Hi! Have just joined you as I have several vintage stoves of different types and would like to share the interest and information. May I ask an initial question (partly to find my way in your fascinating group) which is - is it OK to use unleaded petrol in my Radius 46 please. So far in my searches it seems that paraffin is NOT to be used in this particular stove unlike many that are similar. My 46 seems to have had little use and appears to be complete and in good order. Moreover it seems to be a fairly rare item. Have attached some pics. Am hoping that I'm doing this correctly.
Hi and a warm welcome here. Its a nice little stove - It can be run on regular pump petrol but I won’t recommend it as modern fuel has a lot of additives which will clog up your burner inside. Better to use White Spirit/Coleman Fuel or Alcylate/Aspen 4 petrol (Benzine). Two small advices: 1) Don’t let it run dry of fuel as you may scorch the wick inside the burner. 2) Be sure that the safety mechanism in the filler lid closes completely as that black holed rubber disc will turn hard over times with a lack of pressure and a potential flame as the fumes might ignite from here. You can check the safety mechanism while the stove is running - put some soapy bubble water on your finger and lay it over the small hole in the filler cap. No bubbles and youre good. If it bubbles you need to fettle it tight again ;-)
Hello Harder! Thank you for your prompt response - just the stuff I needed to know. All my other stoves run on paraffin so this one was a bit of a concern since petrol had been mentioned somewhere. Thank you too for taking the trouble to add the extra advice and for sharing your experience.
Welcome to CCS. There have been countless threads here over time about these fuel issues. A few casual searches will yield full information. Lots of Brits here who can tell you the local types of pure naptha-type petrol, free of the bad additives of pump gasoline.
Welcome to CCS! You've been given plenty of helpful tips and tricks already, as is usual over here. Before trying to light it, make sure the brass disc (pictured on the far left in the twelfth picture) is not damaged or has cracks in it. Happy fettling & we're all looking forward to the money shot.
I use my 46 at work as it is small, nice and handy - the safety valve seal is very easy to make from any thin fuel resistant rubber if needed.
Thanks to all for the kind welcome and great advice. Thought I would try to bring you the ‘money shot’ as ‘Lighthouse’ neatly put it. Having fuelled it with white spirit, it lit first time and produced a good ‘Bunsen’ type flame (as per the pics) steadily for a minute or two before ‘stuttering’ and ‘popping’ for another minute and then going out. Clearly a problem and some fettling needed. I had already checked the rubber tank cap washers and put on a new ring washer. The flexible brass washer is in good condition. The cap washer with all the holes appeared to be intact and still flexible enough and I coated this with silicone lubricant to help it along. No obvious signs of loss of pressure meanwhile. I also tried to access the wick but found that the clamp nut that connects the burner assembly to the tank would not budge even with a decent spanner and modest force. With no visible signs of damage it is time to ask for some advice once more please. In particular has anyone any advice for dislodging the stubborn pipe-to-tank clamp nut without causing damage.
Some of those "automatic cleaning" burners tend to fill the cavity inside the burner jet with coke when starting a burner that has been off duty for a long time - sometimes it helps to turn full left for cleaning freqently, other times the jet needs to be removed to clean out the deposits - if this doesn't help you may need to check the wick and only then it is a real need to separate burner from tank.
+1 on @Lennart F remarks. If it comes to disassemble the burner from the tank - be aware not to over-torque it as it’ll break or turn into a sad looking Cork screw. You can use a 50/50 mixture of Acetone and transmission Fluid (often referred to in here as just “ATF”), or some other thin penetrating oil. Apply it several times during a couple of days on the thread - while giving it a careful bit of excercise with the right sized key. (See NB: below) Make sure the tank is completely clean of fuel(!) on the inside and out - maybe flush it with a bit of water and leave it without filler cap on - then take a small sharp pen torch and apply some heat to the threads - and then give it a go while threads are hot. NB: Its best to fixate your key in a vice and the hold the tank in your hands - while trying to unscrew.
Leslie Legg, It can take a while for the fuel to soak a dry wick. Clean the jet and try again. These are a self pressureising stove and needs the fuel to warm up before they will run properly. Also remember to open the filler cap and close it again before starting. This equalizes the pressure inside the fount.
Welcome @Leslie Legg. You mentioned you have used 'white spirit'. When discussing fuel terms you have to be aware that identical oil fractions have a very wide variety of names globally. Our white spirit in the uk is close to kerosene for carbon chains and is heavier than the naptha types the 46 and other self pressurising stoves use. Apologies bit I'm unable to link to the International fuel names table at the moment. Your best bet for compatible fuel is either Aspen 4 as already suggested or Slow Panel Wipe. Panel wipe available from Eurocarparts or any vehicle repairers that do spraying. if you have used decorating white spirit you may be lucky and a rinse through with a lighter fraction and a burn off will clean out the wick. Dismantling the burner from the tank should only be considered as a last resort and extreme caution taken. Think trying to break very old thread lock.
even better! use industrial petrol (heptane) its the cleanest fuel ever. A bit pricy but who cares you need such a small quantities for this stove. aspen4stroke like mentioned is ok as well though not as clean as above mentioned fuel. You can find heptane in your paint shop
