In article , "Guy King"
says...
The message
from "Rob graham" contains these words:

Leaving all that aside, how does one use propane or butane as solvents,
given that they are actually gases unless they are compressed in a cylinder
thereby rendering them liquid? When you open the cylinder tap, they emerge
as gases.

If you pour 'em out into a jar they'll stay liquid for some time,
merrily boiling away as they absorb energy from the surroundings to
achieve their latent heat of evaporation. During this stage it's quite
possible to use them as liquid solvents, and very effective they can be,
too. You can even use 'em on a rag, provided it's not warm, and of
course, the surface you're cleaning will have to be cold too - but it
soon will be anyway.

I used to spend happy hours wasting the family's supply of Camping Gaz
like this as a kid.


I once acidentally broke the nozzle from a can of lighter gas, and
rather than have it squirt everywhere (or freeze my fingers trying to
stop it) I tipped it into a milk bottle that was handy - then took it
outside and lit it, where it burned like the eternal flame for quite
a while before it all boiled off.