An unexpected find over here in the UK, a Perko alcohol-fuelled marine stove I emailed BernieDawg for anything he might know about the marque and he put me onto Alexander, who very kindly sent me some extracts from a Perko catalogue dating from 1949. Many thanks Alexander and BD Without sight of the stove specification from that catalogue I'd have assumed that the stove outer skin is stainless steel, but it's not, it's made of monel metal, an alloy of nickel (typically 67%) and copper. Monel has quite a list of applications to its credit, including the frames and skin of the North American X-15 rocket plane that made such an enormous contribution to the development of NASA space programme. Checking out the burners ... ... one of which required a repair, the fuel injector jet missing, which I'd to fabricate and silbraze in place The scale of the burners and stove can be judged from this comparison of a Perko burner with a Phoebus alcohol stove The Perko burners incorporate a brass wire brush in the fuel supply tube that slows down the fuel flow at the burner as an aid to vapourisation Pressurised fuel is fed from a large rectangular tank (a gallon capacity evidently) beneath the burners and isolated from the heat with a panel of asbestos clipped to the top surface of the tank MORE TO FOLLOW
The stove passed the pressure test once seals had been replaced, with no needle creep at 3psi Here's the splash tray partly withdrawn Fuel filler cap on the left, air screw (pressure release) on the right Detail of the asbestos heat insulation clipped to the top of the fuel tank View with the splash tray removed Pump in situ ... ... and removed One of the cast iron enamelled pot rests Detail of same One of the control knobs Next step - test firing TO BE CONTINUED John
Dave Gibson asks: It's called "Detail Stripping" and is one of the most pleasant and amusing pastimes known to man. Sometimes I detail strip one or two of my shootin' irons just for the sheer pleasure of it. Of course I have a couple I'd never detail strip even at gunpoint. Too many arcane tools and methods that I simply do not have. Gerry
Hadn't heard that term but I'm with you on the enjoyable nature of it Gerry. Apart from the enjoyment, it serves to expose any parts that need servicing in advance of realising they do when a pool of fuel appears on the test bench, or a flame-up in the case of petrol stoves. With CCS member interests in mind, it's sometimes handy for anyone who has a stove that's in need of fixing to see how the bits strip down. With over 14,000 views to date, my "I drowned my Coleman 502" post seems to suggest it's an approach that's justified, even if it's just the one person who's had a heck of a lot of bother with their Coleman and has to keep checking. John
Evening, John, That is one outstanding stove, and as usual, your detailed work is brilliant!! It's also interesting to me to see the burner which was used on your Perko. It looks almost identical to the one on a Landers, Frary, and Clark Universal #110 Meths stove I've had for many years. Here are a few pics, so you can see the family resemblance between our two stoves: Don't you think they look like they came from the same Mom and Dad? I am now looking at my LF&C, and wondering if I might be able to cobble together a pressurized Meths Frankenstove out of it!! Thanks, again, John, for the wonderful report and photos. Great work, always! God Bless! Every Good Wish, Mark
You know, I've read the account you posted HERE about your stove before now Doc, but hadn't made the connection with the burner type, which I agree is surely from the same manufacturer. I shouldn't be surprised, because there are parallels with other spheres of manufacturing from that sort of era, such as the way Villiers engines found their way into the frames of umpteen motorcycle marques. It must have made commercial sense to buy in a more complex component (burner, engine) and save on the cost of development, tooling up and manufacture of your own design, particularly when - as with Perko evidently - a wide range of products were marketed under the label. Thanks for that, Doc - very well spotted! John
Morning, John, I agree with you, completely. One day, I'll have to do a detail strip of that LF&C, and see about the wick that Gary mentioned. With me, it's many times, "out of sight, out of mind", and I've not messed with my stove for a very long time. Seeing yours is what jogged my memory, and I'll have to find my own version of that same burner, and see what I can do to "help" it along towards running as it should. Again, your report, photos, and results are great, John, and for me, always one of the highlights of the goodies I enjoy here at CCS!! Many thanks for all your efforts, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Mark
Got a bit more output out of the stove burners tonight, the result of judicious application of an airline. It's possible now to get the flame to lift off when the control valve's opened up that bit more. Heat output is colossal considering it's meths fuelled Incidentally, thanks for that intervention Mark. If you get around to reading this, Iani, I'm happy to discuss whatever's troubling you about my presence here on CCS in a PT and away from an audience. John
Carry on presscall with what you are doing. I like your topics as well as iani's ones. Very interesting to all who view them I'm sure.
No idea what has rattled iani's cage. I have learned a huge amount from John's posts. They are some of the most well photographed, detailed and informative on this site. Much better than a dozen photos with no description or comment. Terry
John thanks for that wonderfully photographed strip down and renovation of the Perko. I also always find your commentaries and extra research of great benefit and interest. If I had one of these stoves (fat chance!), I would now feel much more confident about doing a similar complete disassembly. I must admit that I was surprised with the large flame and heat output shown in the last flame photo. Doc, the common burner between this Perko and your Landers, Frary, and Clark is well spotted. It would be very interesting to see what sort of flame you could get on yours with its gravity-fed fuel. Maybe it would rival John's without the need to apply extra pressure. Excellent posts.
Trojandog said : "Much better than a dozen photos with no description or comment." I have always been of the opinion, that ALL people here are intelligent, and have the intellect to understand what they are viewing. Obviously I was wrong.
Get over it Iani. Rather than hijacking my posts with your embittered asides (why mine?) why not reply to my invitation to PT me and get it off your chest without all the public grandstanding?
Thanks, John, your Perko looks quite perky! Thanks for presenting a beautiful stove with great photos and outstanding descriptions. Love the blue flames. They are always impressive. Have a great day, sam
Methanol the fuel (used up what's left of Big Si's gift of a gallon of the stuff at Newark). Tank pressurised, burner control valve opened, primer cup charged ... ... probably a bit too much if anything, though there's a lot of bronze in the burner to get up to vapourisation temperature I've a Homestrand Mariner to compare it with and I'd say subjectively that the Perko puts out more heat on full power. Given the thirst that must go with the output, the gallon capacity fuel tank is probably worth having, expecially since somewhere short of maximum output would be more usual, with correspondingly moderate fuel consumption and long refilling intervals John
A very well written and photographed post, John. Top notch. I did that to the 1941 lathe I got. Yes, very advantageous when trying to use something if you took it apart and know all the ins-and-outs. That's one of the things I like here, so when I get one I will know what to do with it. Ken in NC
Thanks so very much John for such great detail on your 364 Perko. I recently acquired a Perko alcohol burning marine stove in need of restoration. Your detailed photos and descriptions will remove most if not all confusion when it comes to getting it running again. My stove had a full patina of spruce green surface corrosion which I have been able to remove with patient wet sanding and buffing. I've a ways to go, but feel confident thanks to you and fellow enthusiasts. Bud (North Carolina USA)
