BrandoAZ

Cypress, thank you for the information, it helps in my understanding of the process. I am in process now of trying to buy a quantity of the pads from a manufacturer in china through alibaba.com thought that may not be cost effective that said, id still like to figure out a how to create see a more "durable" version of the pad

interesting to know that the catalyst is not consumed, but the problem is that the pads deteriorate and fall apart. They used to be made out of a loose fiber similar to fiberglass, most have changed over to the more solid type pad seen pictured above, but then they still deteriorate and become unusable. It occur to me that that one could use electrolysis to coat fine steel mesh with the catalyst and use several layers of the mesh cut to fit in place of the "pad". But i really don't know enough about how this actually works to know if THAT would work. Can anyone explain the reaction between common lighter fluid and platinum that creates heat without actually burning?( no smell either)

Looking for information on Platinum Catalyst hand warmers, not sure if this is the right place, perhaps someone can direct me. My wife has used "peacock" style hand warmers for some time, they use lighter fluid and a platinum infused pad to produce a catalytic reaction that produces heat. the catalyst pads "wear out" so to speak and need to be replaced. I am curious if there is a simple way to just make my own. they look like this: and are inserted into this piece( which is placed on top of a unit that contain cotton batting that soaks up lighter fluid): the reaction is started by holding a flame close to but not igniting the pad for about 10 seconds. Any ideas on how to go about creating these little pads? i thought i may be able to use felt infused with ta catalyst....where can i get the catalyst?