Primus No. 303 (1924)

Discussion in 'Primus No:303' started by Tony Press, Mar 21, 2021.

  1. Tony Press

    Tony Press Australia Subscriber

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    This Primus No. 303 came to me polished and lacquered, but not functioning. It was found in Australia.

    The Primus No. 303 is designed to be primed with kerosene. The stove did not have the windshield/shroud that sits over the priming mechanism, but I have no intention of priming with kerosene. I have made a windshield/shroud for the stove from an Aladdin wick burner lamp (see below).

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    I on the pump knob.
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    1543 scratched onto tank.
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    Fuel riser after re-soldering in place.
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    I do like the deep belly on this tank.
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    The cast iron trivet was in good condition. It has no markings on the underside.
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    Up and running.


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    Some fettling matters.

    The main issue with the fettle of this stove was the fact that the burner was firmly lacquered to the preheater and fuel riser, and the fuel riser had become loose and moved when trying to take off the burner.

    Getting the burner off required a liberal use of heat and Penetrene at the burner join. This was achieved by ensuring that the (un)soldered join of the the riser to the tank was kept cool by water soaked carbon fibre.
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    I then used a special adjustable wrench wrapped with leather to grip the fuel riser (it had to have a low profile to fit under the pre-heater) and the special spanner to fit the burner hex.
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    A few grunts later the burner separated from the riser.


    I cleaned up the area around where the where the fuel riser meets the tank, applied a liberal amount of flux and reheated the riser using a propane torch. I applied a small amount of solder to the join.

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    The bite marks were made through the leather wrapped around the riser. The burner was stuck fast and a very hard grip was required.


    I did the usual decoking of the burner with heat and carburettor cleaner, but it was not too bad.



    Pre-heating and operating the stove using a part form an Aladdin wick burner as the windshield/shroud.

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    Washers and seals by The Fettlebox. Thanks to @Doc Mark for his assistance.

    There was discussion of this stove here.


    A nice, and not so common stove.


    Cheers

    Tony

    @presscall @igh371 @z1ulike @Duck @abbahco1
     
  2. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    @Tony Press Great work Tony. It’s certainly a sophisticated and finely engineered solution by Primus to aerate a kerosene charge sufficiently to burn cleanly during priming.

    To be clear, with the Aladdin component added, you primed with kerosene?

    John
     
  3. Tony Press

    Tony Press Australia Subscriber

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    @presscall

    I primed with metho, not kerosene. I suppose I should use kerosene at least once... stand by.

    Tony
     
  4. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    I think you ought to, in homage to Primus for going to the trouble if nothing else, Tony.
     
  5. Doc Mark

    Doc Mark SotM Winner Subscriber

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    Good Morning, Tony (@Tony Press ),

    You did an exquisite job on getting this Old Timer back in usable condition! I'm very envious of your soldering skills, and seeing your excellent success in this worthy project, makes me want to practice my own very rudimentary skills and get them up to your level, Mate! I agree with John (@presscall ), in wanting to see this stove primed with kerosene, at least once. BUT, as I've not even done the basic fettling on my own #303, I have no solid footing to suggest that you do that.

    Thank you very much for sharing this lovely and historically important Primus with us, and again, very well done!! Take care, and God Bless!

    Every Good Wish,
    Doc
     
  6. Tony Press

    Tony Press Australia Subscriber

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    As requested, priming with kerosene:

    A bit of sooty flame.
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    The priming mechanism concentrates the flame around the centre.
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    Up, up and away...
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    Cheers

    Tony

    @presscall @Doc Mark
     
  7. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    @Tony Press I’d say that worked. It may have been cleaner with the correct outer shroud I daresay.

    Thanks!

    John
     
  8. Doc Mark

    Doc Mark SotM Winner Subscriber

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    Tony, (@Tony Press ),

    Thanks, very much, for sharing that experiment! I guess I need to get on the ball, and fettle my #303, as it has the original priming setup on it. Very interesting concept, though, no matter how you slice it. Thanks, again, for sharing, and well done! God Bless!

    Every Good Wish,
    Doc
     
  9. igh371

    igh371 SotM Winner Subscriber

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    Great idea for the work around to demo the paraffin priming! Nice to do it once, but would you use paraffin priming on a regular basis? I wonder how many people actually ever did; even when it was new!
    Ian:thumbup:


    @Tony Press
     
  10. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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    I would Ian, as I do with a Monitor Regal.
     
  11. Tony Press

    Tony Press Australia Subscriber

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    @presscall

    I solved the “a bit of sooty flame” problem. It was caused by the burner leaking at the washer and needing tightening up.

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    The result is the whisp of sooty flame has gone.

    The preheater works a bit like a centre-draft burner on a wick lantern with the air coming up from underneath around the fuel riser and the flames being drawn to the central vertical axis.

    Cheers

    Tony

    @igh371
     
  12. presscall

    presscall United Kingdom SotM Winner SotY Winner Subscriber

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  13. Murray Howe Australia

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    Wow,impressive lateral thinking and skills to boot. Damn fine work,i bet u enjoyed a beer after that one Tony!
    Thanks for sharing,great result.
    Murray. ( i just tried to google what prickers a pack of primus 303 would fit,and your thread came up,way more interesting,first i heard of a 303 model primus)
    Thankyou again.