Source of chafing gel fuel needed

[Mary Fisher]

This morning we bought something I've wanted for ages - a table top stone grill. Lidl's blurb said it use spirit burners.

The burners aren't what we'd call spirit fuelled (i.e. meths or the equivalent) and there's no wick in them. The instructions say chafing gel fuel must be used. None was provided and Lidl didn't have any when Spouse went back, they'd never had it, didn't expect it coming in nor could they suggest where to buy it.

Google suggests various catering sources which will be a last resort.

Has anyone here any experience of this stuff and where we might be able to get it locally? A camping shop perhaps??

I'm sure someone will know.

I HOPE someone will know!

:-)

Mary

[Aidan]

Costco sell some American camping burner type thing in a can, which I think is a gel can't recall what it's called though.

[HLAH]

What you want is "firegel" Try a local hardware store or somewhere that stocks "new age" junk - lamps, candles etc.

Or you could try Ebay

[Steve Firth]

Makro sell it. We use quite a bit of it, and generally buy it from them in cartons of 24.

[Andy Dingley]

Do you need a doorstop? This thing is disappointingly poor quality. Rather than soapstone it's a cheap marble. You can't cook on it, you can't even carve moulds into it and use it to cast bronze into.

Lidl's burners are pretty rubbish too - not a patch on a Trangia, or even my current favourite a Heineken penny stove (Google it).

OTOH, if you stuff them with suitable wick material, they'll run meths. It needs to be packed fairly high, so as to allow a reasonable vapour cloud around the side holes. Try fibreglass or rockwool loft insulation, with a springy bit of stiff wire mesh to hold it in place. Alternatively, a charity shop fondue set might donate one.

It's dead easy to find, but you might need a time machine. Any big Tescomart at the end of the summer. Look for gel barbecue lighter - probably on bargain offer prices too. Other than that, try an industrial catering supplier, like Pattersons in Bristol.

[Aidan]

I do now;Sterno. The cans are the size of small baked bean tins.

[Mary Fisher]

But I don't have a Costco card :-(

Thanks anyway!

Mary

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[Aidan]

Oh, sad. :-(

Make your own then? Recipe here.

Knew I'd seen it somewhere.

[Mary Fisher]

It looked more like reconstituted stone to me, but that doesn't matter.

We'll see :-)

No, but he could turn it into spindle whorls :-)

If they were rubbish it would be the first time we've bought any of their stuff and been disappointed. For the price it won't have been a tragedy.

That sounds interesting.

I found them (and thought about you) but you had to buy quite a lot. The other place I've got on hold is Nisbets which aren't charging carriage.

These weren't the answers I wanted but interesting nevertheless, thanks, Andy.

Mary

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[Dave Liquorice]

CostCo do a stainless chaffing dish and sell the fuel for them. You'd have to visit to see them and be a member of CostCo or know someone who is. From memory they are a cylinder about 3 to 3.5" dia and 2" high

[Mary Fisher]

Well, I've managed to live so far without one :-)

I went to a Costco once in Washington State. I didn't enjoy the experience. There's one in our city but we haven't bothered ...

Bookmarked, thanks.

Mary

[Owain]

There is a type of gel fuel used in designer "living flame" fires that don't have a mains gas supply or flue.

I suspect they're probably rather pricey from the designer fireplace shops.

The catering places are probably your best bet, although if you ask around your local Indian buffet restaurants you may find some using similar chafing dishes willing to sell or barter some gel.

Owain

[badger.badger]

Canned heat gel at "The Range"...

[Mary Fisher]

That's an idea! We have a LOT of those round here :-)

Thanks,

Mary

[Andy Dingley]

Last time they were about. Today I just bought a crate of clementines for the office.

Put some heat into it and you'll crack it.

You can crack it even faster that way.

Anyone know of a UK source for real soapstone that's bigger and cheaper than Tiranti?

[Mary Fisher]

The marble I use in my oven doesn't crack ...

If it does crack I have plenty more - like the stuff in the oven :-)

No but I'll ask around if you really want ...

Mary

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[Mary Fisher]

Spouse has just seen this and says that we'll try it. If it cracks he'll make spindle whorls from it which will more than make up for the price.

It will make a huge profit.

wonder if they have any left ... ?

Mary

[Andy Dingley]

Expensive way to buy marble though.

[.]

niiiiice.

[Andy R]

The flammable gel stuff was originally called Napalm but, as it brings back memories of their last defeat, the Yanks have renamed it. They stockpiled loads of it for the Iraq war but when one of the brighter members of the administration pointed out that as Iraq is mostly desert so doesn't need 'defoliating', and they could think of no other justification for spraying the stuff onto the populace, they had to find another use for it. Consequently they're subsidising the manufacture of cheap stoves which burn the stuff and disguising it as economic aid to the third world, AIUI Union Carbide has the contract for these in India.

Rgds

Andy R