shagaKahn Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Was told "Esbit" fuel is hexamine and have been trying it in a purple strobe comp. It comes in little rectangular hunks and I've been using it for decades in a little model steam engine my mom gave me too long ago. Anybody know if it really is pure hexamine? It grinds up nicely to a fine powder that doesn't seem waxy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanbeefjerky Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 (edited) No kidding, esbit is what i use too! you know, im pretty sure esbit was the first brand of hexamine based fuel tablets after a quick little search, i have found that one ingredient, included in esbit is trioxane, which makes fuel tablet easier to light up, since it is generally more flammable that hexamine , kinda like a priming agent. Edited August 14, 2011 by oldmanbeefjerky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potassiumchlorate Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 I love hexamine. Fantastic fuel and flame enlarger. Big minus is that it's not safe to use with chlorates, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timm Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 My hexamine doesn't seem like that great of a fuel for non-pyro applications, maybe i just haven't "gotten after it" good enough, idk. My question is about hexamine versus hexamine nitrate in such products, anyone have any insight into the possible confusion of the two products? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I really have no idea what you're trying to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuzkinaMat Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 the wetter the smellier though, when dissolved it stank 100 times stronger than it did slightly cakey powder Hexamine hydrolyzes in water into formaldehyde and ammonia. I learned that tidbit from Uncle Fester! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timm Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 To clarify my earlier post, my hexamine doesn't seem particularly flammable; It burns when a flame is held to it, but goes out when removed.. It doesn't seem like a particularly valuable solid fuel for heating rations, ect, in non-pyro applications (but i recognize that its characteristics fill a certain niche within the Art). That said, I was wondering if these camper fuel tablet/firestarter products might actually be hexamine nitrate, instead of strait hexamine, which is what I have; This seems plausable, and would actually explain a few things for me personally, like experiments i have tried that did not work out the way i had predicted.. or the hex i ordered not behaving the way those tablets i had years ago did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldguy Posted December 24, 2011 Author Share Posted December 24, 2011 Hexamine fuel tablets consist of hexamethylenetetramine & 1,3,5-trioxane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killforfood Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 (edited) My hexamine fuel tabs evaporated into thin air. They were the military version sealed in green foil packets. One day I was rummaging through some old gear and thought my box of fuel tabs felt awfully light. I tore open one of the foil packets and found nothing but some residual dust. Explain that one to me??? Edited December 24, 2011 by killforfood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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