Sorry for my lack of knowledge on these. I'm not what I consider a stovie and particularly on these brassies. I looked through the gallery and best I can compare this to would be a Primus No.1. if something else please correct me. E stamp translates to 1915? First attempt at a fire up revealed a leak at the up tube (terminology?) Coming up from the fount/tank. I replaced the lead seal with a homemade job only to find there was two tiny stress cracks that I ended up silver brazing. Next attempt revealed the braze joint below the fuel jet bung is leaking... What happened to this poor thing is beyond me. Since this I haven't messed with it. Not sure what my next step will be. Getting in to thoroughly clean around that bung to get a good flow of braze will not be easy and I'm not certain what's in the vaporizer tubes that may try coming out once heated. Any pointers would be appreciated. Maybe source of another burner? I see silent reproductions, but I like to try to keep things original if at all possible. I still have to order a NRV tool that I'll probably never use again, but I'm sure it'll need replaced so I figure might as well Thanks for any insights
Primus No. 1 (if that is what is stamped on the top of the tank; it could be a No.5 with a roarer burner, not a silent one) made in 1915 (the E on the base is code for 1915). I've repaired a few burners like that. Clean, clean, clean; plenty of flux; a good silver solder rod; a MAPP torch and a steady hand! Cheers Tony
Welcome to the world of 3-legged brass paraffin stoves! Here are some thoughts to help you on this journey... 'Riser' is the common term here, and well done for a great and neat repair! The washers between riser/spirit cup and spirit cup/burner were originally an asbestos containing fibre material, modern replacements are asbestos free. A lead washer this close to the burner (and in the proximity of burning meths when lighting) would be prone to melting. Most stoves of this age show signs of a hard working life, a heavy clonk to the burner no doubt in this case. Maybe from a cooking vessel, maybe from being dropped or clobbered in transport. All part of the history! Do double check first that the leak is not from the nipple to seat threads. Try mixing some washing up liquid with water and applying to the area. Add a little pressure to the tank with the pump while placing a finger over the nipple jet and observe where the bubbles come from. That will pinpoint the location that needs attention. Empty the tank of paraffin first though! Remove the burner, two of the tubes are now accessible for cleaning. Dig about with a piece of wire, if lots of carbon comes loose the burner is choked and needs cleaning as there will be more carbon in the burner head which you can't reach. It's well worth inspecting, often the original cork NRV pips can be re-used as rhey are or reversed and re-used. An important service tool! And besides, other brassies may arrive in future....! Let us know how you get on!
As Tony and Blackdog have said Toby. A recent repair, pinhole (well, rather more than a pinhole!) revealed and area around it cleaned up. A high-temperature silbraze (30% silver rather than the 55% silver for repairs in a less hot spot) flowed into the joint. Your skills at Coleman restorations already shines through! One for CCF to enjoy? John
@Tony Press thank you. I looked all over this thing for a model number and could not find it. There's plenty of stamping, just no number. I'll give it another gander. @Blackdog the lead washer I made/replaced was at the bottom of the riser where it meets the tank/fount. It appeared to be lead originally. Good chance it wasn't leaking in the first place... It took me some squinting to see the tiny stress cracks of the riser later on It's definitely leaking below the jet where the threaded bung is brazed to the vapor tube. If you zoom in on my up in flames image I think you'll see flames coming well below the jet. When you say remove the burner and clean the tubes you're speaking from the bottom where it's screwed into the riser? I looked at that the other day and was surprised to see very little fouling. Just a slight blackness if I'm being honest. As for the NRV, I had just planned on upgrading it to modern fuel resistant rubber that I use for my other NRV replacements. I'm not sure if this is a wet or dry NRV... I'm learning @presscall thank you for the kind words. I had planned on using my Harris 6 rod. It's what I do all my Sil brazing with. It's held up to many other high temp jobs. Have a look at this link to see if you believe it'll be up to the task. https://www.grainger.com/product/HA...DFdsargrenvhv6r3mnxoCox0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds I'm just going to have to be creative in getting into that bung to clean it and then flux/braze it. Close quarters between those vapor tubes for this fella That's for insights so far everyone. I'll update with any findings or progress.
Interesting, I'd have thought the tank to riser joint would be soldered, rather thwn threaded with a seal? I don't have a Primus this old though, so still learning! I agree about the source of the leak but I always check as odd things can happen and looks can deceive. I had a Burmos 21 burner which I was convinced was leaking from a burner tube but it turned out to the the nipple threads. The burner is probably ok from your description- you'll know once you've fixed the leak, if the stove burns blue and leaves pan bottoms clean then all is well. Can't resist being cheeky- Not sure if viton rubber counts as an upgrade over cork... cork can last a century, what about the rubber? We won't know for a while! Looking forward to seeing it burning at full power!
@Toby Garner The model number stamping should be to the right of the filler cap, and over the pump tube. It may well be worn by age, use, and polishing. In your second photo I can see the “Primus” bit but not the “No. 1”. Cheers Tony
Toby, I have an original burner too that leaks by the jet, sealing the threads did nothing. My old eyes can't detect where the leak is. I was lucky to find an original burner to replace the non-original burner on a stove so upset over that. Duane
The burner I repaired was of the type seen on a Primus furnace such as these. In an idle moment (!) I took a thermal image of one of those burners in action - 642 degrees Centigrade (1187 degrees F) at its hottest point. That’s well below the melting point of your silbraze, so it’ll be fine.
Well there was progress today, but it did not come without adversities. The burner has a total of 7 factory braze joints. I ended up having to re-flow 5 of them and fix two other cracks in vapor tubes... Lots of thin sand paper in tight nooks and crannies, plenty of flux and a touch of sil braze rod. It's not pretty, but it is making bluish flame now. Some yellow sparks coming off... I'm thinking this will go away after a good hot run... If not, it's going to stay anyhow Sorry, it appears my camera went out of focus. Probably when I singed my fingers trying to grab the shot. And it only got worse after that. I noticed it was losing pressure super fast. Worse than just an NRV leak. Got to looking closer and thought I could see a stress crack in the pump tube so... Out it come to take a better look. Sure enough so I cleaned it up Fluxed, brazed, and sanded the high spots so it would fit back in the tank. Funny story (not at the time) I was reinstalling the pump tube in the tank. It was a tight fit with the new braze joint. Wiggling it back n forth getting it into position. Almost had it where I wanted it. Thought I would give it just a nudge more and dink! It went all the way in Several minutes later I got it fished back into position and soft soldered back in place. Anyhow, it seems to be holding pressure while it runs now. Run out of time for the day, but I got everything back where it goes and will give it a workout tomorrow. BTW @Tony Press you were correct. On the top of the tank it says "Primus No.?" I still can't tell Thanks for following along!
So just to recap so far... I have had to remove the pump tube to braze up a stress crack, braze two stress cracks in the riser, make a new lead gasket for said riser, re-flow 5 braze joints on the burner and braze two holes/cracks in the burner... I'm not gonna lie, I'm not looking forward to any more brassie stoves anyone soon
@Toby Garner I can see a very faded "1" in your photo. You have the correct period burner on the correct tank. Great work on getting it running! Your fettling is now part of the history of a 109 year old stove. Cheers Tony
Dzień dobry @Toby Garner . You are doing very well, I so far. If this stove lights up nicely, it will be a reward for your work. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
It's certainly burning well, you may find the sparks disappear after a tank or two of fuel as you say. Very impressed by your persistence with the repairs- more than your fair share! Just need to find a flame ring for it now!
Thank you all for the kind words. I suppose I needed a test of my brazing skills and anger management. In years past I might've chucked this across the yard or perhaps taken a large hammer to it @Tony Press I just can't see it with my naked eye, but in your photo it starts to look that way. It's not important, just thought I would tag it for a future collector of this pain in the butt stove @Blackdog is this flame ring something it's supposed to have? I know nothing of these brassies beyond they're crack prone.
@Toby Garner Yes, roarer burners have a flame ring/spreader (both terms are used), have a look at some other No.1s in the gallery, should be obvious. They're widely available new over here at least, brass is best, some cheap Indian copies are plated steel.
Toby, nice job bringing that stove back to life. When I have a stove or lantern I can't read the numbers on, I use a flashlight on it. Works most of the time but not always. Keep up the good work and we'll make a Stovie of you yet.
Working some sort of dark pigment into the remains of the impressions sometimes helps too... beyond that, you'd need archaeological or forensic techniques....
