Question about jon-e handwarmer.....

[teddyeddy33]

are these thingys supposed to cotton inside thbottom part? well like i said i got this thing at a garage sale, i know it works b/c i did it once and it worked, but now i cant get it to light. i noticed that mine doesnt have a wick either like shown in all the pix. but it does have a butt-load of cotton in the fuel container. im really a rookie on these things and i dont know what im doing so if someone could help me out that would be great, thnx

[Chris@Pack44]

Teddy: I believe the unit you've purchased is intact. I received one of these as a gift 30 years ago. It was basically a flask full of cotton with the small oval cap, containing a screed, that fits on top. There was no wick used back then. You just filled the unit with lihgter flid (as was used in old cigarette/cigar lighters) by squirting the cotton with lighter fluid. You then placed the cap back on top and held a flame to the screen and the thing was lit. There never was a flame to be seen, and I never knew if it was lit until about 10 minutes later when I either felt the heat being produced or found that no heat was being produced, which meant that I needed to light it again.

 

I was always amazed that the blasted flask didn't burst into flames or ignite like a kerosene lantern, but it didn't. I could fill it, light it, then place it in it's cloth bag and stay warm all day. On the coldest days I wore insulated coeveralls and placed the jon-E at the base of my back between the belt holding up my jeans and my shirt (althought I don't recommend doing that today). That kept me toasty even in the coldest weather.

 

I hope this helps. Good luck, and stay warm. And above all, be careful!