Primus 100

Discussion in 'Stove Forum' started by Colin, Aug 15, 2004.

  1. Colin

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    I've just finished fettling a Primus 100 fitted with a burner of the '96' type - though somewhat larger!
    What a stove. The burner tube needed refitting to the gland nut and I was somewhat alarmed to find that it had previously been soft soldered in position. I had always assumed that silver solder of some type was used for this in view of it's proximity to the heat source. Either they are all like this or my example has received more recent attention. Anyway I reasoned that at this position the tube is probably full of liquid parafin so below the melting or softening point of soft solder. I simply resoldered it. I
    gingerly fired the thing up and enjoyed the roar! I tested the temperature of the solder joint by placing a drop of water on it occassionly and was delighted to find that it didn't even seem to reach 100 degC at full bore. It really kicks out the heat and is very controllable.
    Now I need to find a way of separating the burner 'basket' from the burner tube and get my hands on a blanking plug for the top of the tank when I take the burner assembly off. Any ideas?

    Colin.
     
  2. Ian

    Ian Subscriber

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    Colin,
    There are acouple of threads, at least, in the other place dealing with this very problem.
    The favourite seems to be gentle heat to the basket &/ restrained use of a bar thru' the basket slots whilst stove firmly held. I found on my 96 & 97 that if I act quickly on shutting down the stove ie before it cools too much the basket comes off quite easily. A bar with a hooked end (wire tent peg?) works well. I also messed a bit with seeing if a small washer would sit between vapouriser & basket but it was a fiddly business.
     
  3. Guest

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    Whilst you can sometimes remove the burner head immediately after using the stove a more certain way is to use a blowlamp. You leave the vaporising tube screwed into the tank. Heat the burner head with a blowlamp. Then insert a rod across the slots in the burner head keeping the rod at the bottom of the slot and twist COUNTER CLOCKWISE. This generally works because the burner head expands more than the vaporising tube with the heat being concentrated on the head. You twist counter clockwise because that tightens the vaporising tube. Twisting clockwise could unscrew it. You keep the rod at the bottom of the slots because the burner head is stiffer at this point and it lessens the possibility of distorting the head.
     
  4. kaw550red

    kaw550red RIP

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    You twist the burner head CLOCKWISE not anticlockwise. This would unscrew the vaporising tube. Sorry I was having a senior moment.
     
  5. Colin

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    Bryan - no problem. You really don't want to know how many such moments I have in the average day!
    I understood what you meant and your / Ians' reminder worked a treat. I've been using the 100 in the garden since and am very impressed with it - though I admit that every couple of burns I check to make sure that the 'basket' is still free.
    Thanks again,

    Colin.
     
  6. franco

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    Wow this was a timely thread, I just received an Optimus 100 with, you guessed it, a basket that won't come off.

    Thanx everyone for the info, I'll be giving it a try.

    -franco