Optimus 111

Discussion in 'Stove Forum' started by Sparky, Apr 30, 2010.

  1. Sparky

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    Thanks, I took the leather cup off and discovered there was nothing but pump rod behind it. Now, the tool looks easy enough to make but how wide is the slot? What diameter should the tool rod be? Thanks again to all for your patience.
     
  2. dday

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    Hi Sparky,
    I made mine from an old 3/8" ratchet extension. I first cut 1" off the end, then I made the opening about 5mm wide and 4mm deep, but probably could have got away with 4.8mm wide as my nrv was a bit boogered up to begin with. Make sure you soak the NRV down with penetrating oil for awhile before trying to remove it. It will help when you go to pull it. When you get the tool made, try a 3/8" ratchet or breaker bar with a little pressure at first. The NRV is made of Brass and you DO NOT want to snap the head off. On a few stoves, a hand ratchet wouldn't work, so I resorted to a air ratchet with gradual pressure until it backed right out. Good luck and just take it slow, you don't want to break anything.
     
  3. rik_uk3

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  4. Sparky

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    Again my thanks for the many patient and helpful comments. The seller said he put a new tip over the old tip on the NRV but did not replace the spring. He did clean out the tank and plumbing. I may work on the NRV under the watchful eye of a more experienced fettler soon. The comment about the pot size was significant. I used a 6" diameter 8 cup coffee pot with a lid and the 111 boiled TWO cups of 70F water in 3.5 minutes. My new Coleman 533 did it in the exact same time so I am going to jump to the conclusion they have about the same heat output: 10,000 BTUs. I flared the end of the restrictor made for Coleman fuel so it would not slide down to cover the jet and tried to run with that in place: no go, still a big lazy flame so I took it out. I am at the point where I am just going to go use the stove and enjoy it!
     
  5. Sparky

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    I forgot to mention my little 8R did the 2 cup boil with the coffee pot in 5.5 minutes with 3 pumps from my A&H midipump. I was pleased with that.
     
  6. Knight84

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    The 533 if I remember correctly is rated at 10500 BTUs Great stove !

    Enjoy the 111!

    Cheers,
    Jeff
     
  7. -/-

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    Why not use a battery hand drill they have adjustable torque?
     
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  8. Sparky

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    You are correct, 10.5K BTU's. This stove can be bought at Walmart Stores for $29.95 on sale. Yes, nice, hot, reliable stove. My spousal unit made a denim draw-string bag for it to keep it from getting banged up. We use it when we canp to heat water for coffee while the flapjacks are cooking on the stove. Gonna bring the 111 next time. I have a Coleman 2 burner gasoline stove from the early 70's somewhere in my storage locker, too. Gotta go find it.
     
  9. dday

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    Hi Sparky,
    Pretty decent time on the 111 boil and I can understand wanting to leave well enough alone, but as you get into stoves like i'll bet you do, you will begin to tinker and I'll bet you eventually get the NRV removed from your 111. The seller stated that he put a new pip over the old nrv pip, so you are probably not building the pressure in the tank that your stove could be making, therefore not the maximum power the stove is actually capable of producing. I am sure it will work, but you could gain more pressure (BTU's) if you (1) remove the NRV (2) dismantle the nrv (3) replace the current nrv that is actually the original with the included piece of nitrile sheet over the top (4) see if you can find someone (maybe here on CCS) with a spare NRV brass cup (the cup holds a rubber pip, but I'll bet yours doesn't have a brass cup and only a molded rubber pip) and (5) replace the nitrile rubber NRV pip into the brass cup. If you get to that point, feel free to PM me and I'll send you several nitrile rubber pips to install into your brass holder. There are two different types of NRV pips. It seems that some optimus 111T's had a molded pip that fit directly onto the nrv spring. These types of pips are hard to duplicate. The kind of nrv pip I prefer is the type with a little brass cup that holds a piece of nrv nitrile rubber. This type is the easiest to replace if it becomes hard. Just my two cents and if you decide to move ahead with the nrv removal, feel free to ask for help. There is a wealth of knowledge here on CCS. Have a good evening.
    Dan
     
  10. dday

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    Hi Henrik,
    A battery operated drill would probably work just as well :clap: , but I just prefer my 3/8" air ratchet along with a air pressure regulator to adjust the pressure. I've encountered three NRV's (two radius 43's and a optimus 111 roarer), which I soaked in Brute Blast penetrating oil for a week, that would not budge with a hand ratchet or breaker bar. My last resort on them was an air ratchet starting at 30 lbs pressure and slowly increasing pressure. In each case, the air ratchet eventually broke them free with no damage whatsoever to the nrv brass head. I think it has alot to due with the instant torque that a drill or ratchet makes from their stored energy. When using a T wrench or ratchet the torque is not applied instantly and I think you stand more of a chance at damaging the nrv head or rounding the head off. I've had great luck with this method, but everyone has their own methods :) .
    Dan
     
  11. -/-

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    My point with the hand drill is that the torque adjustment works 100% like an air ratchet. When the dialed torque is reached a camming takes over and repeated strokes are dealt to the NRV.
    The opposite effect of dialing torque to avoid screws countersinking themselves deeply into the wood/drywall.
    Just that more people have a battery drill that an air ratchet, thats all.
     
  12. dday

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    Hi Henrik,
    Excellent point. I agree with you 100% that adjustable drills are much more common than air ratchets and worth considering when you get a stuck nrv. I have a 18V Milwaukee cordless drill and may try it out the next time I get a stuck nrv, but in all honesty I hope I never get another stuck NRV [-o< . I do not even want to think about rounding the head of one off as I am a terrible solderer ](*,) . Take care,
    Dan
     
  13. Sparky

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    Dan, you may be correct. However, I can open the valve up after pumping and blow the flames out. They float beyond the burner cap for a while, then just go out. To a Noob like me, that appears to be adequate pressure but please correct me if I am wrong.
     
  14. dday

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    Hi Sparky,
    What I normally do to make sure the pump is building pressure is make sure the control valve is turned clockwise in the off position, remove the tank cap, place my big fat thumb over the filler opening, and then give the pump about three or four strokes while keeping a seal with my thumb over the filler opening. If your pump is building good pressure, you will hear and also feel with your thumb the escaping air coming from the tank. If all looks good, your 111 should be building decent pressure. I guess what I was originally trying to say regarding the seller putting a new piece of rubber over the old nrv is that it may reduce the amount of air that the pump can push into the tank. The reason being is that now the nrv pip is 1.5mm -2mm longer than the original, which will require more pressure to get the tank to maximum pressure. I guess it would be the same if you used a original nrv pip along with a longer or stiffer nrv spring. I hope that made sense :-k . I'm not very good at communicating what I am thinking :-# .
     
  15. Sparky

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    Dan, I understood what you were saying and I ran your thumb test. Lots of hiss when I let it go so I guess it pressurizes OK. I will fix the NRV soon, however.

    Thanks,
    Bob
     
  16. Sparky

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    OK, new information on the 111T. I took the burner "domes" off the the burner and shined a light from the side at the jet. I moved the cleaning rod up and down. It appears that the hole is much larger than the cleaning rod. Is this typical of the triple fuel jets? Do I need to go buy another jet? Could an enlarged jet account for low burner output? Inquiring minds want to know.... :doh:
     
  17. Knight84

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    Could be a enlarged jet or just a kerosene pricker needle. What jet do you have on now? The "M" jet I take it.

    I seem to remember mine being the same way

    Jeff
     
  18. Sparky

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    This is the T model with a jet that will burn kerosene or white gas. The only other jet I received was one for alcohol.
     
  19. dday

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    Hi Sparky,
    It might sound crazy, but compare the alcohol jet you have on hand with the one on the stove. They both might be the same (alcohol). The seller may have mistakenly given you two alcohol jets, but it seems like it would be kind of out of control if you tried burning coleman fuel of kerosene with it, so maybe you just have a worn out M jet :?: . The multifuel jets that I received from the seller you bought your stove from came with no markings on the top of the jet, so yours might be the same. My multifuel jets accept the cleaning needle pretty snug for reference. Please keep us posted on your progress.

    Dan
     
  20. Sparky

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    I am in a muddle here. The instructions say DO NOT USE THE ALCOHOL TIP WITH GASOLINE (emphasis theirs). The tip I have in there now does burn fairly well; I have a picture taken of the flame from the side and it does flare up over the level of the pot supports similar to the photo posted above. Maybe I will leave things alone for now and when I know more about fettling, I will address it.