Hello all, This is my first post here. This is a great site, and I am quite happy that it's here! My question has to do with an 8R clone. The stove is in great shape, overall. It lights, works fine and so forth. However, compared to a Primus 71L or a Svea 123R, this stove's flame output is weak. I looked at the wick as being the cause of the problem. There appears to be a difference in quality between the Optimus and this Phoenix stove. It almost looks like the brass tank is not getting hot enough to produce the necessary pressure. The question: would it be worth changing the wick and could this be the cause of the comparatively low flame? Also, any recommendations on cleaning brass without using any ammonia-based products? I appreciate any input. Thank you. -Matt
Hi Matt, welcome to CCS. I will let an expert answer your question about your stove power. On the subject of cleaning stoves, I am a great believer in Citric acid solution: Here is a post with more info than you will ever want: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/3963 Best Regards, Kerophile.
Hello Matt, Could you please make some pictures of your stove. This will make our assessment of your problem/stove a lot easier. As for the quality of the stove, well as I said, without a picture it is hard to tell, but an as simple a design as an 8R would be really hard to mess up, but it can be done. Although I doubt it. It could indeed very well be the wick that is causing your problem, if it not to hard to remove the burner from the tank you could go and try to exchange it. You could also check if the burner head isn't clogged up. If this is the case then you could try the heat and quench method to clear that up. Try and do a search in '8r wick' or 'heat and quench' there is a ton of info to be found here Anyway, good luck with your fettle. +edit+ oh and I also advice to only use Coleman fuel, Naphta, panelwipe in your stove, because gasoline has additions in it which are good for a car, but not so good for a stove. If gasoline has been used a lot in the stove, then the burner could very well be clogged up or the wick damaged by it.
hi James have you tried replacing the tank/lid washer ? it would be the first thing i would do if a stove of mine isn't building sufficient pressure.also try checking the pressure release in the lid,a bit of detergent frothed up with some water liberally applied should show up any leaks on the cap,or you could use a bit of carrier bag stretched across the fuel filler then clamp the lid down tight and see if it runs better,don't run it for to long with the plastic bag seal as it will all so seal the pressure release,if it's not leaking then try the wick
i have a 8R clone and i think it runs better that my real 8R..i also found the stove to be made almost as well as the 8R..say 9 out of ten..
Thank you all for the information. I will get some pictures up as soon as I can. I did test the seal on the stove by putting another cap on there. Same results. Don't get me wrong, the flame is there and it's hot, but compared to the Svea or the Primus, it's just not as impressive, I suppose. Anyway, that's pretty vague, so I will get more concrete information as soon as I can. Thanks for the assistance. BR, Matt
I own that same stove - my dad won it in a golf tournament in the 70's (go figure) and gave it to me. I had no idea what it even was back then, in my teens, but I read the directions and tried it out...cool! That was my introduction to this bizarre hobby. Anyway, I've since acquired a few 8R's and I have to say that I've never been able to get that Phoenix to match the output, and I've had mine since new and hardly used it. I did replace the wick using a mop head replacement, and it seems to work a little better but still no match for the 8R. As I recall, I wasn't able to fit an 8R replacement but it's been a few years and I could be wrong on that detail. BTW, I also have the original instruction pamphlet.
I bought one of these on eBay; my first euro-style stove. Haven't cleaned it up yet but did fab a new lid seal and cranked it up. Love that sound! Boiled some water for hot cocoa the first night:
I too have a phoenix 8-R clone and it burns a treat. I have not compared it to my optimus 8R however i'm not a bit disappointed in it's performance next to my 111B. Note the windscreen is two strips of plumber pipe tape. Used to hang pipe from the overhead. I'm sorry for the out of focus image, i've got to find my tripod.
