I've been looking at all the lovely paint jobs on fettled #8r's, #111's and #22's here on the forum and thinking of ways to save the new paint from damage, whilst priming. Ross has a great suggestion of putting fire resistant tape underneath the burner. However, has anyone ever tried using a sugar cube soaked/dipped in meths as a primer Is it likely to dissolve before you get it into the priming cup ? Don't use sugar cubes at home, or I'd try it out on my #45's, but maybe someone out there might give it a go !! Enjoy the Flame Spudz
Spudz Surely the way forward is to prime as carefully as possible - try a longer spout on your meths bottle ! I would think that a burnt sugar cube would leave a disgusting sticky mess in the priming cup, and to be honest other than in Cafe's I don't think I've seen them in years. Cheers Keith
Spudz, have you been on the grappa? the sugar would melt into a syrup and stick like crazy to the primer cup That said, I don't mind a sugar cube dipped in brandy to get me primed 8)
Given the availabilty of fuel in your neck of the woods I would have thought the answer was obvioious; don't light 'em!
Ian, have you been talking with my missus ? Ok, Ok, stupid idea ... except perhaps the 'dipping in brandy' suggestion from Henry Grappa ! , hmmnn ... If you could get a stove to burn hot and clean on that rocket fuel I'd be laughing Enjoy your fuels spudz p.s. .. what happened to the site yesterday, thursday 6th april ?
Why would the paint get damaged? Shouldn't the paint be able to take the normal use of the stove? If it can't then they could be repainted using high temperature engine paint. Comes in many colours (well, some) takes plenty heat and such like.
Where can I buy fire-resistant tape? Have never seen that here. Lillie, up her in the cold North, a wood stove and a couple of Optimus 350 or Petromax will do the trick. Rune
Hey Rune, Look around for a tape used for Furnace Flues. Over here in Canada it's a special aluminum tape that looks like duct tape with a duct tape adhesive. I haven't tried it on anything as hot as a stove though. Iain
Taylors cookers use a felt pad cut to fit the priming cup which keeps the meths where it should be pretty well, or why not use a Tilley type lighting torch?
I use priming paste, Optimus's own make. No spillages at all. Comes in a handy plastic bottle with a spout. Regards, Alan
I dunno about youse guys, but over the years, I learned to prime my 123 with about a tablespoon of coleman fuel out of the flask. Yes, it got all over everything. No, I didn't care. When you're half soaked, the sun's going down along with the temperature and your'e cold, wet and hungry, neatness no longer counts. Get that bloody stove fired up, some water on, and a campfire going to dry things out. A tablespoon or two of coleman fuel on the laid fire will usually get it sparking right along as well. Give it a half a minute to soak in, and toss in a match. That's why it's called "Boy Scout Water." Gerry
Sugar is an ingredient for those fireworks "snakes", those things that smoke and make a long squirmy black snake shaped string of ashes. It is also a classic prank ingredient "put sugar in the gas tank" really bad news as far as carbon fouiling and gumming up the works. At best all you will get is a gummy carmel mess I think. I would not use sugar. Just use meths, regular fuel or anything else than sugar. I have seen jellied alcohol at lamp and candle shops. It looks like clear blue jello and is squirted out of the bottle. It is not like Sterno. Maybe this might be an interesting primer? I just get my 8R to spit up some fuel by itself to prime it. Worked fine since 1968. Just my opinion, Jim Henderson
I've used jelled alcohol for the last several years and other than some powdered residue that wipes off, no problem. Especially helpful on modern Coleman suitcases in cold weather! Iain
I use a gas blowlamp to prime my Taylors cooker when at sea, but it's a big old lump of a thing - far too big for a backpack. Works ok, but a bit difficult to judge when it's had enough heat sometimes. I prefer to wait for the meths to burn down before lighting - it's more calming somehow than waving a roaring blowtorch at the cooker!
Hi Spudz, to prime my 8R and 123 I use a spoon rolled to form a tube with a piece of fibreglass rope inside,dip it into the fuel bottle, light it,(not whilst in the bottle) and stick under the burner. works every time . Regards Chris.
Let's see. A roaring blowtorch, meths and a Taylors cooker all the while at sea. Is there some problem I canna see? Iain
BUMPED Sorry if my bumping this thread annoys anyone, but I came across this fuel stove idea today, and thought it might be an alternative Priming fuel. Any thoughts? ?5.00 for 2 X 200g tins of fuel, ? ? At the moment I pay about ?0.50 for a litre of meths. here in Italy, but meths has a habit of spilling, after 1 or 3 glasses of the vino rosso, never mind the Grappa Spudz
