Hey, Guys, I've had two 22B stoves for quite a few years, and used one of them extensively. Recently, I tried out the other one, and found that, whilst it fired up easily, it tended to blow out the flames if I used both burners. Hummmm.... I tried different priming techniques, thinking that might have been the problem, with no luck at all. Then, it dawned on me that the cleaning needles might have been set too low, and as a result, were allowing too much air, which blew out the burners. No matter which burner I fired up first, the second one blew itself out! So, tonight, I checked out the cleaning needles, and indeed, they were set REALLY low!! Seems like they were around 7/8 clicks down!! Reset to 4 clicks down, VOILA: they worked like a champ, even in the cold temps (31°F), light breeze, and falling snow!! Here are a few photos of tonight's successful fettling: I LOVE the 22B stoves, Friends!! Great stoves they are, and well worth seeking out for your collection and use!! Thanks for checking this one out. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
good thinking Doc! they can't burn any better then that. imagine walking up on one of those in the woods at night between the roar and those red eyes
good thinking..the set of the cleaning needle would have been something that i would have never thought about..now i'll have to check that out next time i have that type of stove out.. no snow here yet for photos..just 43F and clear.
Good sleuthing Doc! I'd love to have a 22 or a 22B someday. I'd love to hear that double barreled roar.
As usual Doc a superb fettle and a first class diagnosis on the cleaning needles the 111 and 22 have become one of my most favourite stoves rugged portable and yet so practacle.If i had several 22's i whould like one with one side fitted with a silent burner for gentle cooking and simmering and the other side a roarer for boiling and high cooking that whould be realy practacle stove but once again Doc congratulations on your superb fettle and having a great stove
Even when the lights are off there is Light in our good Doc's house. Gate lights are but one sign there is love to be found in the house at the other end of the drive. lance
Good catch Doc, lovely flames. That's a nice idea Brian, you could I suppose transplant a silent burner from a 111 to the right hand burner? I'd love to get my mit's on a silent one. 8)
Hummmmph this has me wondering if the poor performance of my 123R is the result of an improperly set cleaning needle????????????? Hummmmph again, i'll be right back, i've something to check out. lance
Good Morning, Friends, Happy Sunday to you, one and all! Thanks, very much, for your kind comments on this 22B! I was lucky (blessed) to suss the problem out, as it really had me stumped for a while. One thing that gives me pause to think, though, is that, I always thought that these stoves should be able to run WITHOUT the cleaning needle insitu. If that is the case, then why was mine having problems with the needles set too far down? Not sure, actually. But, for me, the proof is in the pudding, and now that 22B is roaring away, just like it should, with no more annoying burner blow-out! So, I guess I'll not worry about it, actually. I am lucky to have two 22B's, one 22 kero burner (thanks for a fine NZ friend, who tipped me off to the sale Down Under, and who paid for it in advance of my sending the money, and shipped it off to me!), and also one very special 22B that was setup at the factory with two silent Meths burners! The interesting thing about that 22 from NZ, is that, whilst it came to me in operating shape, both burners were in need of lots of work. On a car-camping weekend adventure with Sweet Bride, I finally realized that BOTH of the cleaning needles had been stripped off the spindle teeth, and were JAMMED way down inside the burners!! Heckuba!! No wonder the burners didn't burn correctly! So, with lots of sweat equity, I finally removed the needles, and the burners worked better. Then, I completely dismantled the both of them, cleaned them up to spec, and have them set aside for a complete rebuild. My very last two complete rebuild kits are going to be used in that project, if I ever remember to get round to it! 8-[ 8-[ In any case, those two-burner Optimus stoves, in all three flavors, are WELL worth saving up for, and adding to your stove arsonals, Friends!! One of these days, I'll get the 22 finished, and then "maybe" do some case painting on the 22 and the 22B on which I worked last night. Then, I'll take a "family photo" of the four stoves I have in that series, and post it here. One last thought. Lance kindly wrote the following: "Even when the lights are off there is Light in our good Doc's house. Gate lights are but one sign there is love to be found in the house at the other end of the drive." My Dear Friend, Lance, you are oh, so right about that!! As we'll be celebrating 30 years of happy and very blissful marriage this coming year, Sweet Bride and I are blessed beyond belief!! She is the light of my life, and I'm truly thankful that God brought us together. God in Heaven is our Guiding Light, and we have two signs that hang at our house which help shine His light. One we have in our front picture window, and it reads, "Peace to all who enter here". Of course, we mean the peace that God offers to us, and to them, and to all who seek it out. Inside, by the front door, is a placque, which we got at Kylemoor Abbey, in Ireland, that succinctly sums up our lives. It reads: "Bidden, or not bidden, God is present". So, yes, my Brother Lance, you are spot on the money! There is much LIGHT at our house, for which we're never-endingly grateful!! About time to get ready for church, Friends, so I'll close for now. Thanks, again, to one and all, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc P.S. Ron, yes, yesterday morning, at around 4-5AM, we had a HUGE thunder and lightning storm, which was a real treat!! Then, we got our first snow of the season, which lasted around 4-5 hours. After working at snow clearing for three hours, the driveway is now clear, as is the front deck. So, all is well. The barometers are both headed back up, which means that it's verly likely we'll get no more snow from this storm. But, as always, we do hope for a White Christmas! In our fourteen years of living up here, we've enjoyed snow at Christmas, a few more than half of those years, so we stand a good chance of quite a bit more snow in December, and then tons more after the New Year. At 5,000 feet in elevation, we can get some real dumps of snow, sometimes!!
Hey, Lance, I once found a very nice 123R that didn't seem to work worth a Tinker's dam! At first, I wrote it off as a "lemon". But, later, I cracked it open, and found that the cleaning needle was set TOO HIGH. After resetting it to between 4-5 clicks down, it ran like a champ, and continues to do so to this very day. In the years I've been enjoying/messing with all this stove stuff, I've come to the conclusion that every stove with internal cleaning needles is a case unto itself. I usually reset the needles to 4-5 clicks down, if there are any problems that this might correct. Most of the time, it does seem to work quite well. For what it's worth.... Best of luck with your 123R, and please let us know if resetting the needle helps it. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hey Doc, your high up as far as elevation is concerned huh? I guess you are used to the cold winter months. Am a tropical guy so cold wintry nights I would prefer to just stay unda the sheets
Doc, my cleaning needle was set so low it almost wouldn't shut off the stove. Had to blow it out in order to stop the flame. Reset it to 5 off the top and it's a champ now. lance
Hey, Lance, That's outstanding!! Well done! It's amazing to me that such a small thing can be such a problem, for so many stoves. Once adjusted, however, the difference is usually easily apparent, immediately. Again, way to go! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hey, Dan, Thanks for that info. I "thought" I had fired up my own NZ-found 22, without the cleaning needles, and it seemed to run well. However, it's been so long, I really can't remember for sure. One thing that I may try, just for fun, is removing both needles, completely, and then firing that heretofore errant 22B up again, to see what happens. Maybe without the needles it may well run OK, too. But, WITH the needles, and with them way out of adjustment, it really wasn't reliable, nor predictable. Now, with both needles adjusted up to spec, that 22B seems to be running perfectly. I will have to check my other 22B, which used to run very well, and see how it compares, and how it's needles are adjusted. Interesting stuff, eh?! The more I learn about stoves, the less I really seem to "KNOW"!! But, what the heck, it's all good fun, right?! Notice, I didn't say "good CLEAN fun", as fettling can sometimes be a bit on the filthy side!! Dan, I will be sending you a PM about your BD midi cap, so we can work out a plan for it's return. You were very kind to offer to let me actually fire up my Omnifuel with it, whilst it was "visiting" our mountain home! 8) So, with your kind permission, I will be doing so, before returning it to you. Thanks, again, for that wonderful Primus silent cap, too, Dan!! Fits perfectly!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi All, Wonderful stove Doc, you certaily have it running super . I run all my kero 111T's without cleaning needles and my Hippo 36 with RSB too, seem to run fine. These are of course silent burners so maybe that may have something to do with it ? The closest stove I have to your 22B and 22 are my Campingo #1 and #2 . They don't run quite as good as your 22B , but I'll work on them as you got me inspired with your gorgeous 22B. Well congrats on a great fettle. Tom
Morning, Tom, I'm certainly sorry that you and I didn't have the time to get together around Thanksgiving. I know that we both were busy with family matter, but we were SO close in geographic location!! Maybe next time we're back that way, we can make it happen, and I'll look forward to that! Thanks, very much, for your compliments about the 22B. It is certainly running just as I'd like, but the poor case is another matter, indeed. It has some rust, and someone bonked it on the side with something round, and made a nice dent in it. But, this stove is a user stove, as far as I'm concerned, and I may well just leave it as it is. I have others that are in nicer condition, and that is more than satisfying to me. I have a Campingo 2, but it's still in need of a deep fettle to the pump tube. Exeter_yak sent me all the goodies I need to get the job done, but "fear" has caused me to drag my feet for a good long time, now. I really NEED to get over my fear of desoldering the pump tube, and just get on with it!! Nice stove, though, which Sweet Bride pointed out to me, as I was gimping around in a bit of pain, using a cane, sometime back. I had completely missed it, but she, good woman that she is, didn't let me miss out on getting it!! Thanks, again, for your comments, Tom, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
How odd. I had no idea they made canes for the brain. Good ol' Doc had a gimpy brain. Hummmph, daft and gimpy too. yup very odd indeed. lance, who just can't believe ol' doc would miss a stove in plain site.
