Originally Posted by
Duragrouch
It's tiki torch fuel, opened but mostly full bottles dropped off at Goodwill at end of summer, big bottle $1.99. Bought several bottles. The one I have handy does not show content and percentages, but other bottle said about 96% mineral oil, and the rest is natural anti-bug stuff like citronella oil and lemongrass oil. Yes, it sure does evaporate slow, takes a day or two or more after cleaning, which is not a problem as I'm not going to worry about a tiny bit of something that mixes fine with the oil. Also, slow evap makes it super safe, not volatile, I think needs a wick to burn. Excellent chain cleaner, was quite surprised how well it dissolved 75W-90 synthetic gear lube that is well pasted due to suspension of ultrafine steel powder, that's the clue that it's time to clean the chain and relube.
Probably a mislabel by the manufacturer. Mineral spirits and mineral oil are in the same class of compounds with mineral spirits being made up of smaller, more volatile molecules and mineral oil being made up of larger, far less volatile molecules. Think Coleman fuel vs baby oil. Mineral spirits flows better and feeds a wick better than mineral oil would. Both will burn but mineral oil would be a relatively slow, low flame compared to mineral spirits.
An SDS for Tiki/Citronella fuel says that it is mixture of “Distillates (petroleum), hydro treated light” and “Distillates (petroleum), hydro treated middle” of unstated proportions. In layman’s terms it is likely a mixture of mineral spirits and something resembling kerosene. Kerosene is a bit less volatile than mineral spirits which is why it takes a little longer to evaporate.