Is it a good idea to grind Esbit fire tabs?
Esbit tabs can't be lit with a firesteel, unless you grind (produce a powder) some of the tab up first (here's a video about how to do that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHRmWVitRyE). A firesteel is much safer than matches or a lighter in my opinion, as it can hardly (if ever) fail, so I'd prefer a system that allows a firesteel to be used.
So, I am considering grinding the tabs before leaving home, and to store the Esbit it in a suitable strong and tightly closed bottle.
If this would work, It would also have the advantage of being able to dose the amount of fuel you want to use.
But, I don't know how effective may that be in real use. What I feel is, a ground Esbit could be very problematic in case of wind, if you don't protect it properly, a strong gust of wind could blow the dust away. But assuming that there's no wind or you properly sheltered the fuel from the wind:
Is a ground Esbit as effective in producing heat as the intact, un-ground, tabs? Or, if there is a difference, how significant is that?
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/8860. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
A tab ground up to produce a powder will have a higher surface area, therefore the fuel is more readily available for burning, this is why you can light a ground tab using a flint and steel. The flint and steel produces less energy for a shorter period of time than a match or lighter so it needs access to more fuel initially to catch (think of the fire triangle, heat, fuel & oxygen, your not producing much heat so you need more fuel, the ground state allows the fuel to access more oxygen also, your almost starting lost of small fires that require less of all 3 elements...).
The main problem I can see with keeping something in a ground state is that the added surface area also produces more evaporation (the tabs are volatile chemicals that evaporate away over time, that's why when you buy them they're sealed in plastic). So the ground powder is going to become less effective the longer it's in a ground state. How much of an effect this will have will depend; so a bit of trial and error is likely needed.
I'd say your best bet is to grind them at the last minute or use an intermediate material to take the spark off your flint and steel first (tampons are perfect for this, they're compressed cotton wool, unravel them and strike the spark into the cotton, blow carefully into it until the cotton catches then introduce the cotton into your tabs).
Another potential problem with this is the chance of contaminating your food:
Esbit's Material Safety Data Sheet states combustion can create formaldehyde, ammonia, nitrogen oxide, hydrogen cyanide and ingestion may cause nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal disturbances, and kidney damage.
It's easier to get a fine powder accidentally into your food, water, etc. then a solid block so be careful withhow and where you store them
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/8862. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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