methol hydrate ok in oven? Firing Your Oven Discuss methol hydrate ok in oven? in the Oven Management forums; I have been starting my fires in my house wood burner with chainsaw shavings soaked in kerosene. I dont want ...

[waynebergman]

I have been starting my fires in my house wood burner with chainsaw shavings soaked in kerosene. I dont want to use this nasty smelling stuff of course in my pizza oven. I was wondering if methol hydrate would be ok. I tested it today and its nice and flamable but not sure if its toxic when ignited.
I will be burning fir and arbutus mostly and like the idea of having something like what I use in the house for the ease of llighting the fire.
Any thoughts out there....wayne

[RTflorida]

I would say no, I am not an advocate of using any kind of accelerant in such an enclosed space (WFO). Maybe one of our resident pyromaniacs can decypher what I found in the attached link. It mentions that wood alcohol (methyl hydrate - methanol) can be quite explosive.....thats more than enough reason for me not to try it.

Fire & Explosions in the Canadian Upstream Oil & Gas Industry - Identifying Fire & Explosion Hazards - Fuel Sources

[dmun]

Fir is a resinous wood, and if split fairly finely should burn like kerosine by it's self. I know some people use gas burners, or parafin fire starters, but I'm a paper and kindling kind of guy.