Has anyone tried to use solid fuel (hexamine) tablets to start a coal stove?

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DonKom
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Baseburners & Antiques: McClary No. 114 base burner w/ oven

Post by DonKom » Sat. Dec. 12, 2020 6:03 pm

The way I usually start my antique baseburner is by starting a charcoal fire and then loading coal on top - and with a draft-inducing chimney fan I can even use starter fluid without any of the fumes getting into the house. It's a nice bonus! However, I've been thinking...

Hexamine (properly called Hexamethylenetetramine) is sold in tiny tablet form for camping stoves. They burn pretty clean but at a temperature of 1300F. Since anthracite typically needs around 600F heat to ignite, it would seem that these little tablets might be a way to start a coal stove. Having said that, I have no reference anywhere to anyone trying it.

So, has anyone tried it? Any success? I suppose their very small size would make it difficult to heat up a firepot quickly, and possibly never reaching the VOLUME of heat required, even though it gets to the needed temperatures.

Thoughts welcome.

 
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Pauliewog
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Post by Pauliewog » Tue. Dec. 15, 2020 11:53 pm

I never tried them but I'm sure they would work. Not sure how cost effective it would be with an average cost of about .75 per tablet.

I would think you would need about 4 tablets in a base burner pot. I bet they would do well starting a stoker.

Paulie


 
lincolnmania
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Post by lincolnmania » Wed. Dec. 16, 2020 12:06 am

tried something similar, did not work. i have a stoker based on a triburner design tho, they are a pain to light.

 
toolman315
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Post by toolman315 » Sun. Apr. 18, 2021 8:20 pm

https://youtu.be/yNa12QjqbZM


might help a way my buddy does it, new to this place and trying to figure out how to post and comment haha

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