Question - Primus No.5 to white gas?

Discussion in 'Stove Forum' started by Stelllar, Nov 27, 2009.

  1. Stelllar

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    Hello, Can a 1960's vintage Primus No. 5 stove designed to use kerosene be converted to use Coleman fuel (white gas) If yes what is the procedure?
    Cheers'
     
  2. ArchMc

    ArchMc SotM Winner Subscriber

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    In a word, no, not recommended.

    Kerosene stoves like the #5 control the flame by releasing tank pressure with an air release screw on the filler cap ("newer" #5) or on the neck below the cap (older ones). With kerosene, which has a really low vapor pressure, it's really air that's being released. If you have white gas in the tank, you're releasing gasoline vapor a couple of inches from the burner -- a recipe for a fireball.

    If you're really insistent on doing this, you can replace the stock burner with a regulating burner (so the flame can be shut off without using the pressure release). You would also need to replace the kerosene jet with one made for gasoline, and be sure to NEVER loosen the pressure release valve while the stove is operating.

    I guess I would have to question why you would want to do this. Using a kerosene stove is different from using a white gas stove, but once learned the procedure is easy enough. If you don't want to learn the new procedure, there are plenty of white gas stoves that could be used more safely than one designed for kerosene.

    Let us know what you decide. If you really want to run it on white gas, there are people on this forum who have done crazier things (browse the "Frankies" section on the Fettling Forum), and I'm sure you can find someone with first-hand experience.
    ....Arch
     
  3. cazna

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    Hello, if you go to page 2 under the stove forum, and second from the top, White spirits or Kero ? I got a good reply on this a few weeks ago, i was using fuelite which was very easy to prime and the stove run very well but i was unaware of the risk i was taking, :doh: so got some kero which has more of a smell and much slower to prime, can flare up with liquid kero coming out of jet, fuelite never did that? used some unscented lamp oil which helped with smell, i read its refined kero for indoor use, seems ok in the stoves. i see it comes with added citronella oil? might be able to cook and keep mozzies away? :-k
     
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  4. ArchMc

    ArchMc SotM Winner Subscriber

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    Liquid kero coming out of the jet means either:

    1. The tank is too full -- it should never be filled more than 2/3 full, or the height of the filler opening when the stove is sitting flat.

    2. Not hot enough. You need to wait until the alcohol has almost burned out. Sometimes (especially with silent burners) you may need to refill the spirit cup and prime a second time before trying to light. Be careful; make sure the flame is out before adding more meths. Alcohol flames are hard to see in daylight.

    3. Too much pumping. Once the burner is heated from priming, close the pressure release, give a single pump, and try to light the burner. Once it's burning well, you can pump more to get a stronger flame.

    Check out this link to the Stove Reference Library.
    ....Arch
     
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  5. fyldefox

    fyldefox R.I.P.

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    Check your life assurance first, and then only do this in the car park of your local hospital.
     
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  6. cazna

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    Hi Arch
    Thanks for that link it was a great read, i think not heating it enough was my problem, after using fuelite which took very little heating kero needs a lot more for the vapour to happen, didnt mean to high jack this thread but i hope it helps the orginal question, thanks.
     
  7. Doc Mark

    Doc Mark SotM Winner Subscriber

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    Greetings, Friends,

    I know that some folks seem to feel we go overboard on the safety lectures here at CCS, but when you are talking about flames from a pressure device, you HAVE to be concerned with safety, first, last, and always!!

    As the question of burning Coleman fuel in stoves designed for using kerosene, has come up over and over again, I'm wondering if we need to have a WARNING stickie concerning fuel usage? One of those "READ THIS FIRST, BEFORE USING ANY STOVE", kind of notices. What do you think, Guys? I know, for us "Old Timers", who have made every mistake in the book in our early stove usage, this sort of warning might seem overblown and not needed. But, for newbies, who have yet to burn down their house, incinerate their kids, pets, and wives, and ruin their lives, by choosing to use the WRONG FUEL in some stoves, maybe this would be an important safety reminder/warning. Or, maybe not..... Seems like some folks may well ignore our dire warnings and do whatever the hell they want to do, no matter whether it's already been proved to be horribly dangerous, or not!! :doh: ](*,) :roll: [-( What are your thoughts on this, Mates? Take care, and God Bless!

    Every Good Wish,
    Doc
     
  8. Stelllar

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    =================================================

    Many thanks to all, the No.5 will NOT be altered.

    =================================================
     
  9. Bom Bom Bom Bom

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    Hi Mark,

    My view is that we answer the questions of people that ask them. It's a reasonable question to ask for a newbie.

    The point I'm making here is that the people who have asked the question have made the effort to seek out the forum, joined, and then posted their question. That says to me that they are already safety concious and want to seek out knowledge rather than just trying alternative fuels.

    What we can't legislate for and will never influence are those people who don't make that journey - you can put as many warnings as you like but they'll be useless for those people that don't seek knowledge in the first place. I say let'm get on with it - it's part of the process of ongoing natural selection and the gene pool can only be strengthened :D/

    Cheers, Graham.
     
  10. Doc Mark

    Doc Mark SotM Winner Subscriber

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    Hey, Guys,

    First, Graham, you are absolutely right, and as many here at CCS already do, I also believe in helping novice Stovies learn the proper in's and out's of safe stove usage. Hey, WE were all taught by someone, right? So, it's proper for us to now be the teachers, and also to continue to learn, ourselves, as none of us will ever know everything there is to know!

    Stelllar, I hope you didn't take my comments personally, as I most certainly did not intend them that way. In point of fact, if you dig very deeply, WAY back when I first joined CCS, you will see that I asked something very close to what you have asked, back then!! ;) ;) :D :D :lol: :lol: :oops: :oops: The truth of it was that, I was trying to figure out how to use Coleman fuel in some of my kero stoves, 00, 96, 45R, and I was quickly "educated" by my new friends here at CCS, and shown the errors in the logic of what I was trying to do!! :oops: :roll: :thumbup: I did, even then, experiment with using a regulated silent burner, on an Optimus 45, and a few other bits, to burn Coleman fuel in that stove. BUT, I must warn you that I actually scared myself out of such foolishness, in a short time!! Yes, the stove did work, but I realized that, anyone but me, that used that stove, might well have a horrible accident!! So, I quickly refitted that stove with it's proper bits, and still use it, safely and wisely, to this very day!! So, don't feel like the "Lone Ranger" in asking questions as you did. We've all "been there, done that, and own that T-shirt"!! ;) 8) :lol: :lol: Please forgive my worry about folks using the wrong fuels. I just can't help myself, actually. One of my good friends, from Texas (NOT a member of CCS), told me that someone had told him that the Optimus 8R was the very best multifuel "survival" stove he could buy! I tried, very hard, to educate him, to no avail. Because someone "had told him", he refused to believe me, even though I had all the facts and figures to show him other stoves that would be far more versatile for such a scenario. HE is the type of fellow to whom I was referring in my original post about all this. Thanks for being a member of CCS, and never be afraid to ask any and all questions you might have regarding stove usage! We're here to help EACH OTHER, and that's what makes CCS, and those Stove Nutters who inhabit it, such a special place!! Long my it continue! Take care, and God Bless!

    Every Good Wish,
    Doc
     
  11. cazna

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    Hello all,
    I made the silly mistake of using the wrong fuel and lucky for me nothing happened, but im not the sharpest tool in the shed using a computer, YET, and i first came across this site and found it a bit hard to find my way around just as i my interest in stoves developed and started to pick up a few, its taken me many log ins to find my way around, so as for docs idea on a heading for correct fuel and a small blog in why would have stopped me using the wrong fuel right from the start, so hence i made that very mistake, this question will be a recuring one so i think its a good idea doc to make this info a heading/warning and easy to spot.
    Unfortuneatly the only way we seem to learn any thing that sticks is to do it wrong from the start so yes some times best to leave people to it, but we are talking about fuels and fire, burns, physical and property damage here, if a heading/warning stops one person from an incident then i think its well worth doing :thumbup:
     
  12. hikin_jim

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    I too found the CCS forum a bit tricky to navigate at first.

    A right up front warning, if kept concise, might be a very good thing. Couldn't hurt.
     
  13. Spiritburner

    Spiritburner Admin SotM Winner Subscriber

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    If you guys can give me specifics on what you found/find tricky with the site it may help with future design changes.

    There's a lot to cover - different brands, models, instructions, catalogues etc etc etc so IMHO we need the sections we have. I can't make it so the info anyone specifically wants automatically appears when they log on.

    Warning? Dunno - I will read suggestions with interest.
     
  14. nagant

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    having a kero stove (111T) go fireball on me, id never attempt using coleman in anything but what it's designed for. if someone's looking for info they can find it here or web search. it's one of those question that always gets a quick response!
     
  15. cazna

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    Hello spiritburner
    For me there was just a lot to look around and figure out where things are at first, but as i said im hardly computer wizz of the year, now that i have spent some time on ccs i find it a great site, its a huge subjuct to cover and you have covered it very well :clap: :clap:
    The regulars on here are top people and seem happy to help with any question no matter how often repeated so thanks to them too :clap: :clap:
    And as for a fuel warning, if the was a red tab up near the subscibe tab that you could access without having to subscribe first that would have got my attention straight away, but as i said now i find it great and im only one opinion, you would go mad making changes everytime one person made a suggestion so its all good really.
    Thanks for a fantastic and well run site :clap: :clap:
     
  16. Ian

    Ian Subscriber

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    but,

    Couldn't have put it better myself! :D
     
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