Arts, Craft & Skills

1860

Burning fluid, best in use

Take nine pints of 95 or 98 per cent. alcohol, and put in one qt. of good camphene and shake it briskly, and it will at once become clear, when without the shaking it would take from six to seven quarts of alcohol to cut the camphene.

These proportions make the best burning fluid which can be
combined. Many put in camphor gum, alum, &c. the first to improve its burning qualities, the last to prevent explosion, but
they are perfectly useless for either from the fact that camphor
adds to the smoking properties, and nothing can prevent the gas
arising from any fluid that will burn, from explosion if the fire
gets to it when it is confined, then the only safety is in filling
lamps in day time, or far from fire or lights; and also to have
lamps which are perfect in their construction, so that no gas may
leak out along the tube, or at the top of the lamp; then let who
will say he can sell you a recipe for non-explosive gas or fluid,
you may set him down at once for a humbug, ignoramus, or knave.
Yet you may set fire to this fluid if not confined, and it will not
explode, but will continue to burn until all is consumed. Families cannot make fluid any cheaper than to buy it, as the profit
charged on the alcohol is usually more than that charged on
fluid; but they will have a better article by this recipe than they
can buy, unless it is made from the same, and it is best for any
one, even the retailer, only to make small quantities at a time,
and get the freshest camphene possible. When made in large
quantities, even a barrel, unless sold out very soon, the last part
is not as good as the first from the separation of the camphene
from the alcohol.