[bucknutdave]

well im new to the whole live steam scene. i dont have a lot of room to work with so i got a accucraft 3cyl shay so i could run it back and forth pretty slow and still look nice. could someone tell me where i could get cans of butane for my engine and does anyone know of any other live steamers in the Columbus, Ohio area?

 

[voxnut]

Hey Dave!

I'm new to live steam as well by recently finishing a Ruby kit! I buy my cans of butane at my local Ace hardware, but I'm pretty sure any of the larger camping stores would carry them. I have read about trying to avoid super cheap butane because there tends to be a lot of crud in the can that transfers over to your fuel tank and plugs the jet in your loco. I've been buying Max Burton brand by Athena and have had good luck so far.

All the best!
Dean

 

[weaverc]

You can buy large cans of Butane from an Asian (especially Korean) grocery store. They use them in their portable rice cookers. The cans are about a dollar a piece if you buy a case of 16. You will need to use the Accucraft adapter (Gas Adaptor SKU: AP-29204 from the Accucraft web site) with these cans since their spout is short. Put the pointed end in the can spout and the wide end on the gas tank filler valve.

 

[Dwight Ennis]

I also use the butane from the Asian grocery stores. 4 cans for 5 bucks.

 

[linuxhost]

I buy my butane from King Butane.
http://www.kingbutane.com/proddetail.asp?prod=TL1010KG12
Price is $27.00 for 12, 6oz cans

Doug Bronson

 

[Pete Thornton]

any of the larger camping stores would carry them

Dean, Dave,
Be aware that the 'camping gas' ('gaz') sold in those stores is actually a propane/butane mix. You may note that your loco says 'butane only' so you are technically outside the manufacturers recommendations if you use the mix. The problem is that the camping gas mix produces higher pressures in the gas tank, which may split.

On the other hand, many of us use the mix with no reported tank splitting! The mix works better in cold temperatures - butane doesn't want to evaporate easily when it is chilly.

Another (expensive) source for pure butane is your local cigar/smoke shop. They sell big cans for filling lighters.

 

[voxnut]

Thanks Pete-

I remember reading up on this ahead of time, so I've been sure to get cans that only contain butane.

Dean

 

[weaverc]

I use the Butane Propane mix in my K-27 and K-28. I've had no problems with tank failure, but I am careful to bleed off some gas after filling and before running so that no liquid is injected into the burners. I use straight Butane in my Shay, tram and Roundhouse Billy.

The mix I use all year round is Primus Power Gas 2202 in 450 g canisters. It is a seasonal mix of Butane, Iso Butane (highter pressure) and Propane. In the summer, the mix is 20% Propane and in the winter the mix is 30% Propane. So, it's best to buy it in the summer to get the lower pressure cannisters.

The best deal is to get a discount by ordering by the case through a local camping supply store. This way, you don't have to pay the shipping or Hazmat fees. The last case I bought about a month ago was $105 for a case of 12, or $8.75 each. The Primus cans have threads on the valve, so a screw-on adapter is needed to fill your tank. Primus sells a short spouted one, which are usually available where you buy the cannisters.