Good day,

I was cruising a market today and spotted this neat little camp stove which I had to buy. I know nothing about campstoves, but it turns out to be a Radius 43B. I have only ever used propane stoves or cooked over an open fire.

I did a quick search on the net, and found out that it should be a petrol burner. So I took it apart and cleaned it, I had to replace the packing on the valve stem, which appeared to possibly be lead? with leather, and made a new pressure relief diaphragm from a piece of old bike tube. Just to be safe I tried lighting it with kerosene first, no go. So I tried petrol, well I got a fire but not where I wanted it. It would only burn out of the jet. It is what is called a "silent burner", I believe.

Could anybody help me out, how to light the damn thing without blowing up the joint, possible replacement parts(Sydney, AUS), any information would be appreciated.

I have posted a few pictures on this webpage - http://members.optusnet.com.au/lynnmiller/radius43b.html

Thank You,

P. Lynn Miller
http://members.optusnet.com.au/lynnmiller/index.html

P. Lynn First your bike tube will go soft and gooie and will allow the melted rubber into the tank and posably block the jet. So pull that out and put it in the bin. A lead and cork seal together? NO it should be lead only. Flame below the jet, you have a leak here , Try tightening the jet a little DON'T force it. You say you have a silent burner are the 2 spreaders sitting t correct way and both there.
Any more problems try contacting me at the above Email link I am 600 mile north of you. Albert

Handi Albert

Thanks for the reply,

Actually, there was no flame below the jet, my fault for a bad description, rather it was burning from the jet and not the burner. Any suggestions what to replace the bike tube diaphragm with? Where can I get a lead seal for the valve stem?

As I said before I am a totally new to pressure stoves. So I have added a few pictures to let you see more about this stove. I also added these pictures to the web-page - http://members.optusnet.com.au/lynnmiller/radius43b.html

I am planning to go back to Barrington tops for a week of bushwalking with my oldest son, and want to use this stove for that trip.

Thank you,

P. Lynn Miller
http://members.optusnet.com.au/lynnmiller/index.html

Oh. The phenomenon youre experiencing is called unserburning.

It's when the flame burns inside the burner, intead of around it. It can melt the burner if not put out.

Pre-heat it as usual, but wait for the flames to go out, and when it's out open the valve and light the top of the burner. Then you should get a flame that looks like a normal gas cooker.

Brandt Bros at 141 Devonshire St Surry Hills, just near Central Station are your local parts supplier. Last visit they had similar stove to yours in stock. Also for a good day out try first Sunday of the month at the Wentworth Park dog track convention centre, a big antiques market. (park on the main road, not the back streets where car break ins take place) Associated Kero Lamps (see link on this site) but now moved to Braidwood usually have their stall down against the back wall. Repair kits with the packing gland for large adjustable burners used to be about $25, they may not stock the smaller types. Sometimes it is easier and cheaper to buy a new stove.
Laurence

I got it to light and burn this morning. It definitely burns petrol. Had quite a bit of trouble with it underburning until it got good and hot. Then my leather packing gland decided to let loose and so I had fuel leaking along the valve stem, so I will need to get a lead gland made. Can I just some lead flashing made to the proper dimensions?

Handi Albert questioned whether the burner was original or set-up properly, because it is not like any other Radius burner pictured. He thought it may be a modified burner from an Optimus 8R. Any thoughts?

Laurance, I know that it would be probably be cheaper to buy a new, stove but I do not want a new stove. I have a thing for finding orphans and then spending too much time and money getting them back up to scratch.

I will post a picture of it burning as soon as I get the packing gland replaced.

P. Lynn Miller
http://members.optusnet.com.au/lynnmiller/index.html

Lynn good to hear it does work. You can make the lead seal your self if you have the punches the correct size. Getting center of the inside hole is the hard partbut it can be done . If I can do it so can other people.

Handi Albert

Another way I've used to make lead seals is to use a fine lead wire (not solder, melts to easy)and wrap something the size of the seal you need. The pressure of screwing everything together will seal all the threads together. Just make sure you wind it so it will tighten, and not loosen, when you assemble the parts.

Good luck,

J

Good day,

I am not sure who owns this web-site, being new here. But I have quite a few pictures at - http://members.optusnet.com.au/lynnmiller/radius43b.html - of this stove. If the owner would like to link to this page for the greater good of the stove collecting community, I would be honoured. All I ask is that you inform that you have done so.

I think I am hooked, the sight and sound of that little petrol burner is almost hypnotic. I am impatiently waiting for a nice afternoon to go for a bushwalk with it. Maybe this afternoon....

P. Lynn Miller
http://members.optusnet.com.au/lynnmiller/index.html

If you were going out on a partuculary windy day, you could allways take the domes off and fit Primus flame sopreder into the four grooves.

It'll make a lot of noise, but it is more wind resistant.

No, I did not know that, although when Handi Albert seen pictures of the burner, he thought it was an unusual set-up, suggesting that it may have been a modified burner. He remarked that with the 4 slots cut into the outside ring it would accommodate a flame spreader.

But I will try to find a spreader, because I intend on using this stove as a pack stove and so I would expect some windy conditions. Since they would be light enough, I may carry both types, so I can have my cake and eat it too.

Set-up as a "silent" it is a very difficult burner to light, taking a full bowl of Metho for a preheat, or you have serious under-burn problems till it warms up.

Making a flame spreader is easy. Since you'v made the pressure reliefe diafragm and the packing, i'm sure maki9ng a flame spreader would be a a breeze.

Just get a sheet of steel or brass, look at a photo of a primus one, and just cut out a flame spreader that looks like a primus one. Have your stove there, so you can see what size it should be. it doesn't have to be exact. As long as it's held on in place (in the four grooves), and ther's a little circle (or any other shape) in the middle to spread the flame, it'll work.

But which markets were you cruising? Please share with us.
Laurence

I will give it a try. My diaphragm was a success only in the sense that it worked, but I need to get my hands on some nitrile rubber, so the it does not dissolve on me. I just cannot think of a common source at the moment.

Also you cannot use leather as a packing gland, cause it will allow the petrol to soak through and then it will catch fire and burn out! So I broke down and bought a graphite packing gland - $6.30AU - over half of what I paid for the stove!!!

Maybe I will make the flame spreader out of a old saw blade, I have a few lying around.

Keep checking the webpage for updates - http://members.optusnet.com.au/lynnmiller/radius43b.html

I mostly frequent, Kingsford - every Sunday, Rozelle - every Saturday and Sunday, and occasionally, Caringbah, do not remember when it is, my father-in-law, always lets me know. Some markets are better than others, like Rozelle has fairly good stuff, but a price tag to match, but KingO has mostly junk, but I rarely pay over $10AU for anything. Two weeks ago I bought a 2KG Primus LPG tank, full, hose, heater, and 2 burner stove for $20AU at Kingsford.

I got this stove at Kingsford, fella wanted $15AU, I whinged until he came down to $12AU.

Clean-ups are good, I picked up a nice little Jackeroo LPG 2 Burner along the road a while back.

According to my wife, I am the world's worst packrat.

Hello,
A fellow packrat. Well you certainly found the right place. I seem to have heard that word spoken rather often in my house !

Chuck

That's a new one on me - what's it slang for? Backpacker or flea market junkie?

Before I moved from Sydney 5 years ago, I used to go to Rozelle every Saturday. There was an Italian born man with his stall along the side of the school building who was a regular source of stoves at good prices. I have visited only one Saturday since and he was still there. Sundays I am usually at work at Gordon (which has markets in the railway parking stattion on the second Sunday)and sometimes still visit Rozelle after.
Good hunting.
Fr Laurence

G'day mate! Ross here, webmaster for Classic Camp Stoves. Good to see you're getting plenty of useful advice on your new hobby - I'm sure that as the more you learn the more you will get hooked. I had a look at your excellent pictures of the Radius 43 (I can confirm your version is petrol although there was also kerosene & roarer variants). I'm always happy to link to other collectors websites but the current structure of your site makes it a bit of a problem for me as I notice you have added another stove page which would require another separate link. I can certainly provide a link once the site is further developed or glady host a selection of your pictures on this sites Collectors Gallery which you can add to any time.

Hey Ross,

A packrat is actually a little desert rodent. They're known to collect small objects, especially shiny ones, and keep them in their burrows. Kinda like a magpie. They'll steal a camper's watch if it's left out, jewelery, marbles, spoons, anything shiny. Eventually, their burrows are full-to-overflowing with shiny things they've stolen, and they have little room left to live. Much like many of us stovies :P