Optimus 111C issues

Hello everyone.

A while back acquired a 111C with steel tank. Box was excellent condition still is but burner needed some cleaning and parts change. After I did all the clean and repairs the stove worked flawlessly. I decided to take the stove with me to one of my job sites out of town. I wanted to use it in my hotel room so I changed the jet to the A stamped one (alcohol) put in the restrictor and flushed burner and tank. I poured in denatured alcohol from Home Depot Klean strip green clean burning fuel. Ever since I put on the alcohol I had nothing but problems. After further inspection I found the tank to be heavily rusted on the inside. So I bought a 111b for 30$ and took the brass tank, cleaned it flushed and installed on the 111c. Changed the pump valve, changed the strainer and installed to the 111c burner.

I have cleaned the burner 4 times from debris from the steel tank. Finally got it after I used a compressor and blew air in it. Not when I prime the burner with spirit usually burns for 1-2 minutes. Once fire is out I slowly open the valve. Bright blue flames begin and 30 seconds later the flame is mixed with heavy orange. I have now stripped the stove more than 4 times, cleaned it changed spindle, changed strainer again, needle, and still getting orange flames.

 

Hi - knowing there are quite a variety of restrictors - could you post a picture of yours?

Have you tried letting it heat up a couple of filled kettles? Some burners like to have a couple of good burn-ins, before they are up to speed?

 

Hi @Haytum Aboneaaj .

Your photos show a very fuel rich flame, particularly at higher power settings.

As @Harder D. Soerensen has said, to run an Optimus 111C successfully on alcohol requires the use of an alcohol jet and an air-restrictor to achieve the correct combustion characteristics:

https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/no-111c-exploded-view.10183/

The Alcohol/spirits jet A. Part #2508
The air-restrictor. Part #5060 on the illustration in the link.

This post shows a jet and the air-restrictor:

https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/optimus-111c.39921/#post-419165

Best Regards,
Kerophile.

 

It that tank cut in half?

 

Apparently so, Ken.

 

The alcohol jet and restrictor are in place. It’s in the pictures.

 

It is the slide in restrictor the one that originally comes with the 111c

 

There are several versions of restrictor. That is why they are asking. Some work better than others.

It looks like a brass tank in the photos. But, the color could be off on the webpage. And I wondered why he did not take it apart, at the joint, with a torch. There are quite a few places here where members disassembled the tank. I have done so myself.

Ken in NC

 

The tank you guys see cut in half is the black steel tank, I cut it in half to see what it looks like since I was going to throw away. I took the tank from a 111b and installed it to the 111c burner and box.

 

This is the restrictor which came originally with my 111T


And this is the brass restrictor which my friend @gideon made for me according to @Doc Mark specs.



The brass one with its larger and opposing 2 x 4-holes is clearly the best for my 111 and 199.

 

@Harder D. Soerensen ,

Thanks for sharing that 4-hole restrictor! Back when I was testing all the ones I had, it was this one that worked perfectly in the 111T and 199. I still use those today, and they still work perfectly! Well done! Take care, and God Bless!

Doc

 

@Doc Mark
Anytime and with pleasure.

Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost.

 

@Haytum Aboneaaj The tank did not look like it had holes. Or, were there holes I did not see.

 

I'm not sure this is legal anywhere in the US.

As George says it has a fuel rich flame. Do you have the tank overfilled? Fill 2/3 full max so there is space for air.

It sounds like you're becoming an expert taking your stove apart and reassembling. What fuel were you using when the stove last ran as it should?

 

@Haytum Aboneaaj

Here I made same tank swap to my 111C: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/hiker-silent-brassification.29776/ Rust flakes was coming out from the tank when I received the stove so I checked tank's inner side with an endoscope. I decided to swap the tank before I used the stove. After the swap stove was running fine with Kerosene.

 

Also... Have you tried another "A" marked jet. Jet could be too worn if flame is too ritch.

 

Here are photos of it running with kerosene, jet M and no restrictors. I’ve flushed the tank and burner of any alcohol flushed it with kerosene twice.

 

Took it outside and ran it again with kerosene flame is getting better? Not sure.

 

Somehow for me it looks it is as good as it possible to get. Primus outer cap give best fully blue flame (in my experience). Optimus cap leaves always some yellow to flame (again just my own experience) (Material of Primus caps that I have is also steel)

How much pressure you put to tank? Looks a bit that small 'flamelets' around the outer cap have some distance from the cap. When there is too much pressure those small 'flamelets' around the outer cap start to have distance from the outer cap. Then burning starts to get incomplete and flame gets some yellow color.

If tank is 3/4 full just put five (or few more) pumps to tank before starting up the stove. When you get stove running set it to full throttle and put more pressure to tank to see how flame changes when pressure increases. When those small 'flamelets' around the outer cap start to have distance from the outer cap pressure in tank is close to max. needed pressure.

 

I don't know if it is my tablet but on the second picture taken inside, it seem to have a small flame under the burner. ?????