCOAL LIGHTER FLUID sold under many brand names. For non-American/Canadian readers, it's the stuff they sell in grocery stores by the pint or quart here to fire up charcoal BBQ grills. It's usually advertised on the bottle as 'odorless'. They lie, but it is not nearly as stinky as regular kerosene. We are not talking about the Ronson-type Zippo cigarette lighter fluid here. That is almost pure naphtha and it is very volatile.
I'll start with the disadvantages. It's expensive and only available in small quantities. I tend to buy mine at the end of the summer when the grocery stores sometimes have closeout sales for reasonable prices. It also typically comes in a spray nozzle bottle intended to saturate a bed of charcoal. So you will definitely need a funnel to fill a fuel tank with it.
Also, it is slightly more volatile than kerosene. Still, it needs to be primed just like kerosene. If you are using it in one of those camping stoves that is actually designed for kerosene, that must be taken into account, since there is also a slightly higher possibility of self-pressurization than with kerosene.
So why bother with charcoal lighter fluid at all? Well, as Jiujitsu2000 suggests, using a kerosene substitution in a gasoline stove, is something you would only want to try if you have a prolonged power outage and you need to cook stuff or boil water to sterilize it and you cannot get hold of some 'real' Coleman fuel. I can see a grocery store selling out of Coleman fuel or propane pretty fast in a civil emergency and gasoline stations not having the electricity to pump their fuel, but charcoal lighter fluid might still be on the shelves long after the other fuel alternatives have run out. And you are probably not going to need that much to get through a disaster.
So, onto the the advantages of using charcoal lighter fluid in a Coleman 425-type stove. Less smell. A little bit more volatility (a good thing in this situation). A cleaner fuel substitute -- something I might tolerate burning indoors, although I'm really leery of burning pressurized liquid fuels indoors, even in an emergency. If you spill some while refueling, the odor is less likely to linger if you spill a drop or two.
Basically, this stuff seems to be kerosene with most of the aromatics taken out of the mix. I looked up the flash points of both fuels. That's a measure of their volatility. Basically, it is how high the temperature of the fuel will have to be to get a match to set it alight For both fuels, if you drop a match onto them, they will not light at room temperature. Try it yourself if you have doubts. Their typical flashpoint ranges overlap, but kerosene is typically less volatile.
I like charcoal lighter fluid so much better than kerosene, that I regularly use it in my kerosene camping stoves because it is easier to prime and light, and because it smells less.
As to Jet Fuel A, I am less enthusiastic with that as a substitute for kerosene. Not because of the volatility, which I think is the same as regular kerosene, but I've read it has a few sophisticated chemicals in it used to prevent problems with jet engines firing at extreme altitudes and temperatures. I've never tried using it. And I don't know what is added to that fuel, but I don't want to be breathing it's exhaust fumes. With regular-grade gasoline, the added chemicals can't be that bad or the EPA would not be allowing it in motor fuel where we are all breathing the exhaust up close. I was glad to see them banning ether as a gasoline additive some years ago -- and lead well before that.
There are lots of other substitute fuels possible for use in one of the 425 stoves such as citronella lamp oil or #1 or #2 diesel, but I see little point in trying these less-volatile fuels when straight automotive fuel is so readily available and works so well as a substitute for Coleman fuel when it can be simply siphoned out of a car's gas tank for a reasonable cost.
One last thought if anyone were considering trying it. You cannot substitute a 426 multi-fuel generator for a 425 generator in a 425 stove as an upgrade for the better burning of automotive gasoline. I've tried that. It will not fit. That 426 generator has a nice brass fitting on one end designed to absorb the flame heat better and improve the vaporization of the automotive fuel before it passes into the burner -- just like Jiujitsu2000 and I did with our added copper coil trials.
I wonder if using some brazing to connect the wire to the tube might not improve the heat transfer .
How long would you say it takes to prime it?
IF YOU PLAN TO DO THIS: i recommend wrapping the internal generator coil in #60 brass mesh. this slows the flow of liq kero so it can vaporize better. this is a common practice for coleman lanterns. you will notice jujitz stove on HIGH is spewing orange yel flame....that is poor vaporization. only cure is a smaller jet orfice OR slowing down fuel in the gen.
I had a dual fuel and commercially fished. Very handy when it’s cold. Burnt gasoline from my outboard for years
Do you know why Fuel tanks for that dual are so hard to get? I am struggling to get one
I’ve always liked anything old like this and wanted to buy one for my cabin , once I saw the price of the Coleman naptha camp fuel here in Canada I gave up on it , now seeing this I will probably get one
At Canadian tire a gallon of camp fuel is $30 and about the same price for 2 gallons of kerosene so hopefully it will be more efficient
also burn denatured alcohol with pre heat very clean burn!
Their used to be some gasoline tractors which were made with burning kerosene or diesel as an option in mind, which were started in a similar fashion, when they used kerosene or diesel. It was a long time ago, and it was for when there were shortages of gasoline. I think, that there was also a kit for a Model T automobile.
Skeet, that was an amazing tip. Thank You for sharing.
I am looking at a Coleman 431 Easi-Lite. Is there anything different in the valve that would preclude me from using Kerosene
sweet. did you do a boil test on white gas also just to see how that stove did on that? I just got a 550 and plan on testing to see whether one fuel is hotter than the other.
I have tried mixing kerosene/white spirit with a small amount of white gas, about 3 to 1 on a small FMS f-5 camping burner, it works well, pure kerosene does not produce a blue flame, besides some kerosene pours down and may ignite. I also think that mixed fuel will work for example on a trip when you have gasoline left in the tank, but you find diesel, pure diesel burns much worse than kerosene and gives a lot of soot and yellow flame
I never had any kerosene anyway . But yellow is funny . Wood might be cheaper
Another great video thanks… I am wondering if you think that this can be done using DIESEL as a fuel source? In a grid down situation DIESEL could be found easily…just wondering what you think! And it stores pretty good to!
Thanks again 👍🇺🇸
Kerosene, diesel and jet fuel are all basically the same. But most kerosene is descented is all.
You would need to add a solvent to decrease the viscosity of diesel. It will also burn with a bad smell. I cook on a diesel stove outside when camping.
Dsl..kero..bad smells? Get over it! Just VENTilate like ya suPPOSED to do.
Great idea! Thanks Skeet for Sharing this video with us!
Vie 💚
Hmmm... I guess I'll be out in my shed setting things on fire tomorrow. Cost wise, I've found that burning regular pump gas is the cheapest option. I do keep a bit of white gas (Coleman Fuel) on hand for cleaning the crap gas residue out before long term storage. Run all the pump gas out, add a few ounces of Coleman fuel and run until the ethanol junk is gone. Actually, I do the same thing with my lawn mower and snow blower.
Aspen 4T Alkylate fuel is also great for long term storage.
I'm going to armchair quarterback a little bit and say you're losing heating efficiency by turning up the fuel supply past that pretty Blue Flame point. Something I was taught about Oxy/ Acetylene torch setting. Your Blue flame is hottest.
Yep I agree, any flame that licks up the side of the pot is wasted energy, I’m pretty sure that goes with all camping stoves. Mind you still a great video 👍 Kind regards from deepest Dorset England 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Great presentation so glad to know my old stove can burn 🔥 kerosene.
Well that depends on what's burning as well. Blue is not the hottest flame. In fact it's the lowest, then yellow, then orange then white. The torch thing is the tip of that blue flame or any flame that is the hottest area of that flame. White is the hottest, hence the need for protection of the eyes. Also don't look at the sun for the same reason. Blue is not the hottest, it's the very apex tip and if you'll notice it starts to get super light blue. Almost white
But more fuel burning got it to boil in 3.5 minutes . Thats fast as a 220 volt big commercial microwave .
Cool video. I never gave it much thought about using multi fuel. Have a small portable hiking stove that is multi fuel, the difference is that I need to change the jet to run kerosene. White gas vaporizes much easier, I wonder if you were able to unscrew the nozzle at he end, or change the needle in the generator end. Something to play with over the winter if I can dig my old stove out of storage.
If you switch back to white gas, can you leave the copper wire on?
Yes!
You should try burning vodka or other high proof drinking alcohols! See if its possible!
Interesting hack. Not sure other than the flammability issues why you'd want to use K-1 kerosene. It's about the same price as Coleman white gas, here. K-1 went crazy with pricing some yrs back. I have some excellent kerosene room heaters that just sit unused because of the fuel price. Price is high even at the bulk plants.
Shortages
Could you do this with the single burner stoves.. like the 533?
the major drawback to me would be spills ( it happens), kerosene lingers quite a bit loner than gas, otherwise good to know in a pinch👍
I use pump gas. It's pretty intense the first couple times you light it. But it burns fine.
Good job, buddy!
Kerosene is truly a great fuel. It produces the most heat per volume and if it spills it’s less likely to catch fire
How about trying this with charcoal lighter fluid?
Excellent idea,,, will do!
Diesel fuel is less combustible but easier to find, can you demo that ? .. I usually mix diesel and stove fuel together and it works good.
Thanks!
Very Cool! 😎 Merry Christmas My Friend!
Thank you, Merry Christmas brotha
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing. New sub.
I have a 4m stove ive tried to run on kerosene. It always pools fuel in the mixing chamber after the generator. Ends up pooling and catching fire. I had the idea of swapping generators with more modern and available stove generators. Have you experimented with anything like that?
Can you use a torch to preheat?
Yes
how much black soot is left on the pan?? is there any residue left after the kerosene is burnt??
Dam long time no see brother I watched all your reloading/casting videos brother thanks 🙏 for doing them
Could you do this trick on the single burner coleman stoves?
Thanks buddy. Great info. I have 3 of them. Even an old 3 burner.
You can also use a reg store baught torch
My old Coleman kerosene lantern had a pre heater cup on the generator
I did not thank of that I have always use unlead gas in mine they said u could not do that to but I have doing it for over 40 yrs I try to look out of the box but some time time I get stuck good luck to u thank u for the info
My little MSR WhisperLite International stove burns white gas, gasoline, jet fuel and kerosene. Kerosene would not do any harm using it in this Coleman stove. I might try a mixture of 70% white gas and 30% kerosene and see how that would perform in my old Coleman 425.
I did this and it worked splendidly. Do any engineers or scientists want to comment on what’s happening here? My hunch is the copper wire with all the surface area, redirects more of the burner heat into vaporizing the fuel stream, than the stock white gas/gasoline configuration. I tried denatured alcohol fuel also as an experiment but it wouldnt stay lit.
Keep the flame UNDER the pot. @ 8:14 is where the stove should be run.
As for dsl fuel..I suspect one MAY have to use a tiny , cheap little 12volt air pump with a variable-output burner "assist" tube ring! Just a little scrap of 1/4"...etc. bent circularly, & tiny holes drilled. Mount closely. Attach air pump with either electronic speed control or heck..be cheap & wire small dc lite bulb in series to control air speed. Light first beFORE air pump on... to give that heavy oil fire a CHANCE to "wick-burn" using the steelwool "wick"..then SLOWly turn up air flow. Probably wont need much. A furnace..it aint! So start it all GENTly.
Wow, that's pretty amazing. I did not know that!
What is the model number and description of the generator which runs the stove on propane? I have a model 424 stove. I saw JUJITSU2000's video about it and also a comment below. Great idea. Please advise.
I wonder if a multi-fuel generator would work better. I know they make kits to swap out the parts. I am not sure but I think the main difference is the opening diameter at the end of the generator that makes it multi-fuel.
What was it burning/running on before it got hot/you turned on the Kerosene? (Also will this work with Diesel instead of Kerosene?) Given its much the same just slightly more viscous as far as I know but pretty similar and as I have a diesel BMW it's fair to say it's not hard to buy an extra couple of litres in a Jerry can while at the pump..
Good video but lost me half way through where you cut the video in middle though as went from waiting for it to heat up to running on kerosene so didn't see a transition or what you were burning before the kerosene to warm it up?
Cheers from London England 👍😎🏴
he heated the generator up by lighting hand sanitizer gel on fire to heat up the generator and then allowed some kero in to help heat the generator.
Running Diesel will gum up the generator tube in a very short time due to all the additives.
@@The411source?
If you leave the end of the wire long and extend the end into the burner flame, it will transfer more heat into the tube making it more efficient. I have also done this on stoves with a wire surrounding the fuel tank to increase performance. Be Careful!
Would that work with diesel?
just got me hands on one, £50, going to try this,
Excellent
I tried this in a 1980s vintage single burner Coleman based upon the old military M50 Coleman. It's rated for White gas only, but the one time I tried refined kerosene it quit even lighting white gas after emptying out the kero. Any suggestions?
Disassemble and boil the parts in Vinegar.
@@johnwyman6126 Thanks for the instructions. I'll give that a try.
☕😎👍🏕️