Sherwood's Bluet, the larger of two versions available with 10 pencil wicks (6 on the smaller model) and an 8-inch diameter fuel tank of 4 pints capacity (7-inch and 2 1/2 pints on the other version) Burner strip-down. Outer casing incorporating larger of two pierced metal concentric 'chimney' components is removed here Burner twists to clear two locking lugs. Fibre seal for burner to fuel tank joint Burner inverted, the wick tails are very Gorgon-esque Right way up, the wick raising (circular disk) knob is visible and a key-shaped control to raise a gallery to admit more air to the burner during the start-up procedure - more of that in a moment. Both controls operate simple rack and pinion mechanisms Here's that starter device in operation The chimney component concentric tubes A few details before I fire it up. The fuel (paraffin) filler cap Labelling Lighting up, birthday cake style. Wicks raised to ignite. Even with ten wicks to light it's not too laborious, the flame tending to migrate to neighbouring wicks pretty quickly as the flame from one ignites the fuel vapour from the next Here I've used the gallery-raising device, which really gets things moving. A few seconds and the gallery's lowered as a blue flame kicks in Like so Svea 123 alongside for size comparison. Kettle's steaming. A pint-and-a-half in about eight minutes is fine by me, given that the water was near freezing in a break between hailstone showers The Bluet features in this catalogue (Stove Reference Library) from 1965 It says there that the Bluet was "Extensively used on expeditions". Weighty, bulky - no final push to the summit with the Bluet then. More of a base camp resource I think. John
great stove, John. Boiling time looks good - in summer it might manage in 5 minutes. How about consumption? The same system is still in production in the far east today.
Darn, I have a 95% similar model that I have just Fettled and the hole in the top of the burner I soldered up. The hole in mine was not perfect and I thought it had been punctured. I can see from the symmetrical hole in the word Bluet in the image above that it belongs. Mine still works. Before I desolder it can someone explain to me why this top hole is required and what it does? Thanks in advance. Iain Sedgman PS a wonderful find and you have done a great job showing off this unit fully.
Really nice job of photo explanation. 10 wicks! And I always thought this type of stove had one large cylindrical wick. We don't get a lot of wick or gravity stoves on CCS and it a shame. They're functional, beautiful, and not all saucer shaped! Thanks for posting.
Well John, it is another beautifully photographed stove showing exactly how it works. It is not something I would have given a second look at - but how wrong I would have been. It is a very clever design and obviously works well.
I'd reason to go back to this topic for reference and see that questions Peter and Iain raised in respect of fuel consumption (Peter) and what that central hole in the burner cap is for (Iain) went unanswered. Sadly, although I want to apologise for not picking up on their questions at the time, I don't have an answer to either question - I've an indication only (but nothing more substantiated) that the stove's not a fuel guzzler and it's just a guess that the central hole in the burner cap is there to vent any pocket of hot gas that might otherwise collect there, creating an unstable flame - maybe? Blocking the hole as you did Iain and trying it out might show whether that's a possible explanation. John
Hi John lovely to see another bluet see yours is a 10 wick l've got the six wick version but sadly no idea how to change John would appreciate any help can get on changing wick.. Cheers mickbluet
First job’s to get a suitable length of round-section wick of the right diameter - enough to create six wicks which extend to the full length of the brass tube each goes into and plenty (but not an excessive amount) to dunk in the fuel when installed. The wicks shouldn’t be too loose a fit in the tubes. Getting them into the tubes is best done by cutting six half-inch by six inch strips of duct tape and, lengthwise, roll an inch of the tape around the top inch of each wick, rolling the remaining five inches of tape on itself (lengthwise again) to make a ‘tail’ that will pass easily through a tube. Use it as a pull-through for the rest of the wick, stopping when the top inch of the wick appears above the tube. Peel off the tape, then gently tug on the lower part of the wick to leave about 3/8-inch exposed above the tube. Repeat with each wick. The Base Camp (now in Peterborough) stock suitable wick material. Mike there’s probably got a good idea of the right diameter for your Bleuet. 5/16-inch about right as a guess, but measure the internal diameter of the tubing to confirm.
I have a 10 wick in original box, little used, for sale... Sadly the tank has fatigue cracks from the metal spinning so the stove is spares or display only. :-((
I've just refurbished the 6 wick version for my YouTube channel. It's a great little stove. Have a look at the video if you have a few minutes to spare. TeaWithQ
