Methylated spirits as fuel for MSR Dragonfly

It runs well on kerosene although it needs a longer preheat You should have 2 jets. The one marked K will run kerosene and will run fuelite but power will be down, The one marked G will run white gas only. To run meths the mixture needs to be a lot richer. Old Primus stoves achieved this by placing a restricter tube inside the burner to partially starve the flame. You might be able to try experimenting with this but there is no commercial way to run meths. You will use a lot more meths if you get it to work. I have a Dragonfly. Great stove but I got frustrated with noise control turning up every time I lit it. Its a really good stove to take to huts with a party reputation. You use it to make 6am coffee. Unsure if msr bottles are safe with meths. Early ones had an epoxy coating but not all do

I don't know if you're aware, but Quietstove.com in the USA make burner caps for many different stoves which utterly transform your deafening stove to something you and everyone else in a crowded hut can easily live with. No more guilty feeling lighting up in the middle of everyone's sleep or doing a long cook - priceless. I've got one for my Prumus Omnifuel and the noise difference is astounding. And it seems to simmer better. Check them out as they have a ton of videos showing before and after fitting the caps for different model. I still take the normal flame spreader (which it replaces) just in case I lose the burner which just rests on top of the stove.

Re my last post, just check the burner cap is compatible with the fuel you want to use. Mine doesn't like gasoline, even though my Primus can burn it with its normal spreader attached.

I don't think meths will work in liquid fuel stoves which are suited for diesel, white spirits, ptetrol etc. Meths stoves like a small Trangia stoves are simple with little to go wrong.

White gas contains approximately twice the energy of meths (denatured ethanol). So you would have to carry twice the weight of meths as you would white gas for the same heat output. From memory meths is around half the price of white gas so for the equivalent energy you would be spending the same per energy unit regardless if you use white gas or meths - of course with the disadvantage of extra weight/volume of using meths.

Thats where kerosene is good. Its slightly more expensive than meths but the heat value is close to white gas. Also if you spill some on the bench it is very hard to light so the fire risk is lower. Be careful and read the bottle when buying it though. Some brands now sell a solvent grade kerosene which is unsuitable for stoves (high sulphur so it smells and clogs burners) and an alternate product called lamp oil which is the kero we know and love. Other brands sell kerosene which is the real deal and a lamp oil which is a heavier liquid designed for garden wick torches. I tried some of that once and it does not work. Priming didnt get the burner hot enough to vaporize it

I just looked at the Andrews Kerosene but it says its not recommended to use in gas stoves and to use their lamp oil which is $18 for 1 litre from Mitre10, more expensive than fuelite. Is there another brand you could recommend?

Bunnings sell lamp oil under the diggers brand but dont know price. Best bet is look up lubricant wholesalers in your area. They will sell both fulite and burnable kero much cheaper