We live near an Amish community and one of the Amish ladies told us to sew a piece of cloth to one end of the wick. This "extension" will then still be down in the kerosene and as the wick burns shorter you will be able to use all of it.

-- SE Vell (Bell045@aol.com), December 23, 1999

Answers

Thanks! Will do.

Good luck and God Bless

-- Me (me@me.me), December 23, 1999.

Here's a barely related question - I've got a Colemans cooker that runs on kero as well as Coleman's fuel. To use kero, you need to burn what they call a "preheating paste" under the little tube that they call a "generator". Does anyone have a recipe for home-made preheating paste?

-- David M (dzog@plasticine.com), December 23, 1999.

Another way to extend your wicks is to add water to the kerosene lamp. The water effectively raises the oil/kerosene to the level of the wick; have been doing this for years and it works great. For a special effect we color the water with food coloring and use clear lamp oil...real pretty.

-- justme (justme@myhouse.com), December 23, 1999.

I've never heard of a Colemen fuel/kero stove before, nor of pre- heating paste.

Can you tell me the process? I'm guessing that you put some on either the burner, or the bottom of the stove? I wonder if it would work with a dual-fuel Coleman stove?

I don't know what goes into the pre-heating paste, but if all it has to do is sit in place and burn a while, I'd think a chunk of trioxane should do the trick.

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), December 24, 1999.

Davin M

It will not burn as smoke-free as trioxane, but you can make your own paste from white gas and Ivory soap flakes (you need pure soap, not powdered detergent). Mix small portions of approximately equal amounts together and stir into a well behaved paste.

This will keep a long time and is resistant to going out when lit. I carry some in a film can when backpacking and use it for fire starter.

-- Joe (paraflyr@cybernet1.com), December 24, 1999.

Joe, thanks for that. I found the answer - BBQ fire starters. Just shave off a few fragments, about 1/2 a teaspoon's worth, and it does the job fine and burns away to nothing of course.

-- David M (dzog@plasticine.com), December 24, 1999.

Where do you put the starter fire? On the burner? On the inside bottom of the stove?

Tell me! I want to try it on my dual fuel Coleman!

-- Ron Schwarz (rs@clubvb.com.delete.this), December 24, 1999.