Hi all, yesterday I finished restoring an old Barthel Blowlamp (Type #132). While preparing for the first start I studied the original handbook. Loosely translated the start procedure is as followed: - Preheat one or two times using ethanol - Turn the spindle a quarter rotation counter clockwise - Light the escaping gas - Use the spindle to adjust the flame My Juwel 34 stoves don't utilize an integrated cleaning needle, but with my petromax lanterns the common knowledge is to never let the cleaning needle in the jet while the lamp is running. According to the petromax manual the cleaning needle will become stuck in the jet, if in prolonged contact with the jet during operation. Neither the blowlamp nor common gasoline stoves, like the svea 123, seem to have a problem with stuck cleaning needles? Which brings me to my question: Why is the petromax needle susceptible to becoming "welded" to the jet and the stoves cleaning needles are not? To my understanding all integrated cleaning needles of stoves (i.e. SVEA 123), blowlamps (i.e. Barthel 132) and pressure lamps (i.e. Petromax HK500) should behave the same? Any thoughts on this? regards from germany, kk1992
I think that’s the key phrase, but then again why would longer than a quick cleaning action be required? Maybe Petromax cleaning needles have very fine clearance in their jets. They’re certainly much finer than corresponding stove components. John
In case of the petromax the prolonged contact between needle and jet is unintentional. Some novice users try to dim the lantern using the excenter wheel, which is in fact only for shutoff/cleaning. I thought that, with the simmer capability of a stove, more users accidentally open the spindle to much and expose the needle to the heat of the jet. Your theory of the tighter clearances is propably right. Never heard of a gasoline stove user with a stuck cleaning needle due to heat. - kk1992
In burners with a cleaning needle, Russian Shmelb cookers also run the risk of "welding" the needle to the nozzle. Rosyjski użytkownik @Bratok_xxl pisze o tym w tym poście John @presscall[/USER Shmel 4 gasoline stove Greetings
It might be the much smaller diameter of the orifice & cleaning needle means a higher temperature, making it prone to "welding" or galling. That's just spitballin' though, no idea if that's the case.
Hub that's good to know. Could you elaborate on this? Like do you know what causes it to get stuck? And is there any procedure/technique for preventing that from happening?
I have no experience with using the pricker to control the flame. I do imagine that a dirty fuel will more likely deposit residue at the jet hole and could be viewed as welding the pricker to the jet.
I also lean towards what the previous speaker wrote ( that the quality of the fuel matters). The warning that the user from Russia wrote, although it concerned burners with an eccentric mechanism, nevertheless caused me to always move the cleaning needle back to the starting position after cooling down. Even in stoves with a serrated spindle.
