I have cleared a cupboard in my workshop and my new army of 'friends' (5 at the moment) now has somewhere to live. Well, that's almost true, as I need to 'scoop' out the shelf to allow the Primus #3 to fit in, but that's on my 'to-do' list. I've yet to make the storage boxes (an interesting project all in itself) but they will all sit nicely in said cupboard. Coincidently, the sorry looking, but ornate trivet that is part of my Primus #3 is currently with my good 'car restoring' neighbour, as he has a grit blasting booth and has agreed to clean it up (the trivet, not the grit booth!) ready for painting. High temperature paint has already been ordered in anticipation of trivet arriving back in pristine, but 'naked' condition. Now here's the question - in a minute or two. It's inevitable that, with a growing collection of stoves and some being 'more in favour' than others, some stoves will get used less. Also, with a limited amount of Scout camps and family camping trips (maybe a combined total of 6) and some days out in the campervan (a further 10 trips maybe), some stoves might sit a while, waiting for their opportunity to 'shine', particularly at certain times of the year. Some or 'the favoured one' on the other hand, will be fetched out whenever possible in order that the proud owner can demonstrate it's abilities and beauty to 'captured' audience, normally visiting friends or family. This will most certainly result in a cup of tea or coffee being consumed outdoors. Of course, cooking will also be undertaken where ever possible, but that's more likely to be at camp, which will be less often. OK, finally the question.... What is the best way to store a stove that might only get occasional use? Now I'm guessing that the pump tube ought to have a few drips of 3-in-1 oil put in and the paraffin ought to be drained out. The air bleed valve and filler cap ought to be loosened, but left in place. Collapsible stoves should be 'collapsed', again with caps etc. loose, but in place. The stove should be wiped clean in order that any 'patina' forming will be more uniform. For certain stoves, e.g. Primus #10, the inner and outer caps of the silent burner should be stored 'off the stove', as the inner cap is apparently prone to 'seizing' in place. I should also imagine that an occasional 'firing' from time to time, or a few pumps on the pump rod would benefit the stoves and identify any maintenance required so as to keep it in 'ready for action' condition. So, how do you store your???? Baz
A long time ago before I even joined here I went through the stoves at the local scout hall to fix them up. Some of these had sat for more than 10 years and a little oil on the pump and the fired right up on the fuel that was still in them. My thoughts for brass tank stoves would be to just make sure the air bleed is open then store them. If you can drain them it could be worh while but not imperative If you close the air bleed then as temperature changes they dribble fuel. I have a hurlock I forgot this with and the can it was in ended up full and the stove empty. Steel tank stoves should always be emptied Certainly dont put away dirty
Good advice from @geeves ! I prefer to de-fuel if its going to sit for a while, it lessens the chance of one voiding itself in the cupboard/it's tin.. Funny thing, even with loose bleed screws there are some known to be incontinent, I have a No.6 which can be a bugger in that respect, no idea why! Alec
How I store my stoves depends on the fuel. I drain my kerosene stoves and put the fuel in my kero lamps where it will be used, partly because some kero stoves are little brass jerks and will spit and spill fuel all over if there's any left in them. I love 'em anyway. White gas (Coleman fuel) stoves are fueled up and valves closed, alcohol stoves are drained and the fuel returned to the tins it came in. I just yesterday found my PHOEBUS 625 and decided to fire it up in celebration. It had sat behind some Coleman stoves in the Taj Mah shed for about five years with half a tank of fuel in it. A small squirt of WD-40 in the pump barrel and observation of lighting protocol and it lit off and purred as if it were new. It's an excellent stove, I really don't know why I don't use it more often. Gerry N.
The kero stoves are emptied, except the collapsable, those are filled and bleed screw and travel cap are installed and snugged up. I also use a short burst of "canned air" to push out the air and moisture out, leaving an inert and dry atmosphere. CF fueled stoves are filled, with a few cc of alcohol added to capture any moisture in the tank, either denatured alky or HEET if I can get a good deal on it. Alcohol stoves are run dry, and put up, alcohol doesn't age well in the tanks, IMO. Murph
All my stoves are paraffin stoves. I've gotten into the habit of emptying them back into the container that the paraffin came in. I also have a few clear bottles that I use to store the paraffin in and have noticed 'gunk' building up at the bottom. When I have time, I think I might start filtering the fuel back into the containers (maybe using coffee filter papers) in order to catch the 'gunk'. I feel happier this way, as I know how much paraffin I have at any given time and whether I need to go and get some more. I can also store the fuel in another shed away from my workshop with all the other flammable liquids used, e.g. for the lawn mower (petrol) and RC aircraft (methanol or ethanol + nitro methane). For my travel stove, I like to leave the tank empty, with the air bleed screw open a little so that it is less affected by the ambient air temperature (expansion/contraction). The other stoves I have should all be able to 'breathe' through the jet nipple. My daughter has a 'Topper' sailing dinghy and although the hull is air tight (and water tight!!!), we have to store that with the bung out, as they have been known to burst their seems in extreme temperatures. Besides, part of the enjoyment I get from my stoves is in the setting up and lighting, which would be lessened if I didn't have to pour the fuel in! Baz
Baz There are various ways of filtering fuel but a cost-effective way which will be good for years to come is to get yourself a 'Mr Funnel'. There are CCS reviews of the funnel here and here. The different sizes are easily obtainable on eBay or Amazon.
I've taken to draining the tank then adding something like Injector Cleaner or solvent back into the tank. SeaFoam, Marvel, Kroil...
I keep everything, kero, CF, and alcohol stoves, emptied and dried out. Don't need a another fire hazard in the house.
Sparky - You're allowed to keep them in your house?!!!! Trevor - I'll let you know - I think it might arrive tomorrow! However, I'm in the process of building an 'experimental' travel box for my Monitor stove (some parts are currently glued and clamped) and trying to get my cast iron trivet cleaned, ready for gold stove paint (paint arrived today).
Mr. Funnel has arrived this afternoon! Due to lack of success finding a place that will grit blast my Primus #3 cast iron trivet, I've resorted to hours of work with my Como drill (like a Dremmel). The trivet has now been sprayed "gold" along with 2 other prepared trivets, but they need baking in the oven to cure them. Will have to wait until the lady of the house is out, maybe tomorrow? Storage box prototype for my Monitor 15 is making slow progress, due to waiting for clamped up gluey bits to dry. No Scout business to attend to tonight, so might have a go with the funnel, or more probably use it tomorrow, whilst doing some baking!
Baz, are you really planning to paint a cast iron trivet? I am not fortunate enough to own one of these but many here don't like to use them. These are rare and the heating and cooling cycles of use can make them crack and many have not survived the test of time. I've read that some members clean and season them like a cast iron skillet and use them for display or very occasional use only. Mr. Funnels work very well. You can pour a glass of water in them and nothing will pass through. The negative I find is the spout is too big to fit any of my stoves, lamps or heaters. I need to use a regular funnel and then hold the Mr Funnel over that. Then at the end there is at least a half inch of fuel remaining in the Mr. Funnel reservoir that you have to dump into another container marked unfiltered fuel until you have enough quantity to run that through Mr. Funnel.
Ray - Yep! . . . and here it is, freshly baked at gas mark 8 for 1 hour and cooling down slowly. I have no problems painting it, as it was originally painted gold by the factory, traces of which could still be found on it before I cleaned it. Not exactly 'Primus Factory' gold colour, but then there aren't that many shades of gold heat proof paint available (I came across just this one colour). If you take a peek at the my Primus #3 in the stove reference gallery (here), you'll come across a 'before' photo of it looking rather 'sorry' & rusty. I hope that this will prolong it's life. As to whether I will use it, that is a different matter. I think the stove legs will easily support a 'billy' or 'dixie' without having to use it. I'm of a mind to label it as to what it is, and what it belongs to, and storing it away safely in my workshop, after all, aren't we just 'temporary custodians' of these things in the long run? I'm sure that somebody with a mind to do so, would strip this coating off with no trouble! It didn't seem to mind being heated in the oven, and I'm letting it cool down of it own accord so as not to heat stress it. Trevor - I have just sorted out a nice, fresh, clean container for my current paraffin stock (ex-windscreen wash container, suitably rinsed and cleaned). Once I have cooked dinner for the family (on the kitchen gas cooker!), I hope to 'escape' to my workshop and filter all my paraffin into it. I'm also hoping to turn some more wood into saw dust as work can now progress on my Monitor storage box (glued parts should have dried by now hopefully!). Incidentally, it's rusty trivet and that from my Primus #10 (both rusty, mild pressed steel affairs) both sport a new 'gold' look! These probably will get used and so it will be interesting to see how the paint performs over time. Baz
