had been looking at Solus stoves BUT they have been way out of my reach pricewise so then ran across another project what to do???; just could not let this old girl live in shame with an electric cord + her bottom drilled out the air release screw is broken off but was able to unscrew it; there is something rattling around inside when I shake her; possibly electric cord as it does not have a metallic sound; don't know if the pump cyl has been damaged, the rod itself is intact. was thinking of cutting a small piece of copper; maybe a pre 1979 copper penny soldering it to plug the hole and see if she holds pressure no burner, legs or grate; suggestions?? maybe am chasing windmills but have seen some of other members restorations that are inspiring to say the least Lou
thanx Idaho; was thinking I was an idiot to even take this on but this is the first one I have seen in person and it is made in the USA; think the burner threads are screwed up as cannot get an optimus burner to thread will need to check the threads and see what am against; looked through all the pennies in the house and they are all the newer ones will see if can scrounge a real copper one. question I have; are the threads standard? and if so; what are they? BSP?, Imperial?, they seem awfully fine for whitworth; metric? no signs of Coleman burners for sale on the Coleman site Lou
The claw feet are one up on my solus but otherwise its not an uncommon stove. Not sure I would trust a repaired pressure vessel so It might have to stay with the scars of its ordeal. A whole string of led xmas lights inside should light it up well.
Geeves; that is what it had; a small string of Christmas lights I must have dropped one inside when I was trying to unglue it........I know it sounds crazy but I really want to see if I can get her back to where she was meant to be........she really didn't deserve to have her bottom drilled out rarity?? gosh, this is the first one I have ever seen in person and was lucky to see it under the green lamp part........those clawed paws drew my attention Lou
IIRC, the threads are 1/2 - 28 UNEF. The pressure isn't so high that a patch should be an issue. Murph
Hi Lou, there is always the possibility to solder the patch on the inside! Bit more tricky (never tried it myself I must confess ) but do-able! You can work through the filler opening and watch through the riser tube. Basically, it goes like this: first clean the inside and prepare for soldering as per usual. Put some solder around the hole (on the inside of the fount) and on 1 side of the penny or any other piece of copper/brass. Then position the penny on the hole, and keep it there with a stick through the riser tube. Turn fount upside down and carefully heat the area of the hole (you can add some extra solder now). Be sure to keep the edge cool. I am presuming the hole is centrally, otherwise you'll have to adapt the procedure slightly. Hope this helps! Good luck and best regards, Wim
If you are up to the task or know someone with the materials and equipment I'd do any repairs with an Oxy-Acetylene Rig and 40% Silver-Braze wire. (If you were local I'd do it for you just to see the old girl burn again) If you do it right the repair will be stronger than the original metal, saving worries about it failing under pressure when the stove is lit (a disaster of biblical proportions if you are near it when it happens) As for US "pennies" the switch was not made away from real Copper until 1982, so all US 1-cent coins are real copper through 1982
Allan, Wim, Kerry, was able to scrounge up a real copper penny and then , it is waaaay to big to fit in the hole; so I can't do an inside patch without cutting a larger hole . was thinking it might be good to go as an outside patch; what are the thoughts about this fix/patch?, in my opinion not as good BUT it would be a tradeoff and If it can hold a bit of pressure w/o leaking I will be happy. one good thing; the pump cyl doesn't show any light leaks hole drilled in the bottom for electric cord https://classiccampstoves.com/fusion/fbbuploads/1403161365-005_solus_drill_hole.jpg[/img] Lou
Rape is a brutal crime and a blight on humanity and in my opinion it's not a word that should be assigned to something like this. I'll probably get a clobbering from some sources for that, but so be it. John
Find a brass threaded bolt which snugly fits the hole. Cut it to the correct length to fit neatly into the tank, screw it in, then use 4% silver solder to solder it in place. That will fix the hole; it won't leak; and it will be strong enough to withstand the pressure that is in a stove tank (after all the bottom is only soft-soldered on). You could, if you want, then file the head of the nut down to suit your aesthetic or leave it as a testament to the electrocution of the stove.
G,,day , use a piece of brass from a buggered fount , from the base so it has the same dished shape , or beat a piece to the same shape . the hole is a fair way in from the edge . set up a jig , clamps etc to keep the rim just below water in a suitable container and use a low melting temperature silversolder , should work . I just read Tony,s post while typing this . good idea , you will only need a head size very slightly larger than the hole . or a pan head metal thread from the inside , I hope you have the idea , cheers kerry
you are very correct on this and although using the term in this way trivialises the crime it is something that has been done for so long by so many that its significance has become lost. Im guilty on this one (trivialisation) as well Im sure no-one meant to offend etc
naw, never meant to offend or trivialize a crime!. felt the same way when an entire block in my home town that had been there over 100 years was bulldozed to make a parking area ; the timbers these old homes were made with were unobtainable anymore and the construction was made with standards surpassing anything available now. construction standards now are a 2x4 every 18 inches...the two by four is not really a 2 x 4 but in reality about a 1 7/8ths; and soft pine~! I measured and looked at what was being demolished and it was a 3 x 12 cedar and or oak every 10 inches, could have stood through another 100-200 years just hate seeing something so nice being clobbered /abused/screwed/ drilled out; to make something that it was never intended to be and from the restorations I have seen and learned from on this forum is a heck of a good stove; I enjoy getting things back to their original purpose; teaching youngsters how to repair instead of discarding. all it takes is time and a bit of TLC really like the idea of a brass screw or bolt cause it gives positive pressure if screwed in from the inside. to desolder the entire base is scary for me 'cause I feel I don't have the skills to bring it back to the originality. did I tell you I tried once to weld aluminum with oxy acetelyn like I saw the old timers do! what a disaster! now to find a 1/4 inch brass fine thread screw? "hi ho hi ho here I go to the hardware sto" Lou P.S.if the forum's moderator wants to change name of the raped Solus to something more "acceptable" like screwed/beat/drilled out I won't be offended
If you solder the screw into the hole after screwing it, I would not think it would have to be from the inside. You could cut off the head, and 'sand' it flush. Ken in NC
I hope you plug the hole with a brass screw or a small piece of brass or something similar. If you used a copper coin, it might work just fine. But should it ever blow out under pressure, and cause any injury, you might be hard pressed to explain why a penny was used in the repair. Ken H.
The inside will need to be very clean if you intend to solder on the inside. I think you should pull out the pump tube to do this. Good luck it is a great project. As to the original title of this thread. This forum is huge and full of people from all walks of life. It would nice if we could speak with the vernacular we use when speaking to over mates, in our posts. However without the context of face to face contact the message can be lost or taken wrong. I like the use of slang in posts as it gives the post a personal touch.
