Odd Stove with Zora burner?

Discussion in 'Stove Forum' started by Dean, Jan 20, 2021.

  1. Dean

    Dean United Kingdom Subscriber

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    Hi all,
    Venturing beyond the usual 1 pint camp stoves last night, I spotted this fixed leg stove: odd stove.jpeg

    I was intrigued by the obviously incomplete burner top and had a good look on CCS to find another. Am I right in thinking it is a Zora burner? I did enquire whether he had any loose parts like a plate or burner caps, but sadly not.
    I looked through the reference gallery and it does look very similar to the Zora - the sharply angled top and the three cut outs suggest that. I shall have to wait until it arrives to see whether or not the burner is stamped with a name.
    Examples in the gallery all seemed to be pack away style stoves with small founts, whereas this has fixed legs and looks to me more like a 2 pinter - images can be deceptive, though. The filler cap and air screw look "older" as well.
    Am I correct in thinking that the Zora burner should have both kinds of fittings, for silent or roarer operation?
    The seller said there were no markings on it (tbc), but the only ones in the gallery seem to be Parasene (Berlyn) models. I know that Berlyn produced stoves that were given other brand names (2 Tigers, Plumbob etc) so it might have been something badge engineered, I suppose. The seller, who was clearing his father's goods, told me of another stove, which looked very Parasene, a collapsible model with the very flat pressed out pot stand and a silent burner. I didn't feel tempted by that one but it did indicate to me that this one might also have Parasene connections.
    Can anyone give me info on the Zora, like when it was made (ish) and whether its use was limited to Parasene? It would be great to have some idea of the size of the burner plate as well, as I shall have a go at making one. Do the standard (no.5 type) silent burner caps fit, or do they need to be smaller? How does the air mixing take place when there are no holes in the burner support?
    Thanks for your help.
     
  2. kerophile

    kerophile United Kingdom SotM Winner Subscriber

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    Hi, It certainly looks like a Zora burner to me, and I have only seen them so far on smaller (1pint) stoves. I agree with you about the difficulty of judging scale from a single photo...

    Lots of links here, including on making a suitable flame-plate:

    Search Results for Query: zora burner | Classic Camp Stoves

    Best Regards,
    Kerophile.
     
  3. Dean

    Dean United Kingdom Subscriber

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    @kerophile
    Thank you George. I had searched for Zora but must have got sidetracked before reaching the one about converting a military No.2 plate. That looks quite straightforward.
    Your bonus question: "Where did I put that spare Army no.2 flame plate?"
     
  4. kerophile

    kerophile United Kingdom SotM Winner Subscriber

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    “ In a safe place of course”

    Best Regards,
    George.
     
  5. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    Sort of, with a short piece of tubing to complete the conversion. A silent burner option wasn’t standard with the Zora burner.

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    ACCA4278-2F67-422C-9317-23907E07883F.jpeg

    Fuel/air is mixed on the journey between jet and flame plate. Maybe you’re thinking of those perforations in the well of the burner shroud on a silent burner. Absent here but as you see from the silent cap flame shot above, not a hindrance to combustion not to have them.

    Flame plate roarer.

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  6. Dean

    Dean United Kingdom Subscriber

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    @presscall
    Thank you John.
    I think I have a spare burner plate from an army no.2, just need to remember where! Otherwise, I know I have a full no.2 stove to copy one from.
    I tend to associate fixed leg stoves as for domestic use, which is why I was a bit fixated with a silent burner adaptation - I know that interchangeable burner tops were an option on the Primus 100 and that lovely Monitor 300 that you have and probably a number of others too...
     
  7. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    @Dean I take your point, Dean, and I’m surprised that whoever made the Zora didn’t create a silent burner converter cap as the ‘100’ types of stoves or indeed the Monitor you mention did.

    Mind you, the Parasene half-pinter with fixed legs that the Zora’s usually seen coupled with isn’t exactly well thought out. Small, so assumed to be portable, but with fixed legs. No air screw so a faff to drop the pressure to a simmer setting, particularly since the Zora or the silent burner alternative are oversized compared to the stove and get the fuel tank hot enough to make unscrewing the fuel cap to shut down or adjust tank pressure painful on the fingers.

    That said, the ‘problem’ stoves are often the most memorable in a collection

    John
     
  8. Big Si

    Big Si Subscriber

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    @presscall
    John, I really do have a soft spot for Zora's, could you please give me the measurements of the piece of copper tubing you've used to go with the No 5 cap? Will this work for a No 4 burner as well? I have at least four of the little blighters that I know of however I packed some of my collection away two or three years ago and I'm sure I had two in there as well, You must excuse my obsessive compulsiveness. It's not as bad as it was.....

    Si
     
  9. Dean

    Dean United Kingdom Subscriber

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    Although I have yet to see it in the flesh, this one appears to have an air screw on top of the filler cap.
    Also, it will be interesting to see what size the stove itself is.
     
  10. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    Yes to the sizing Si and no, No.4 caps didn’t work (overpowered/overfuelled by the Zora). In that post where I tinkered with options I mentioned that the Zora could maybe be made to work with the No.4 caps by de-tuning it with a swap of jet nipple to 0.23mm. Elated by success with the larger set of caps I didn’t get around to trying the 0.23mm jet nipple.

    @Dean The stove you’ve pictured has an air screw because it’s not the little Parasene. Looks like a 2-pint fixed-leg stove. The air screw can’t be original to the cap, since it’s a slotted set screw and air screws function using finger-and-thumb and not a screwdriver.
     
  11. Big Si

    Big Si Subscriber

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  12. igh371

    igh371 SotM Winner Subscriber

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    I'll back up this suggestion as definitely worth trying. Fitting a 0.23mm jet solved a similar problem I had with a very odd sized old coil burner which had otherwise stubbornly resisted all attempts to get round persistent over-fuelling issues. (See half way through this thread.)
     
  13. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    @Big Si I dug out the Parasene with the Zora burner and see that I silbrazed that short length of tubing I used to the inner cap to avoid losing it.

    Unless you’re going to successfully utilise No.4 caps and a 0.23mm jet swap, send me the No.5 silent burner inner cap you’d be using and I’ll do the adaptation to that.

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    John
     
  14. Dean

    Dean United Kingdom Subscriber

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    Well, "Zora the Rora" turned up today by delivery of a HUGE cardboard box. Quickly opened and riffling through loads of paper packaging to get to the main event.

    As I brought the stove out I thought how large it looked - definitely bigger than a two pinter. I think it must be 3. The base underside of the stove has the Parasene style step around it and is about 1cm wider diameter than my Berlyn Plumbob 2 pinter, the base is also pot bellied, vertical sides are 6-7mm taller, and the dome to the riser tube is higher as well.
    Looking forward to making up a burner plate from an Army No.2, if only I could find the spare one.

    I thought this one was bigger than the one pinters I have heard about, but I didn't expect it to be quite so big.
     
  15. Big Si

    Big Si Subscriber

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    @Dean Sorry for hijacking your thread mate.
    @presscall . John mate, I was looking for one of those inner caps and guess what, I've got several. I have been building a collection of Shinabro 400 Royals for a long time as you know. They have the exact same inner cap with the extended centre stem. When I brought my first 400 it did not come with the silent caps so I fitted some off of a number five, they worked well but kept blowing out in the wind outside. When I brought my second one it came with all the burner caps. I looked inside the silent cap and it had the down tube. Small world eh.
    John thanks for the offer but over time I've picked up a few.

    Si
     
  16. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    @Big Si No probs Si and yes, @Dean , sorry for hijacking your thread.

    John
     
  17. Dean

    Dean United Kingdom Subscriber

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    Pleased to report that the No.2 burner plate had indeed been put in a very safe place - but it has now been unearthed!

    So with some straightening of the stove legs, a quick poke of the jet, a soak of the leather washer and simply balancing the burner plate on the burner, without modification, I filled, primed and started it up. It didn't like the outdoor draughty corner location one bit, so we retreated to the bench in the garage and away it went. P1260917.JPG P1260916.JPG

    I cannot imagine when this might last have been used and the characteristic green flame is always a joy to watch.
    I wondered whether it would like the fact that the plate was sitting higher than the cutouts intended, but it didn't seem to mind at all and the flame plate soon turned cherry red. The fount got quite warm (hot!) too.

    Once I had had my fun, the kettle had boiled and the flame turned back to blue, it was an easy finger turn of the release screw to reduce all the pressure and for the flame to extinguish. I take your point about the slot but finger pressure was plenty. It depressurised quite easily, much easier action than last weeks Radius 21!

    Tea was good and hot too.

    Dean
     
  18. Big Si

    Big Si Subscriber

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    @Dean
    Good for you mate, good for you.

    Si