Machined Silent Burner Mini Cap for Optimus Stoves

Yep, he helped me get going on the brazing.

Last night I came home from work and got all ramped up about all the interest I've had on my caps. I got to work late into the evening buffing and polishing a few more. I got that nice mirror shine out of them Tonight I'm going to spend some time making a video of the caps burning and I'll try and post it on here or YouTube. Hopefully I can get them into the hands of some other stovies and get some feedback. Keep your questions coming guys!

Joe

 

Just noticed you're from Tempe, AZ. Good stove hunting area!

 

I think you will find a lot of members that will wish for your hand made caps.

Ken in NC

 

Just a small question, from a tool-botherer and hammer-abuser.....

It is my understanding that the pre-heating required, is in/around the riser, where the fuel passes from liquid to gaseous state. That being said, if the fuel is already in said gaseous state when it passes from the jet and into the caps, why does the cap require pre-heating? Just sayin'..... don't mind being called a cloth-eared mossop if I've not understood sumpin' either.

Best regards,

Mike.

 

Joe, you can't post a video directly onto CCS but you can put it on Youtube and than post a link here to the video. It can then be viewed within CCS.

 

Mike, Joe will answer I definetly defer to him but i'll mention re
>> IF the cap were steel << and less of a thermal conductor,
your question has more validity.
Because brass is the excellent thermal conductor it is, a non-heated chunk of brass on top will radiate it's cold to whatever it's touching (or sap the heat from below, eitherway same thing).
thx omc

 

sorry Mike I'm struggling to understand you
the cap is pre heated when you prime the stove obviously, unless for some weird reason you wanted to plonk it on a pre primed stove, then i expect the fuel would condense inside the cold cap
what Joe said was less mass requires less preheating, tbh can't see it making any meaningful difference, a full prime is a full prime can't see i'd use less meths or it being any quicker
but that said if it was a waste of time i dare say Gary would of said something at the brazing stage

edit
less thermal mass would make it better simmering i'd have thought, less heat robbed from the flame that should be heating the bell/burner basket

 

I have seen the caps put on and off of a burning stove. I do not remember seeing any difference. That was 2 different caps, one coming off hot, one going on cold. It will be interesting to actually do it myself. I have always assumed the vaporizer was the necessary item to have hot.

Ken in NC

 

yes you can do it, but in normal use why would you, it doesn't take long or much for a freshly primed stove to need another prime
can't say i have ever needed or wanted to prime a stove with out the cap or burner plate present and correct

 

yes it is , so where does it get the heat to maintain the vapourisation after it's primed?
from direct contact with a hot burner basket, you slap a cold cap on and you risk chilling it and it not being able to run with out flare ups and spluttering
he asked why it (the cap) needed preheating as if it was a separate entity it aint , the basket the flame plate or cap and vapouriser are interdependent, if one is cold it is likely to have an adverse effect on combustion

he asked i replied,as didn't think anyone else would

sorry I'm struggling with the new Forum layout, so posts might be a bit squiffy till i'm up to speed

 

I meant no disrespect

 

whoooow no disrespect? where did that come from? i was just being sociable lol
not trying to upset or be upset, lifes to short
seems my manners and way of speaking have got me misunderstood again,
that's one of the reasons i buggered off last time

 

Ha! Good to see you 'mixing it', Bill.
I well understand your lines of discussion (argument) and can almost see the smile on your face.
I also see that you have re-subscribed and hope to see a lot more of you on CCS.
Any chance of you making Newark again?

 

Please Gentlemen, this was just a simple question from a simple person. As one who values both of you for your knowledge and input, I took no inference from anything that was said. My question could be better described as this:

If the machined cap is replacing a simple burner plate, which is definitely a separate component (of much smaller mass/thermal contribution - positive or negative,) why would heating the cap make any difference at all?

In fact, I have just taken the opportunity to light my 123 without the burner plate, and the pre-heat was perfect. The flame appeared as per usual, but burnt with the appearance of a sooty candle. I immediately placed the burner plate on over the still lit candle flame, and the flame took on the familiar blue, with the customary sputtering drone.

This would imply that the mass of the cap/burner plate has no relevance. On reflection, the Korean stoves, such as my Haller Sport, have interchangeable burner heads, whereby a silent cap set can be removed and replaced with a roarer unit that occupies the whole burner cup (unit simply placed on, retained by gravity alone.) Trying the same experiment with this stove, when done mid burn, it once again burns like a candle until the cap is replaced and normal carburetion takes place. At this point the roarer unit was cold, and separate, thereby making no thermal contribution to vaporisation. The flame immediately returned to a blue state, and with the usual roar.

I simply thought I had misunderstood the mechanics involved, but I am now sure that the mass of the cap has no bearing whatsoever.

Thank you Gentlemen, and please, let us respect each other over simple questions such as this.

Best regards,

Mike

 

Trevor
i really wasn't trying to mix it up,
i'm a lot quieter than i use to be, maybe not affable, but i still seem to cause hassle no matter were i post
Newark mmm i do fancy it but not sure I'll know anyone any more, Big Si going or littledre ? miss the pair of them
as for re subscribing, i never stopped, ccs/Ross cancelled it a couple of years ago i think, no idea why couldn't be arsed at the time to find out

don't tell anyone but i only popped back to find a few punters to sell my stoves to, had to subscribe to see the wanted section
atb Bill

 

cool myth busted then, so joe's wasting his time with holes, and thermal mass makes no diff

 

We're fine.

 

Hey guys,

When I designed my cap I was doing so from the standpoint of the thermal conductivity of the material. I work at a renewable energy company machining cold plates (heat-sinks) for converter units and bus bars. Best in the world, I'd say So I was thinking about how the mass would effect the operating temperature of the stove.

After you preheat the stove, you are heating up the vaporizer and getting the liquid fuel to change into a gaseous state. It is the temperature of the mixture that allows it to remain in this state. If it were too cool, it would return back to its liquid state. During normal operation, the hot cap or flame spreader aids in keeping it at its operating temperature. Adding more conductive mass into the system would rob energy away from the combustion process, acting like a heat-sink. Will it make a notable difference to the eye? Probably not.

I think I might just consider these bottom holes as my "Brand." All who see it will know who made it

-Joe

 

I think we're dealing with incredibly subtle differences here, and they're not worth getting into a bug tussle over. They are certainly not worth wrecking friendships over. Perhaps, in the deep future, some lab like Lawrence Livermore will get a grant to test various theories on kerosene burner design (Natick did with the MISS stove in the '90s). Until that time, go to the shed and make a hot cup of tea. Most of the original stoves we admire were designed "By guess and by God."

 

Hello Chaps,

I wasn't trying to get anyone's back up, just understand. I cast no aspersions as to the capabilities Joe has exhibited, nor on the knowledge that any of these other venerable gentlemen have shared.

It was simply a curiosity to me, and I wanted to understand the process better. I am still very interested in the concept and design, more so now than before. I will watch with anticipation, and keep me cake-hole firmly shut.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best regards,

Mike.