Here's what I wanted to re-create, a Primus 107 complete with that distinctive burner (#4047) and fretwork windshield Gordon F's Primus 107 in Stove Ref Gallery What I had was this, a Primus 107 stove tank, missing the burner and the windshield. At least it had the pricker control wheel assembly, complete with a pinion with teeth intact In terms of the burner, this is what I was aiming for, incorporating a pricker shaft having a rack to mate with the tank riser mounted pinion - so running the length of that tall burner (70 millimetres from burner basket rim to the bottom of the hexagon - got the measurements from Kerophile) Kerophile's post on #4047 burners I have a spare burner from a Phoebus 625P (the one with the paraffin jet) So how about if I discard the gauze insert (can't get the pricker shaft past that) and the control spindle? ... ... and cut and shut (braze) the housing for the control spindle Compared to the #4047 burner, that for the Phoebus is 10 millimetres shorter, so I braze up this spacer from a scrap riser tube, shortening it in the process, and a primer cup. To get the proportions of the repro pierced windshield right, I had to get the distance between primer cup and base of the burner basket close to #4047 burner spec Though I tried to re-form the profile of the Phoebus rack to match that of the Primus's pinion teeth the pitch was too far out and it just wasn't possible to get a smooth meshing of the gears. I expected that would lead to a rapid stripping of the brass pinion teeth by the steel rack No alternative but to scratch-build the pricker shaft from brass rod and a length of brass gear rack salvaged from a wick lamp riser mechanism I brazed the rack and rod together at one end ... ... and found a set screw in a box of bits that fitted the thread of the Phoebus pricker, so brazed the screw to the other end The pinion and rack meshed beautifully The burner, pricker and pricker control components The pricker arrangement worked fine Just checking it'll fire up. No leaks, no problems Bonus, the Phoebus pricker shape and inner contours of the jet nipple combine to provide a decent amount of flame control, something the original Primus 107 wasn't so well equipped for. Next job, reproducing that windshield. Here's a start, marking out a suitable strip of sheet brass. Plan is to drill the holes, cut out the shaped apertures, bend the resulting strip into tubular shape to fit around the primer cup and braze it up Does the finished stove go in the Stove Ref Gallery as a Primus 107 (with repro burner and windshield) or 'Frankies Mods and Hybrids' Forum? John
Hi John Great stuff, seems nothing is wasted or too far gone for you to bring it back to life. Dan P.S. I vote for the ref gallery.
Wonderful work John!!! I vote both! It belongs in the mod section but that much work belongs in the gallery. Jeff
Hi John Absolutely bloody splendid really well done Your way of thinking is the same as many of of us,if it's not squashed by a 360" caterpiller there's always hope very nice fettle Best regards Stu Oh yes, one for the gallery
Hi John i dont know what to say i am totaly amazed not only your fettleing skills, but all so the way you think and design solutions to problems.Well done there you have done a outstanding job in bringing back a very rare and unusual beautifull old classic back to life i am adding this fettle to my favourite topics and recomend it be placed in the masters class
I got around to finishing the job. First, drilling a lot of pilot holes - 157 - got a taste of what BernieDawg undertakes for each and every silent burner cap! I used the pilot holes to drill larger ones, the bottom two rows of 4.5 millimetres in diameter having the brass between them machined away to create the oval apertures. The strip was then ready to be bent to fit the spirit cup The resulting cylinder was brazed up and those indents that the windshield has to prevent it slipping down over the spirit cup were formed using a blunt screwdriver as a chisel and a softwood cylinder made to be a close fit within the windscreen Checking it fits the spirit cup The burner hexagon can be accessed by raising the windsreen Here's a compilation photo of the Primus 107 in the Stove Ref Gallery that I modelled this repro on (left); the stove as I acquired it, with a silent burner in place (centre); and with my reproduction burner and windscreen (right) To close, some shots of the stove fired up. Priming A decent simmer ... ... and at full power John
Does the dezign of the priming cup shield make any difference in priming the burner in your opinion? Ron
Thanks fellas. I'd say not, Ron, and it's not as though the arrangement was (to my knowledge) marketed as a way of getting a paraffin prime to burn cleanly, as with the windshield on the Monitor 'Regal', which there's a superficial resemblance to Monitor 'Regal' with kerosene primer set-up You'll see that the Regal arrangement has significant differences though, with the reducing taper at the top of the windshield and an inner aerator to ensure the paraffin primer burns with a blue flame Priming the 107 with kerosene is something I'll certainly try, though, and I'll report back. John
Presscall, paraffin priming works a treat on my Monitor using a suitable wick ( Fibreglass rope), so it should also work on your Primus. I'm looking forward to the outcome of your trial ChrisQ
