Hi all Quick back story… I’ve recently got into paraffin pressure lamps following the discovery of a Bialaddin 300x on the family farm. While in search of some Tilleys I saw this sad specimen covered in cobwebs and detritus at the back of the reclamation yard… how could I refuse…? I’ve used a Primus or two in recent years but a Buflam is a mystery. I’ve done some research using this forum so know a little bit but all help is welcome… including a pointer to what’s missing and how I’d find it… and that includes a gasket set too. The burner itself was coated in some kind of solid resin matter which I’ve removed with acetone so at least you can see the holes… anyway, here she is! This will be a slow thread as I’m Tilley occupied at the minutes but do want to get this working this summer if possible! Best, Chris
The most obvious omissions from your photo are the pressure release screw (to plug the small spigot off the filler tube) and the burner outer cap, while the burner inner cap (the round rusty bit with the hole in the middle, sitting atop the burner) might also need some attention or replacement. Reproduction burner caps are available online. Personally I am not a big fan of the silent burner stoves, such as yours, but others tell of mismatched outer and inner caps not performing as they should, and of issues of underburn, where the flame starts from within the burner itself, leading to destruction of the burner caps. As far as replacement seals go, the site sponsor, The Fettlebox, would be my choice for a set of seals. see their link on the home page here or find them through an internet search. You would need a set for a 2 pint silent burner stove, generically referred to as a Number 5. My own limited experience of the Buflam brand was that I had a brass finished silent burner which was the only stove I have had which suffered from stress cracking, which meant that the stove got consigned to scrap. Might I suggest that before you spend out on replacement parts, you fill the fount and check it for leaks? I am not aware that this make was prone to stress cracking and I do have a roarer burner model which is plated and is fine, but it might just be worth checking at the outset.
It appears to be present Dean. @Automedon You mention a current fascination with Tilleys, Chris. I coupled a Buflam tank with a Tilley vapouriser, burner and hood in this project. The manufacturers of your Buflam, Twigg, branched out to making pressure lamps, modelled on a Petromax however and not British contemporaries such as Tilley or Bialaddin/Vapalux. John
So it does. Have to say that my first draft reply did not refer to the screw and then I flicked back to a picture which I now see was just the bare tank!
@Automedon Hi and welcome, I have one of those, and when you clean the base you may find a date code mm/yy in very small numbers right in the centre of the tank.I like mine and it's not a bad one to learn on.
Thank you people… as a matter of interest I did strip the base of the tank today and there’s no date - or even trace of a date - stamped there. I’m glad to hear that Fettlebox do the gaskets - their stuff is top notch! I’ll be ordering a set soon. Thank you too for the inner / outer burner advice… I assume the inner burner is removable? Right now it’s solid … ho hum! Two last questions - I assume the NRV needs a special tool? It seems a little bespoke… and does the metal plate at the top unclip? Mine is somewhat rusted on! best as ever Chris
Also… before I forget I got this in a box of bits recently. No idea at all what it came off… no use to me either if it’s helpful to someone C
@Automedon Hi, to answer your questions the inner cap is removable as is the top ring. You do need a tool for the nrv but you can make your own NRV valve tool help the part shown is part of the burner for an Aladdin oil lamp possibly a no 12 or super. Dave
That’s what I thought… the downside is it’s going to be a pain to remove as is well frozen in, but nothing like a challenge! That makes sense - it being for an Aladdin lamp. There was also a vintage (and perished) Aladdin boxed mantle in the same carton of bits. I’ll offer it for free on the sister forum Thanks for the help as ever best, Chris
There is a little vertical overlap at the top of the inner cap where the burner spigot tube emerges. Try to dribble some penetrating fluid in that area and leave it to do its magic. Vinegar or rust removing acid would do but might begin to affect the brass tube if left for any length of time.
Found time to keep on with this… the inner cap is now off after much soaking as quoted above! Thank you. All in all it’s turning into a nice little stove… once you got beyond all the fuel staining and general crustiness from probably not being used in decades it’s clear to see it’s of lovely build quality. The only question now is what to do about finish… it’ll be a working stove so not mad about making it a showroom piece. Chewing that one over … c
Stripping down and refurbishing continues…two questions (apologies if mind numbing obvious) The NRV is out… instead of a rubber pip it seems to just feature a brass male / female pip that fits inside the spring. Is this common? Anything I need to do to this before fitting the washer? It has been freed off and seems to work well The brass burner tube that directly enters the tank. It’s solid but I assume that it screws on - is this the part that has a lead washer between it and the tank? many thanks in advance Chris
@Automedon Hi, not sure what you mean about the nrv, a small Viton pip fits into a brass carrier which fits to the spring, if that's what you have you replace the Viton pip. The brass burner tube or riser that goes into the tank is not removable on your model so there isn't a lead washer between it and the tank. I believe there is a nut inside the tank and it is then permanently soldered when the stove is being assembled. Dave.
Thanks for your help with this - it was indeed a Viton pip, my error... however - help is still needed. I'm possibly experiencing underburn and am not sure why. I've replaced all seals and gaskets, and the jet (just in case). The tank pressurises well with no leaks, and the NRV and pump are now working perfectly. Yet despite all efforts all I'm getting is a flicker of a yellow flame at the jet and no more - it certainly doesn't produce anything like a burner flame. Some odd things to note - when the air valve was opened afterwards there were hissing and gurgling noises from the tank, and on looking inside there was vapour emerging from the contents (although they weren't warm / hot). I have been getting a nice solid jet of fuel from the jet but no more, and was getting an overflow of paraffin from the same area - that's now stopped with some extra jet / seal tightening. So, can anyone suggest a solution? I'm well and truly scratching my head. best wishes as ever Chris
@Automedon Hi Chris, well done for getting the NRV out and replaced, it's not always easy, I assume you are preheating the burner before pumping and lighting, I think your burner is partially blocked or very well coked up, you could try giving it 2 preheats, if that doesn't work try removing the burner and jet and blowing through it, on a recent burner blowing from the base had no effect but blowing from the jet hole caused a little pop followed by a shower of carbon and grot. Burners can be decoked by rodding out the tubes you can get to, heat and quench or better by attaching to an air source and heating the burner (with the jet removed) till the carbon inside burns off. The search function should give plenty of threads on this, I guess the fumes in the tank are vapourised paraffin blown back from the burner when you release the pressure again indicating a blocked burner. One other possibility is a partial blockage of the pick up tube from the tank to the burner, try blowing down the riser or a thin bit of wire. I hope this helps Dave.
So, some six months later … success. I’m not sure what I’ve done to get a result but… anyway, I’ve changed the seals again for some genuine vintage Primus ones, swapped the jet for a vintage (slightly larger?) Primus one and changed the NRV completely for a new one - the old one seems to have stopped working for some reason, not entirely sure why.. anyway, after a first attempt that was nearly successful I tightened the jet a bit more and boom… one very loud Butlam kicked into life Now… I have a reluctant Primus 630 blow lamp if anyone wants to assist with that? best, Chris
Well done Chris, another one saved, what's wrong with the blow lamp? You had better start a new thread in the lounge as blow lamps aren't allowed in the stove forum Dave. @Automedon
Sounds a bit worrying to me, a silent burner should produce nothing other than a gentle hiss. Your photo upload didn't work- try again, it might offer some clues if there is a problem with the way the stove is burning?
“Silent burner” and “very loud” aren’t words that should go together in describing a properly working stove. It sounds like you have “underburn” that will ruin your outer burner cap first off. What @Blackdog said is correct: a hiss… Cheers Tony
