The idea for this cropped up in THIS post in which the leaflet that came with an 'Ideal' stove pricker illustrated another of the manufacturer's products, the Self-filling Stove Pump. Intrigued, and not anticipating to find an original example in a hurry, I had a think about the operating principle and set about making one. Here are the components before assembly, a hollow pump rod, a pump piston equipped with two 'O'-ring seals and a valve operated by the pump knob, the valve also equipped with two (smaller) 'O'-rings Components assembled but before I'd soldered in place the ferrule at the right-hand end of the pump rod/tube and the piston at the left-hand end Here's the illustration in the leaflet of the original device Hopefully these drawings I've drafted up will make the operating principle clear. Fuel (or air if the fuel tube isn't inserted into a fuel can) is drawn into the pump barrel ... ... and pumped through the stove's non-return valve into the stove fuel tank. The shuttle valve at the pump knob end ensures the fuel doesn't simply head off back up the pump rod/tube and back to the fuel can As I said, if the fuel pipe isn't dunked into the fuel in the fuel can the pump draws air in and acts as a conventional stove pump, pressurising the stove's fuel tank. Here's that shuttle valve in more detail, allowing fuel (or air) in on the 'pull' stroke and shutting off the fuel/air inlet for the 'push' stroke Some constructional details. The ferrule that acts as an end-stop for the shuttle valve The pump piston and 'O'-rings The inlet and hose barb fitting. It's a component I salvaged from a spare Chinese stove fuel hose (TK-800 model I think) and is silbrazed on the pump rod/tube, since lead solder wouldn't be strong enough for something that acts as an end stop when the pump knob is pushed in For the same reason, I beefed up the fuel pump end cap too and salvaged a cap with a worn pump rod hole in the process Assembled. Pump piston soldered on ('O'-rings removed during the soldering operation of course) and the end-stop ferrule also soldered in place (shuttle valve unscrewed from the pump knob and slid out of the tube then re-inserted at the pump piston end afterwards) Tried out on a chrome-finish 1939 date Primus 5 with regulating burner. Though unable to demonstrate it functioning in photographs, the pump worked fine as a conventional air pump ... ... and when connected up to the fuel (paraffin) bottle drew fuel and pumped it into the stove tank while the burner was lit What I did find however was that although the silicon grease I applied to the 'O'-rings made for a smooth action, the paraffin soon washed it away and the action became stiffer. Usable, but not as pleasant to use. On balance, I'd say it's no surprise that there aren't many survivors out there. I suspect they didn't sell well, or were jettisoned as impracticable. A reasonable enough idea in principle, but having a blowlamp tethered to a fuel line (as in the leaflet illustration) might be tolerable on a production line but not much use anywhere else and in respect of an accessory for a stove, it'd be a very long cooking session to justify 'in-flight refuelling'. John
Morning, John, WOW!! Your creative mind, and skill set continue to amaze me, my friend!! It's always a joy to see what you create, and to learn about whatever catalyst caused you to do so. Well done in recreating an "in flight fueling" system that actually works on a stove. As you say, cooking times would have to be very long in order to justify using such a system. But, it's grand to actually see this in action, and to know that it CAN be done, and done with class and style!! Thank you, as always, for sharing another of your inventive creations with us, and well done!! Brilliant! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Mark
Hi John I am amazed first of all, i have never seen one of these before or knew they ever made them. Outstanding workman ship John, i am blown away with your work and creativity, i am all ways amazed at all your work. It would work with a blowlamp, i doubt it was designed to be constantly tethered to a blowlamp, i suppose the best way it would be used was just as the lamp or stove was all most empty,it could be filled lit with out having to wait for it to cool down, which was the safety procedure in the instructions this saving time in cooling down and the usual priming procedure. But even though this is designed for paraffin/kerosene not petrol for obvious safety reasons, the blowlamp in the illustration is very much like a petrol blowlamp. Ass all ways John brilliant work and well done.
Ecellent work recreating this contraption. The illustration may give a clue to its popularity and demise. My guess it was less popular with the worker than the boss and likewise for the wife. I can just imagine the husband showing up with it and announcing to his wife that there is no reason for the meal to be late again.
Nice work John, as always. Prentiss Wabers had a similar 'pump' to siphon from an auto gas tank to fill the stove. Seen here ... Link But, I do not see that the PW would be kept attached while the stove is in use. EDIT: The PW is also a gasoline stove. Ken in NC
Ah yes, Ken, I remember seeing that post but didn't make the connection. The arrangement I've made with a hose barb and tubing pushed on it is fuel-tight but easy to disconnect and connect up with the stove lit and I expect that the original wasn't intended to be tethered to the fuel line other than for refuelling either. Just an experiment to see how well the gadget might have worked. Thanks for the comments All! Well spotted Brian, I'd not noticed but you know your blowlamps and you're right, that's a petrol type blowtorch in the leaflet illustration. I wouldn't want to use the device to refuel a petrol stove when lit - it wouldn't take much for the fuel vapour from the fuel can to ignite! John
Hi John your very welcome, i wonder if there were tradesman or home owners, that did fill any petrol stove or blowlamp with one of these self filling stove pumps. All so in the instructions did they specify was it only to be used for paraffin. i all so wonder how often a stove lamp got over filled with this systeem
True enough, looking again at the illustration it's clearly marked as an OIL can coupled with the petrol blowlamp. Good point you raise about overfilling Brian, but having tried the gadget out quite a lot today (a perfect Easter Monday off work!) I've established that it's pretty much impossible to overfill a stove with it. Bearing in mind that the burner's lit and the stove behaves as it would if you were to pressurise it excessively with just the usual pump - the flame size increases and the pump becomes harder to use, so it's telling you "enough!" Even if that feedback from pump and flame were ignored the pump would become impossible to use long before the air in the tank could be compressed to that extent. John
Thought I'd best not stint on 'action' shots. Here's the fuel tubing connected up to the stove pump prior to topping up with paraffin, burner ignited I pushed a thick brass tubular piece onto the end of the fuel pipe to ensure it makes its way to the bottom of the fuel container. Otherwise the fuel pipe's liable to snake around inside the container and suck air if the container's part full, as it was Drawing out the pump rod/tube, fuel entering the pump and stove tank Tubing disconnected for convenience. Kettle boiling Pump is capable of generating the required pressure for a hot flame John
John Excellent stuff, your second piston and pump rod idea is an inspired solution. Shows how different minds work, when I saw the advert I imagined another NRV type valve (or a ball bearing type) preventing back flow, either inside the hollow pump rod or in the tee piece. In practice this seems to be a solution to a problem very few would encounter. Thanks
I can imagine it being useful on industrial burners where there can be a need to run them longer than a tank would last but even then why didnt they just build a large common tank with big pump and remote supply to the required number of regulated burners.
Unless someone comes up with an original example I'd say there's justification for keeping a reproduction of an interesting and rare stove accessory in the Stove Reference Gallery. Although it's daft and wide of the mark to call the device dangerous there's any number of - let's say - 'marginally safe' antique petrol stoves that couldn't feature here if that were the criterion. John
Hi John Another great post as always , you always seem to get the creative juices flowing with something very interesting to impart 8) : D/ , well fettled old mate & a really interesting way of re-fueling , although as you have ascertained it was great in the idea stage but not too succesful in the user friendly area Stu
Glad you liked that Stu! Iani's less appreciative, but then again his scrap bin counts as treasure trove in my book, so we're never likely to agree on where the dividing line lies between construction/fettling and destruction Caption to Iani's photo John
