Landers, Frary, and Clark, Universal Alcohol Stove #110.

Doc Mark! I'm just noticing something peculiarly different with our two Stoves! The pics of your Stove, show the orientation of the Fount and Fuel Feed Tube and Flame Regulator Knob, 180 degrees opposite my Stove! By that I mean, picturing your Stove for example, the Fount and Fuel Feed Tube Ass'y enter from the large opening in the Base and the Flame Regulator Knob protrudes, through a small opening in the base, opposite this large opening. Mine on the other hand, is just the opposite! On mine, the Fount and Fuel Feed Tube Ass'y, enter the Base, through the small opening in the Base and the Fuel Regulator Knob enters through the large opening! What's up with that?

 

Check out the picture at this link of the Fount and Fuel Tube Ass'y, to Base orientation, from the "New Brittain Industrial Museum", in New Brittain, Connecticut.
http://nbindustrial.org/collection/landers/

Look closely at the pic! The Fount, as neither of ours has either, doesn't have a cap!? Is it possible they didn't have one, to begin with?

 

I'm also now noticing, that your Stove Grate is on backwards from mine, as well. The Stove Grate has a downward facing "tab" cast into it. This tab has a curvature cast into it, as well. On mine, when the Fount and Fuel Feed tube are positioned entering the Base through the small "slot" opening opposite the large square Base opening and the Stove Grate is assembled with the downward "tab" positioned in line with the small "slot" opening, the Fuel Feed Tube rests on the curved bottom of this small "slot" and is held in place on top, by the curvature in the downward cast "tab" of the Stove Grate. This arrangement, holds the Fuel Feed Tube securely in place. My point is, I think that your Stove Grate and Burner Ass'y, are installed incorrectly into the Stove Base. This configuration works apparently, but is incorrect. This is an assumption based on the LF&C No 110 Stove pictured at the New Brittain Industrial Museum website.

 

Morning, Stovost,

Welcome to CCS, again! Thanks for sharing your photos and your thoughts on my burner grate being backwards. I have just now carefully inspected my own #110, and by gumbo, I think you are right!!!! Furthermore, I turned the stove upside-down, and can easily see that someone in it's lifetime has used an improper tool to remove the entire windscreen/grate assembly! Very obviously, they did assemble it backwards when putting it all together. I further note that some of the bolts holding the burner together, have heads that were snapped off, long, long ago, and now appear as rusted lumps of steel!! Making all that right is going to be simple, on the one hand, with only a removal and proper replacing of the upper windscreen/gate assembly. On the other hand, I fear I will have to grind off the stubs of the snapped bolts, then soak the heck out of them, heating and quenching along the way, in order remove the broken stubs, and replace them with proper bolts!! I actually had seen one of those problem bolts before, but had not noticed the others. Oh, well...... Such is the life of fettling, eh?!!

Thanks, VERY much, for seeing what I had missed, as far as the improper windscreen/grate assembly. I did always wonder why the fit of that heavy burner assembly would feel so "loosey-goosey", and now, thanks to your excellent detective work, I know why!! HUZZAH, Sir!! I'll post more on this, when I can do some planning, and work more on this neat old stove. By the way, I'm including a photo which shows the loose fit of the regulating knob, through that small slot. NO support, at all!! Please note the bundle of steel rods that are also in the photo. That is your steel wick, which has a wire bush on one end, and an access/removal loop in the other.



Thanks, again, for your excellent eye, and I continue to look forward to getting this stove back to it's former glory. As mine is stamped "Patents Applied For", and yours have it's Patent Date, mine is obviously the older of the two stoves. It's wonderful to see how the actual stove turned out in the Patented version! Thanks, for sharing, and again, welcome to CCS! You're just the sort of Gent we always love to see join us!! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

 

I agree with you, I believe yours is the older Stove. The underside of the Preheat Cup on mine, is embossed with the words, "Patent's Applied For". I was thrilled to see that on the Stove and on any thing I collect, as my eBay name is "Patentappliedfor"! Just "icing on the cake", when I find something with those words on it.

I'm sending a link, to the Patent Drawing for our Burners I was lucky enough to find. Hope it will be as helpful to you, as you've been with me!

Oh! I did see in the Patent Drawing, the Fount Cover our Stoves are missing. Know anyone who can fabricate them for us?

file:///C:/Users/Stephen/Downloads/US968435.pdf

 

The link doesn't work for me.

 

Yeah, it didn't work for me either. I had to cut and paste it.

 

Doc,
Like you, I've got too many projects going at once, but I just couldn't resist a little fettling on the LF&C! I tried removing the Steel Wick and gave up, after only getting it to the point where the "twisted wire" portion, was just beginning to protrude from the Fuel Feed Tube! WOW! It's stuck bad! I soaked it with Lubricant and quit, as I was concerned with breaking it off in the Fuel Feed Tube. I at one time, damaged the threads of the Fuel Feed Tube, while attempting to grab the Wick Removal Loop with a pair of pliers. After repairing the bent Tube and scored threads, I quit while I was loosing! Unsure what to do next. Any tips, would be greatly appreciated. Do you think Heat would help? I'm concerned with the Brass being to soft for heat? Is this section of the Stove removable from the Burner? I see a couple of screws, where this section attaches to the Burner. Will the Fuel Feed Tube and Steel Wick Ass'y come away from the Burner there? Shouldn't have started the fettle! Now I'm hooked! Know what I mean?

 

Evening, Stovost,

I recommend taking your time, and do one thing at a time. When that one thing is finished, more on to the next thing, etc.. etc.. As for removing the wick, it took me a very long time to get it out. I used gun oil, and WD-40. WD is really a very poor lubricant, and I would suggest using Break Free, or PB Blaster, or even Lacquer thinner, or Acetone, to dissolve the deposits that are holding the wick tightly. Start with the BF, and PB Blaster, and let them soak in for a long time, over a week of "squirt and try", or sooner, you will eventually get that wick out without damaging it. Hurrying, means damage, and on these old stoves, you really can't afford to damage anything, if you can help it!!! (Don't ask me how I know this..... ) Since your #110 has a lot of brass in the tubing, etc., I'd say don't use heat and quench, just yet. Try the lubricants and penetrants, first. I'm betting you will be successful, IF you take your time, and go forth with itsy, bitsy, baby steps! Good luck, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

 

You are so right! Slow and steady, wins the race. I've done just as you suggested, soaking the area with penetrating oil and have placed the #110 on "the back burner" for a while. Gonna finish a couple of other projects and let the oils take effect on the #110. I understand what you mean about damaging these items. Sadly, been there, done that! Still get that terrible pit in your stomach feeling, just thinking about those mishaps. Thanks for your guidance!
Best wishes to you, Friend!

 

Here, you can see a good shot of the cast iron and steel burner. Large, heavy, and with a really good prime, it gets fairly hot, which is nice.

View attachment 88571

Greetings again,

Still fettling my LF&C #110 and I'm having no success, at removing the "Wick" from within the Generator Tube. I've attached a pic that you posted in your post, (the second photo, if the attachment doesn't go through) to ask if the screwhead that can be seen in the pic, which would appear to fasten the tube to the burner, means that the tube and burner can be separated at that point? I'm hoping they do, and that I could possibly get the "Wick" to come out from the other end, as it just doesn't appear that it wants to come out, the way it was intended to! Kind of at a stand still and becoming disheartened, having hit a stonewall with my not being able to get the wick out without possibly damaging something. If I can't get it out, I'll be saddened to think that this beautiful old Stove will be just a decoration.

 

Evening, Stovost,

When I say you have to take it slow, and have patience, I'm talking about taking a month, or two, or three, to "soak and try" your wick!!! It WILL come out. But, you are really going to have to be patient! I know, I know.... you want it to come out, NOW! You are fighting the same fight that I eventually won. But, it QUITE LITERALLY, took months to get that wick to break free of it's rusted and corroded bonds. I KNOW your wick will come out, too. BUT, you're going to have to be REALLY patient, and not expect it to come out in a week. T'ain't gonna happen, I'll wager!! Your #110 is worth your time, and your patience. So, add your penetrating oils, and then every few days, give it a tug.... over, and over, and over again!! One of these days, just as I was, you will be rewarded by feeling your wick "give", just a little! Don't get too excited, and keep doing your "soak and try" routine. You will see that, after it begins to move, it will come must faster. But, only by supreme patience will be you rewarded in this way. Otherwise, you ARE going to break something, and then, all your efforts are for naught!!! Word to the wise! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

 

@Stovost

Most likely those two screws do secure the manifold fitting but clearly Doc Mark had no need to undo them so presumably his guess is as good as mine. The nature of screw fittings on old stoves left dormant for a lifetime is that they're more likely to shear off than unscrew, so again it's down to the long soak in releasing oils or a blast of heat from a blowtorch, where appropriate - and I'm not suggesting it is appropriate in this case.

 

Evening Doc,
Yes, this Stove will definitely be a test of my patience, then. If you say it'll come out in time, then I'm going to have to put some time, as in patience, into it. I'll let the penetrating oils hopefully work there magic and try to forget about it for the time being. A very tough thing to do, waiting to see this beautiful Stove come back to life. It'll be worth the wait, I'm sure. Thanks for your wisdom. Very comforting to have a Mentor, such as you.

All the best to you,
Stovost

 

Doc,

If I might add though, presently the Wick has freed up and is able to be slid back and forth from it's most inward position, to a position where the portion of the Wick of which is made up of the bundle of wires and the soldered shoulder they form, is just about to protrude from the rear end of the Fuel Feed Tube. At this position however, it will not budge any further, yet I am able to slide the Wick, back into the Fuel Feed Tube, to it's most inward position.

When you mention your Wick eventually became loose and you were able to remove it, do you mean it was frozen and would not move at all, and then freed itself and came out, all at once? Or was it a case similar to mine, where it freed up rather quickly, but you were unable to completely remove it, all at once and that's what took so long?

 

Prescall,

Your observations and precautions are duly noted and very much appreciated. Caution and a very gentle hand is of the utmost importance here. An overzealous, or anxious fettle and my misfortune in breaking something, would be devastating for me! I hope I have the patience, skill and most of all, luck, to see this through. I'll do the very best I can. Please wish me and this magnificent Stove all the best of luck.

Thanks,
Stovost

 

@presscall , @Stovost

Good Evening, Gentlemen,

John, you smacked the nail on the head. I've not tried to remove those screws, because I did not need to do so. But, I looked at them, just now, and VOILA, one had it's head sheared off!! GRRRRR!!! So someone, it's past life, did NOT exhibit patience and skill to remove the wick, and instead tried to use sheer brute force to remove a screw that was firmly rusted into place!! In the end, with proper application of oils and elbow grease, not to mention quite a bit of patience, I finally got that wick removed, and that's something "the other guy" failed to do, due to his complete lack of patience!!! I can also see tons of scratches and other marks around the rusty stub that's been left after his heavy-handed work. Oh, well.... looks like I shall have to remove the other screw, and then work on removing that rusted stud and replacing it, now. I'll try penetrating oils, and heat. If that fails, then I may try Naval Jelly, to see if it can remove the rust. If that fails, then I'll completely remove the burner from it's home, and disassemble it as best I can, removing ALL parts that are not steel, or cast iron, and then put the burner into an electrolytic bath, at the proper voltage/amperage, and with a tad of washing detergent added. I will succeed, one way, or the other, even if I end up having to grind everything flat, and drill out the stub, clean up the hole, tap it with new threads, and go from there!!! I'll be patient, and know that eventually, it will be just fine!!

Stovost, hearty congratulations on getting the wick to move back as far as the wire brush that's on it's furthermost end!! Well done!! Now, don't be in a hurry to do that last inch or so. Keep adding the penetrating oils, and work it back and forth. I will soon come free, and you do NOT want to damage your wire brush, which is used to scour the inside of the wick/fuel line. My own brush is SO worn down, that it's virtually worthless!! So, I'm really happy to hear that your wick brush sounds like it may have had very little use in it's life, and yours will do what it was designed to do. I, on the other hand, will have to use a brass pistol brush to scout out my line, which is not a bad thing, actually, but having a better wick brush would be, well...."better"! Keep at it, and you will soon be reaping the wonderful "blue flame" for your efforts!! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

 

Doc Mark,
You misunderstood me. Perhaps my description wasn't clear enough. Let me try it this way. I'll label the
"Wick" parts, as such:

The "Wire Brush End", that end is obvious.
The "Brass Rods" (the numerous wires, that make up the main body of the Wick)
The "Wick Handle End" (the end opposite the "Wire Brush End")

The "Wick Handle End" consists of:
The "Handle" (the single Brass Wire Loop, that forms the Handle)
The "Shoulder" (the area at which the "Handle" is soldered to the "Brass Rods")

That should clarify things, yes?

Ok, here goes. The entire Wick moved freely. By that I meant, I was able to rotate it "radially" 360 degrees within the Fuel Feed Tube, at the Wick's most inward position. With the Wick in that free state, I was able to slide the Wick, by pulling on the Wick's Handle from the Fuel Feed Tube, to the Wick's Shoulder. There, the Wick would stick and was unable to be pulled out further, or rotated radially. With a little of persuasion, from gentle taps with a plastic hammer, I would then be able to slide the Wick inward, back to it's most inward position and into a place, where it would again free up and move radially and in and out. It was at this point, that I contacted you and was instructed to induce massive amounts of Penetrating Oils and to "CHILL OUT", for extended periods of time, along with periodic gentle fettling with this delicate extraction and repeat dosages of Penetrating Oil and patience, with the emphasis on PATIENCE! Hahahaha.

I followed your instructions, with diligence and extraordinary patience and repeated dosages of Pen. Oil. I also added a touch, of gentle filing with a very small diameter, Chain Saw Sharpening file, to the inner diameter, of the end of the Fuel Feed Tube.

Not sure if you picked up on the "tense", as in "the past", of the following description of my efforts, because that's all behind me now. THE WICK FINALLY CAME OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was finally able to see the Wick Brush End!!!!!!!!!!!! As well as, the BRASS RODS!!!!!!!!!!

OMG! I'm so excited! I can't thank you enough Doc Mark, for instilling in me the need for patience and perseverance, as well as a gentle hand, during this fettle. I'm not done yet, as with your discovery of a previous fettle of your LF&C, I too have found signs of someone's earlier misguided and heavy handed fettle! This is made obvious, by missing screws and damaged castings, along with vise grip jaw marks and misaligned and frozen components. I came to the conclusion as did you, that someone couldn't remove the Wick and gave up, after doing enough damage. In my case, I believe they attempted trying to remove the Fuel Feed Tube from the Burner to extricate the Wick via the "wrong end". (something I had thought to do, as well!) When they did so, they removed the two screws and then tried removing the Fuel Feed Tube by clamping on it with vise grips and then twisting it slightly. It rotated slightly out of position and then it froze and would not move any further. At that point, they attempted to hammer it back to it's correct position. It didn't budge and in doing so, they damaged the flange and squashed nearly closed, one of the holes through which the mounting screws should go. At this point, one hole was partially blocked and neither mounting hole would now align with it's threaded hole, so the two mounting screws were eliminated! Fortunately, although I have yet to fire the Stove, after examining the Feed Tube internally with an Inspection light, I'm unable to see light through the adjoined flanges of the Tube and the Burner. From the Patent Drawing, I don't feel that the area will be a problem, as this isn't a "Pressure Stove" per se? Please advise me, if you would, as to your feelings on this assumption?

I have completely disassembled the Stove at this point and will begin a thorough clean and Polish of the components, after which, I'll attempt a "First Fire". TO BE CONTINUED!

DOC MARK! Does this look familiar?!?!?!!!! EUREKA! The "Holy Grail"!


Many, many thanks,
Stovost

 

@Stovost
I wonder if that be here in Doc Mark's stove thread or in the thread you started on your own stove HERE?

 

Please follow the progress of my Stove, at the Thread I started for my Stove. Thank you and PLEASE DO, check it out! Thanks gain for all you help! Very much appreciated!

Stovost