Portable chemical heater

Claim 1

A portable chemical heater comprising: A. a can filled with a liquid fuel and provided at its top with an upwardly protruding neck that is normally closed by a removable screw-on cap and is intergral with the top, said neck being externally threaded to receive said screw-on cap which is provided with a gasket that engages the rim of the neck; B. a small cup-shaped snap-in insert seated within the neck adjacent the rim thereof and provided with a central bore; and C. a wick whose upper end is projected through the boer in the insert and is exposed and whose remaining portion extends into the can and is immersed in the liquid fuel to draw said fuel to the exposed upper end whereby when the wick is ignited, a flame is produced whose heat is concentrated in the region above the exposed end and is not transferred to the can, said wick being formed by a compressible bundle of glass fibers which are compressed within the bore in the insert and has a thickness which effectively seals the can whereby the only liquid discharged from the can is by way of the capillary action of the fibers.