Was sitting around bemoaning the high cost of old stoves when this one popped up on Etsy for about half of what they get on eBay. Looks like an early 70's model. More photos when I get it fettled.
Itchy, it will be a challenge. I removed the burner last night, filled the tank, preheated and got a tiny little flame with lots of soot. Burner is probably full of gunk and the wick is likely toast. Tried to loosen the connection and the danged nut rounded off. It is soaking in WD40 right now. Wonder if there is anything better to break that connection? Maybe prune juice?
Heat it gently with a blowlamp/torch this will expand the metal & break the seal so as you can undo the nut , make sure you protect any fragile parts with wetted kitchen paper , but leave the tank to air for a day or two & rinse out first Stu .
I always look forward to a well used stove fettled and cleaned up. Congratulations on your new acquisition. Ron
Ron, that is exactly why I bought this little stove. I am beginning to realize that the joy is in the fettling, not the collecting.
Within reason or ones skills. I still have a few stoves that need a tank separated and pin holes fixed and one with a detached leg. All in time, arresting rust was my project this winter. Maybe next winter, on with the soldering. Sparky, I picked up a barely used 8R over a year ago that I'm keeping and I'm almost giving away another I repainted that I have so I can use the shiny stove for a change. Duane
As far as breaking free rusted or corroded nuts and screws, try a product called PB Blaster. Stuff is the best I've found for the task. Should be available in any auto parts store COD
COD, I remembered I had a can of Blaster in the garage. I hosed down the connection this morning with Blaster.
One last try before the heat/cold treatment and the nut broke loose. The wick was in pretty good shape but as long as I had it out, I put a new one in. Three individual strands of mop seems to be about right (not the big strands, the smaller strands the big ones are twisted from). Got the burner cleaned and re-assembled and it burns just fine with a few strokes from the mini-pump. I put the pump cap on because I suspect the one it came with might have actually blown. In the center of the groove on the cap the needle was standing proud of the surface. The box is in a citric acid bath and after it is properly painted, I will post photos and, of course, the flame shot. I have some hammer finish blue but I have an itch to experiment with something different.
Well, I have not chosen a color to paint it but I did get the box cleaned up. I put the tank and burner in place just to contrast it with the as-received photos above. More photos when I get it painted. And to the happy camper that treated this stove so bad, I hope you never again own a stove as good as this one!
OK, Here is the money shot: The flame was a beautiful blue this afternoon but it is kinda washed out now. Maybe some more adjustment to the flame plate.
Hi Sparky, That is quite a transformation from what you started with. I'll bet it looks like new when you get it completed. What color are you going for? Dan
I'm not sure. A lot depends on what I can find available. I can get Ultra High Heat in pale blue that would look nearly original but I saw a metallic maroon that looked really sharp!
It's gonna be blue. My objective all along was to restore the stove to original condition, so blue it is. Primer is drying as I type.
Aw hell yeah! Another one saved from entropy. 8r's are tough little buggers with their own deserved following. The one Berniedawg pimped out is something aspire to but this one is a solid user. I look forward to seeing it back in natural habitat. They remind me of Seagull outboards, everything you need and nothing you dont. Cracking resto!
