Not a common stove so I was please to acquire one at what seemed a cheap price. When I got it I found it was damaged. It looks like it has been dropped & where the fuel feed to the burner comes out of the tank has pushed in & cracked the brass. The brass is quite thin. I soldered this up easily but to no avail as you will see. Unusual for an 'alcohol only' stove to have a pump for pressurising. The NRV is unusual on this model. The 'body' of the NRV is an integral part of the pump tube & non-removable. Instead you remove a cap at the bottom of the pump tube which allows you to tip out the valve mechanism. The valve has the usual spring & a brass bucket - but unlike conventional NRV's this doesn't hold a rubber pip. Instead, the removable cap has a rubber washer with a small hole in the centre & the brass bucket is pushed up against this washer. The pump: Once had fettled the damage & replaced the seals etc I pressurised the tank & all seemed to be working nicely until I saw small bubbles forming on the tank in a couple of places. Stress fractures! To see one in 'flame' check out this post.
What a beauty. Is this a repair that could be done with a TIG welder? Someone with good hand skill may be able to heat and reflow the brass with minimal visual impact. I've seen people with the skill to TIG Aluminum soda cans together(I'm not in that group). Perhaps remove the bottom and perform the repair from the inside??? Shame for it to sit in a display case. Best of luck, AR
If the brass is that far gone I might end up chasing my tail with patches. Even if it's just the 2 how likely is it more will not develop once it's working under pressure? I agree it's a shame but when you collect like I do many stoves spend most of their time on a shelf. I would have to keep the collection down to less than a dozen for that not to be the case. If these were like vintage cars in that you could only normally afford to have one I would consider patching or tank lining. As the basic material of the stove is failing I'm disappointed but glad to have had it apart & to have studied it but will leave it at that. One day I may find a wrecker with a good tank.
Very nice stove Ross. I really like them stress fractures...! Anyway, the low profile of these is something I like. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Ross a realy beauty of a stove and uncommon and as every one has mentioned what a shame about the stress cracks but i agree with you about a reapir once stress cracks have developed on part of the stove others can develop else where. That is one task i would never repair to use again as i would never class it as safe i may be wrong even paraffin once it has been warmed up as it does in a stove for half an hour or more it gets hot as you know and becomes volatile and a spirit stove even more so.But a superb stove for any of us collectors to own even for a display purpose well worth owning well done ross
Hello Ross, I have dealt with a seeping crack in my Norma 25 the same way as with sealing rusted tins: a thin formula of epoxy drained into the crack, than add some pressure by pumping. Before that the stove just dripped slowly while pressured. I agree with Bernie Dawg this is (one of) the best spirit stoves, and as such I intend to keep it. The low supports make for a stable stove, it pumps out enough heat and has excellent simmer properties. Starting her up is easy of course: some pressure, than flood the surface 'carburettor', light it and away you go. With the windscreen she might be useful outdoors as well. Not likely marketed after the war, and probabely too pricey for the public to become an often seen stove. But perhaps the thin brass might have played a role in that too. One day I might find the round tin for it, but recently I found a round set of stacked stainless steel containers by IKEA, the tallest of which provided a snug home for the unit. Regards, Mike
On an unusual stove like this might it be worth taking the tank down the the local sheet metal workshop and asking them to make a new one? It will cost a lot so not for the more common stoves but could be worthwhile on the rare ones
It's rare but not that rare - is it? From my own perspective I'd rather have this one as it is than a copy.
