How to Make an Unlimited Supply of Gel Fuel

fire-in-the-night

How To Make Gel Fuel With Calcium Acetate:

Making calcium acetate at home: You’ll need crushed chalk (calcium carbonate) and white vinegar (acetic acid). Combine 4 parts vinegar to 1 part chalk and the result will be carbon dioxide, which will evaporate, and calcium acetate and water, both of which will remain. This process smells like rotten eggs, just so you know.

You’ll be left with a solid on the bottom and a liquid on the top. It’s the solid that you want, though you’ll need some of the liquid to make the gel. You’ll need to evaporate 1/2-2/3 of the water out of the solution.

You can do it by placing the solution in the oven for a few hours, sitting it in the sun, or carefully evaporating it on “low” on the stove top. You can also strain it using a cheesecloth or coffee filter.

Making the gel fuel: Combine 9 parts isopropyl alcohol and 1 part calcium acetate.

Stir together and it will instantly begin to gel. Put it in the empty soup cans as described above. Add some water in if you’re using solid calcium acetate that you bought. The ratio, regardless of whether you’re making your own or adding water to store-bought, is about 1 part water to 3 parts calcium acetate.

In a perfect world, no power outage would last more than a few, inconvenient hours.

Almost everyone, however, faces a survival situation that lasts a few days and many face scenarios that last a week or more.

If a survival scenario lasts more than a few hours, fuel inevitably becomes a major issue and that is where fuel gel comes in.

To learn more about fuel gel, check out The Prepper Dome.

Featured Image via Global Sources


21 Comments

  1. Michael Barber said:

    Homemade napalm (like Sterno fuel) = dissolve a whole bunch of Styrofoam into gasoline until it becomes like Jello.

  2. Brandon Davidson said:

    Is there a need for fuel stabilizer I’m that as well if stored for prolonged amount of time?

  3. Steve Herr said:

    For my own use, I take an empty tuna or cat food can, coil a strip of cardboard like a clockspring inside the can, then pour in melted paraffin (Takes about 1/4 pound.) The can fits in foldable camp stoves for Sterno, and burns for about 2 hours.

    Much less mixing and measuring, and the components are available in any grocery.

  4. Terry Lyon-McCarthy said:

    Do you need a wick in something like that, or does the whole facing burn, or what? I like to try this, I’ve got (access to ) all of the components . . .

  5. Christine Michele said:

    If you live in a place where it gets cold and snow storms suddenly occur making travel treturious, it’s wise to carry a can of Fuel Gel in the glove box of your vehicle. If stranded, a can can keep you warm for 4 – 6 hours depending on the type you purchase. Common sense says crack the window a tad for fresh air and safety.

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