Three variants I know of. The two pictured here, fuelled by methylated spirits ... ... and a third type looking just like the one on the left, but with a smaller jet and fuelled with gasoline. Given that these things vent the fuel tank to air, I'm not in a hurry to swap jets and try the 'meths' one on petrol. With the pot rests removed, the difference in the burners is more obvious I'll feature both stoves fired up, though one will have to be in another set of photos in a 'reply' to this post. Whereas the stove on the right fired up with only minor fettling - simply poking the burner jet holes clear - the one on the left wouldn't fire at all, so it had to be dismantled (replacement or re-used components on the left, discarded bits on the right) ... ... revealing a coked-up wick that stood no chance of drawing fuel up the stem and to the primed (heated) burner by capilliary action. The crumbs of gauze to the left of the photo are what's left of the gauze cap that's intended to minimise scorching of the wick The crumpled thin-walled brass tubing on the right carries the wick as the inner, concentric, core of the burner. With the wick fused to it, it was inevitable that it disintegrated on removal of the wick from the burner and I'd to make up a replacement by rolling a similar thickness of brass sheet into a tube and silbrazing the join The new wick, made from cotton yarn and with a cap formed from stainless steel gauze Wick installed in the burner - step I missed photographing was soldering the new wick-carrier tube to the rim of the burner housing - you can see the run of solder in the upper view. Then I was able to insert the wick, by a process of shoving and twisting, just short of shearing off the new wick-carrier from the solder. That soldered joint at the base of the burner is standard practice, not reaching temperatures at that end of the burner to melt the solder Sequence of assembly of the stove components My example of this type of Tito Landi came without a burner cap. This one serves, a Primus 100-type converter cap, borrowed from the Duo-Burn stove featured in the Stove Reference Gallery, here Duo-Burn (Falk Stadelmann & Co Ltd) Priming, using a Tilley lamp igniting torch Priming torch unclipped, Tito Landi running on its own power. Ok, not a scorcher of a stove, these, but a good simmerer With the cap removed, there's a vertical plume of atmospheric blue flame, quite mesmerising to watch but without the cap the heat's not conducted back to the burner's vapourising chamber and the flame soon goes out, the combustion cycle broken Next, in a 'reply' to this post, how this version of a Tito Landi gets my vote for performance ... John
Ok, I'm looking at this version of Tito Landi stove now Looks like the pot stand was a bit of an afterthought, having this cut-out in it to provide clearance for the high-level control wheel spindle Getting the pot stand out of the way to reveal the burner Vapourised methylated spirits is injected via a jet nipple (more of that in a moment) into a hollow brass doughnut-shaped burner ring The 'doughnut' sits in a circular channel mounted on the burner head and is simply lifted out for servicing. Mine had most of the burner holes blocked by the residue of whatever brass cleaner a former owner had used I said 'simply lifted out' but the jet nipple gets in the way ... ... and has to be unscrewed before the doughnut can be removed. The jet can only be accessed by a spanner (wrench) when the burner doughnut is tipped up as I illustrated - so it's a puzzle I'd to fathom before I set to work on it The jet's not a jet really with that huge jet orifice, so it doesn't meter or act as a venturi to speed up the gas flow. Rather, it serves to turn the fuel/air stream through ninety degrees and channel it into the burner doughnut inlet scoop As well as the burner holes facing the base of the pot, the burner doughnut has four radial holes that play heating jets on the wick housing of the burner, ensuring that the fuel reaching the housing by capilliary action from the fuel tank is heated and vapourised continuously while the fuel control is opened This shot shows how those four jets operate in action Well, I said this version of a Tito Landi stove gets my vote for performance and here's why ... ... marvellous simmer (as did the other Tito Landi version to be fair) ... useful maximum power (the other Tito Landi had no loud pedal at all) The type of kettle I've used here helps (quick-boil kettle with 'boiler tube' construction Thompson Ritchie & Co kettle but nevertheless, a litre of water took just five minutes to reach boiling point John
Hi John ! Thanks for these two great posts ! I learnt quite a few things about these Tito as I never went that deep in fettling mine !! Few days ago, I received some interesting pictures of home-made ignition clamps. The stove is usually very safe. But last time I used it (gasoline version), I was peeling the newspaper nonchalantly when I heard my wife screaming. A powerful flame had appeared at the base of the burner tube. After extinction and disassembly, I noticed this small crack : After a quick fix, the stove is back to the orthodox flame pattern. For future users of Tito, who usually needs only few repairs (i mean, the stoves), I suggest you keep an eye on this solder. ps : and Hi! everybody, I'm glad to be back after my work put me out of the map for months...
Welcome back Nikos! I always enjoy your posts here, with your visit to the home village of Charles Pigeon and your incredible leather stove bag project springing to mind. Thanks very much for your contribution to this thread, which makes me realise why I've an instictive reluctance to operate a Tito Landi on gasoline! I'd like to get better performance out of the under-performing stove of the pair. I realise there's an asbestos sheath missing from the burner riser, which I believe is intended to reduce radiated heat loss from the riser so that it conducts more heat from the burner to the mixing chamber as a result. I intend to fabricate something from heat-resistant woven (non-asbestos!) fabric, but I'd really appreciate a photo of your stove burner in place to compare. A flame shot to see what performance I should be aiming for would be really good too please. Yes, great to have you back here! John
Hi John a superb restoration and documented break down, of two very nice old and very interesting spirit stoves,i realy like the two different variations of the burner. and i am surprised and imprersed how effective the second stove is boiling a litre of water in five minutes even with the quick boil kettle.
Hi Brian. Yes, having endured the less-than-startling performance of the first one, the second type bowled me over. That said, I suppose it was satisfying to get a light out of the first one as an improvement on nothing, but in terms of 'reward for effort expended' it didn't measure up at all. Bart Meijer over on the 'Be Back Later' lamp website is an expert on the Tito Landi marque - their mantle lamps use exactly the same burner as that feeble first type - so I'm hoping Bart might drop in here sometime, or better still pay us a visit at Newark again this year, and I'll sound him out for hints and tips. I'm keen to see Nikos's stove fired up to see what one should be capable of. That might give me the inspiration to have another go at fettling it right. John
Thank you for your kind words, John ! I removed the asbestos coating on my tito gasoline because it was badly damaged. I assume this affects the overall performance. In fact, I hope, because so far the stove is not an outstanding leader... The patent shows real inventiveness and a willingness to get things done. But curiously, it is not surprising on the upside. The flame pattern is regular and the blue almost unreal though... Here's the pic of the stove running gasoline, few months ago : Today, I'll try to get a better shot at it. Here's the pic of the same Tito, from Stanley (NZ), who seems to get a better result :
Well.... after a quick clean up, I was firmly decided to get the best flame shot a Tito could give. It did not disappoint me, the flame was like 30 cm high but was still coming from the wrong exit !! I guess I've been too confident about my soldering skills... I had trouble in extinguishing the fire. I eventually had to ask myself whether or not running away before the boom. But I stayed and saved the stove. For the archives, few shots of the defused device : I temporarily replaced the original tray (badly damaged).
Well, Nikos, if Classic Camp Stoves had a bravery medal to award you (and your wife for the episode you mentioned earlier) you'd both be awarded it with full honours. I feel partly to blame! Curiously, I had a go at fuelling the stove on petrol (Aspen 4T), changing the jet to a 0.3mm one from a T-L lamp and sluicing out the spirit fuel with the incoming stuff. I got a better flame, but still not good enough. I think I'll make a bulkier wick. Bon chance with the next repair, Nikos! John
Q. What is the difference between a Tito-Landi and a Trampoline? A. You don't have to jump on a Trampoline. Kerophile.
I should have known, George, that in paying your respects as you have done to the earthly remains of Charles Pigeon in Montparnasse Cemetery, you had cast your vote for his products and not those of poor M.Landi, buried in Père-Lachaise. No matter, I'll persevere with the repair. Incidentally, I'll confess I've paid homage at both tombs - along with those of Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf and Oscar Wilde. John
