I've a question about the leg bases on the Radius No. 19 Stove. Mine has quite bad rust on them, except in certain sections that look suspiciously like they were nickle plated at one time, as the middle section of the one in the photo shows. Does anyone know if the leg bases of the 19 were routinely plated? This is just after the first rough cleanup, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the leg bases. Stan
Excess solder is unlikely as it goes right up to the top of one of the base legs, well above any area affected by solder. Stan
I meant this post to be an edit but I guess it timed out. I didn't notice this until I took a close look at the photo above which has a spot on the rim of the fount. It is an "R" stamped on the bottom rim right beside the leg base closest to the pump. Weird. Stan
Wait for Kerophile to step in....if I remember right, he posted about leg coverings, perhaps in the restoration thread, but he mentioned about exposing (tinning?) or the like.. Dave
[color:yellow][/color]Hi, it is possible that the steel feet were fully tinned before attachment. This was the treatment for many of the legs for these stoves, so the process was readily available. Once the feet were tinned with solder they would be ready for attachment to the tank with the addition of a little more solder. The tinned coating does degrade with time where it is exposed and the underlying steel rusts. It is impractical to re-tin these feet in-situ as the attaching solder would melt. As I see it you have several options: 1. Abrade the rust back to bare steel and coat with clear lacquer. 2. As above but use metallic paint. 3. If the feet are rusted through their bases, remove them and replace with brass feet. I have used all three methods, depending on the stove and degree of rusting. Your feet look structurally sound so I would recommend Options 1 or 2. Trust this helps: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/3963 Best Regards, Kerophile.
Hi, here is an extreme case of corroded feet requiring a transplant: https://classiccampstoves.com/posts/287827 Best Regards, Kerophile.
Thanks George. A truly amazing transformation on the 100! The feet on the 19 are still sound so for "now" I think I'll take advice #2 but reserve the right to "eventually" replace with brass. I'll need to do lots of practicing my soldering skills before attempting what you have done. (that reminds me of the joke about the Scottish Sargeant and the condom) Any idea what the little "R" stamp on the bottom rim of the fount might mean? Or the "E" stamp of the same size on the bottom of the fount? Stan
Hi Stan, if you decide to use paint, please chose a colour sympathetic to the original appearance , such as dull "solder" coloured. I have seen feet re-coated in black, metallic gold, and gloss silver and they all looked garish and out- of -place. Regarding the single letter stamps; these are likely factory stamps related to an individual or process area. Much of the work in a stove factory would be piece-rate and it would be useful to be able to track a component back to an individual or machine. I look forward to seeing many more photographs of your stove. I have an interest in trying to link Radius stoves back to a time period, on the basis of tank markings and features. Unfortunately Radius did not date code their products like Primus did. Best Regards, Kerophile .
Thanks for the interest George. No worries, I won't use the glitter high gloss silver my wife has in her craft cupboard. ;-) As soon as I receive my 'Radius Special' silent aka "UFO" burner (it's in the mail), I'll fire it up and post a bunch of pictures in the reference section. From the little I have found in the catalogues, they reference the D433 (there's a "D" stamped on the burner frame) burner as early as 1920 but it appears that it was renamed a "4/36" by 1932 ??? Stan
Hi Stan, there is a quick sort: Whether the tank is marked "Radius" or "Radius Ltd." If marked "Radius" it is pre-1938 according to Stefan's research. Best Regards, Kerophile.
Thanks for that George, on the top engraving inside the Star/comet mark it is "RADIUS", on the bottom of the fount is is "A.B.RADIUS STOCKHOLM" in a circle around the words "MADE IN SWEDEN" inside the circle. Stan
Hi Stan, it seems you have a pre-WW2 Radius stove. If you look at the Radius No.17 stoves in the Reference Gallery you will get some idea of the different tank markings. The Radus No. 17 is the roarer "sister" of your Radius No. 19. Best Regards, Kerophile.
Thanks to your suggestion George, I've been examining the Stove Reference Gallery and I've noticed one detail that seems to merit attention. It's the knurling on the pump assembly. It seems that the newer models have the wider straight knurling, but the earlier models have the narrower curved knurling. Is that one of the details you were mentioning or is it my imagination? I've included a picture of my "Early (??) Radius #19 pump assembly as an example. Stan btw my #19 seems to be identical in every respect to the one posted by BernieDawg in the Reference Gallery except perhaps not in such excellent shape.
This must be the the only site where you can post pics of your pump knob without fear of censorship... .....I'll get my coat...
Hi Stan, yes, features like the inclined knurling on the pump cap and/or pump knob can be useful indicators of age on un-dated stove models. On the Radius 19 I would expect a reserve cap mounted on the pump knob, except perhaps on the very early stoves. Look forward to seeing more pictures rather than just the teasers you are posting at the moment. Best Regards, Kerophile.
Hi Stan if you have a look at stejar's definitive work on the development of Radius No.21 stoves: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/20588 You will see that the pump cap with a narrow band of inclined knurling was used on his Type 1 and 2 stoves in the 1930s. I think it likely that you cap comes from the same period. Best Regards, Kerophile.
