Picked up an optimus 5s the other day with a view to selling it on but started to fiddle with it!! Ever got the feeling that you had started something that you wished you had not? I cleaned about an ounce of solder from round the filler cap and then the leg fell off. I tried to remove the burner and the riser just span in the tank. I knocked a dent out of the side and another leg fell off. Had a go at undoing the Nrv it just rounded off even with Stus tool! Took the pump tube out and the last leg fell off and the tube was split near the cap! It was just about to go in the scrap and I started to feel sorry for it,bloody hell what have I let myself in for???????? Anyone got a pump tube for starters? Photos may follow once I have got the resoldered legs presentable enough for public viewing.
Hi nmp, looks like you have a good learning project. Here, for next time, is an extract from "Handy Hints": REMOVING BURNERS FROM STOVES WITH FIXED RISER TUBES. I am thinking here of classic brass stoves such as Primus No.1, 2,3,4,5,etc. and their equivalents made by other Manufacturers. Some stove models, like the Primus Nos 0 and 4 (1.5 pint tanks), seem to have a real weak point at the tank/riser joint and you often find these stoves with damaged or crudely re-soldered joints. However for all fixed-riser tube stoves, I generally grip the riser tube firmly in the padded jaws of a pipe wrench, before applying any force on the spanner (wrench) gripping the burner head. Of course you must be careful not to collapse the riser tube by applying too much force on the pipe wrench! Sometimes, I also apply heat to the burner/riser joint to help get some movement on the joint. If you have an accident and break the tank/riser seal you can sometimes recover the situation by carefully re-soldering the joint. Best Regards, Kerophile.
Thanks Stu! This riser tube was help in place with what looked like plumbers mait!! so I did not stand a chance from the outset. Are the tube inside the tank and the riser tube just threaded together on either side of the tank as with the riser tube to burner joint with the spirit cup between? Or is there a nut involved inside the tank?Looking through the hole where the pump was that looks to be the case. Until I turned the tank upside down all my solder just kept running through into the tank so I have a rather unsightly amount of solder around the riser tube.Any suggestions? Nick
Hi Nick Yes just keep going the way you are , your learning the hard way so just keep practicing but i think your getting there the excess solder can be Dremel'd off later . When soldering don't over heat the joints just sweat them together ( i use a 1mm stainless steel wire to tease the solder where i need it with a good flux ) sometimes the wire glows red & this keeps the solder from solidifying too quickly , a gentle flame is easier to control too As for the legs falling off just read this post on pump removal using wet kitchen paper as heat sinks . https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/18853 Best regards Stu .
I am getting there I think my main problem is that my Rothenberger torch has a big area of flame not a point which is great for 22mm copper tube work but not for this. I had a benzomatic which had more of a point but its knackered unfortunately. I also have a tiny mini blow lamp like Dr WHO's sonic screwdriver I may try general warming with the big boy and then accurately with the tiny torch to reduce heat spread etc. I have got the legs on Ok. its just the riser that's giving me trouble. Sure I can get the riser on and air tight but not without getting solder all over the top of the tank and then I clean that off and lose the seal again! I will get there in the end I am not a quitter its getting personal!! Nick
Spread a little tooth paste as a mask fotr solder. Wash off with water after. solder won't stick to mask.
Another option for re-soldering the riser: https://classiccampstoves.com/posts/205352 Best Regards, Kerophile.
I have now got the riser soldered in and a leak around the filler done but not cleaned up yet. Found a leak in the base of the tank seam probably caused by my leg soldering and that is also now sorted. Next job will be getting the replacement pump tube in so no more cleaning/solder removal until that's done it could all be a waste of time otherwise. I am going to post a photo later tonight, its not a pretty sight at the moment! But it will be in the end. I just wish I could get the main dent out of the tank it seems a bit creased and that is giving it a bit of strength I did try soldering a rod into the centre of the dent and pulling it but the rod just parted company with the tank. Someone mentioned somewhere freezing the tank while its nearly full of water has anyone tried this?? Thanks Nick
Pump tube hole and the best of the three legs that I have soldered back on. This shows the re attached riser tube after a clean up but before a final polish etc. This is the dent that I would like to get out if possible!Its right on the edge of the tank top!
Hi Nick Looks like a very good job of getting the riser tube & legs back on , if the pump tube hole is too large like the one i did for Steve (Shedman) you can tease the edges inwards on the fount to make it a smaller aperture with small angled short nosed pliers , Well done so far Stu .
Thanks for that tip Stu. Any others about getting the tube in the correct position apart from using the old solder marks as a guide? I just hope that I can keep the heat isolated around the pump tube when the time comes to solder it in damp rags will come into play. The scratches on the tank look bad in the photos but they are from 600 wet and dry so I can go to 1200 and then a polish. solvol almost does it at this stage so after 1200 it will be fine. I have avoided any engraving and only used this method where the solder has spread about a bit. Nick
Thanks KEROPHILE. I have read the thread before and found it very useful thanks for bringing it to my attention. My main worry it the leg coming off again! I wonder if I could lay the tank on its side and fill it with water up to the leg and use that as a heat sink? MMMM I will have to think about that and have a plan sorted before rushing into it and a few dry runs. Thanks Nick
Hi Nick If you fill it with water you create steam where you are soldering ( will not join ), or the water will not let the two items get hot enough to fix together ,just use the wet kitchen paper as an external heatsink & wrap or drape it near parts to be soldered to stop them dropping off Stu
Hi nmp, it should not be necessary to part-fill the tank with water, If you attach some wetted tissues or cloth to the leg with wire, that should protect the legs from getting too hot and the solder melting. Best Regards, Kerophile.
Here is the replacement pump tube soldered back in and cleaned up, it did not take much cleaning, as I used Sefas masking fluid to prevent the solder going everywhere ie. nail polish!! The wifes not mine.It worked a treat clear rather than bright red might be better but at least I could see what I had masked. I removed the polish with a standard nail polish remover, some was a bit stubborn but it did come off. Wet J cloths acted as heat sinks on the adjacent leg and tank seam. Almost ready for a pressure test, so far all I have done is apply plumbers gas leak detector round the various joints bunged up any holes and then blown into an open one. So far so good but we will see!
