Fettling projects four and five have turned up and that really is it until this lot gets working! Anyway, for those who may be interested … a very tired Valor 55 - the inner and outer burner caps have seen better days for sure, but a quick test of the burner shows it to be in fine form… and naturally it comes with a solidly stuck NRV and a larger Burmos - in better condition I think, although NRV issues too. The rest shouldn’t be too much to get into decent shape. At this point I should give a big thanks to @Blackdog who sorted out my NRV issues with my Burmos 21. It turned out the NRV head was jammed solid as there was no lead washer and it had been screwed down to infinity. The tightness of this feels similar but lightning doesn’t strike twice does it? Chris
Two worthy projects! You might be surprised by the burner caps on the Valor, they can look that bad and work flawlessly... although sometimes heavy scaling or corrosion on the inner cap can create hotspots which trigger underburn. It might be worth trying to source a better NRV tool- the quality of some of the new offerings is poor, and originals are often damaged. Have a search for the many threads on NRV tools on here- plenty of ideas. Some members have made and offered improved versions in the past, I'm not sure if anyone is currently making them?
If anyone is making them and selling them I’m in - name your price! The two I’ve bought so far have distorted heads and are prone to slipping! I haven’t the facilities to make my own so yes please… I’m in the market!
OK… small update. I did indeed get a new NRV tool - from Base Camp - and it’s a beauty! Cracked three stubborn NRVs I had without much of a struggle. Hurrah! But in doing so threw up an intriguing thing… @Blackdog has worked on a Burmos 21 for me - this also had an impossible to move NRV. He had to unsolder the pump tube and eventually discovered it had been tightened in without a lead washer. The two NRVs I’ve removed this afternoon are from the stoves in this thread - both British built - and neither of those had lead washers too. I’ve checked in the pump tube and had a poke around but no, not even a trace. Is this a specifically British trait and could it have led to the pump tube cracking so beloved of Burmos stoves? Also does Valor suffer from the same issue? Finally, I need to take up soldering, as when removing the NRV from the Valor I managed to pull one of the legs off too! No holes in tank thank God but soldering needed! Ho hum Chris
I'm convinced Burmos left off lead washers on a lot of their stoves for some unknown reason. Burmos are a bit of an enigma really- along with Monitor, they produced a wide range of stoves, wheras most British manufacturers only covered the very basics. Their ealier products were beautifully finished, and their later versions still well-proportioned and workmanlike. But then we have the bizarre press/hammer fit assembly at the end of the pump tube, and seemingly skimping on lead washers. What was going on? Well done @Automedon , a good NRV tool makes all the difference. As to soldering, just do it- get the kit and practice!
Well this one is a bit of a mongrel too. Close inspection revealed a Valor burner - it didn’t have an outer cap so I’ve borrowed the one from the Valor stove and after having sorted the NRV and associated washer… did a quick test fire and boil. It’s not a stamped Burmos so, what with the changed burner and plain tank, I’m leaving as is pretty much - especially as it’ll be a user stove soon! If the North Yorkshire weather lets me out… C