So I put it all back together without too many issues, bit fiddly getting the needle in but managed it. Is it normal to only have about a quarter turn from 'off' to the needle coming through? It's a bout a half turn lock to lock which is what the instructions said was about right. I did briefly get a flame but then the pressure dropped, I could hear gurgling in the pump tube.... I think I've used the wrong washer for the nrv from the fettlebox service kit, I used the red one on the nrv and the black one on the spirit cup. Was this a schoolboy error? I hope that's it or else there is a leak in the pump tube somewhere....
Hi On my 111 instructions you can read 1/3 turn to see the needle through the jet. It is a little bit picky because too much the spindle will not shut off and not enough and you are 1/4 turn. Plus no place to work. On the fettle box illustration the red washer is for the spirit cup and the black or silver washer is for the NRV. Have fun
Well I have my new washers now which is good, but I'm having trouble getting the pump rod back into the tube. It was a bit tricky the first time round the other week but with some gentle coaxing it went in ok, last night I tried for a good 45mins with no luck. The pump leather is new, has had a good soak etc, but there just seems to be too much leather to fit no matter how careful I am. I've tried twisting, rocking, getting 2 fingers and 2 thumbs round it etc. Is there a knack I don't have or could it be just a bit too big? I've had a look for discussions on this but can't find any which makes me think that most people don't have an issue with this....
Hi @noise_boy . The leather does look a little flabby. Never soak a leather washer in water or it will swell. If you did the correct procedure and used oil, Perhaps it has soaked up too much oil. Give it a squeeze with some cloth or absorbent tissue paper. However the leather washer should go in and then sort itself out. Here is the secret of fitting: Wear gloves! Plus: From Spudz in this thread: Stove Handy Hints Best Regards, Kerophile.
Oil the leather, and then fit to the shaft and pull it backwards into a section of old (pump) tube of the correct diameter. Leave it for a few hours to 'relax', then align with the stove tube and push the shaft! If you don't have a tube, you can manually do it using an old smooth table knife to help get all the perimeter into the stove tube. Better than fingers and thumbs.
I have cut the wall of a soda can and rolled it to make a sort of funnel to get tight pump cups in. I hope that you can picture that, I do not have a photo.
Thanks all for that, a handy addition to the fettling tools, It will certainly stop the sore thumb pump insert syndrome. A common ailment associated with the 'Stove Pox', along with 123 control key branding. Thumbs get a beating in this hobby.
So.... I've now got the leather refitted. In the end I gave up and bought a new one from base camp which went in with only a minimum of fiddling. Having spoken to base camp they suggested that oiling a leather isn't always helpful or necessary and if you do then only to use vegetable oil as other oils will over soften the leather and make it harder to fit. Interestingly the new leather seemed to be made from thinner material. Anyway, it's in. I think I probably ruined the old one anyway. I've given the tank some pressure (it has fuel in still) and notice that after a few pumps i start to see fuel seeping very gradually from the jet. opening the valve gives a spray of fuel, which shuts off when i close the valve but still with a little seeping fuel. Is this normal? I only had a very quick few mins to mess with it yesterday so didn't get to light it to see how it behaves. I don't think the cleaning needle base is stopping it shutting off, I feel if that were the case i'd be getting a lot more fuel coming through. Having tried setting the needle with different numbers of clicks I'm sure if I use any less then I'll hardly have any travel between the 'off' position and the needle appearing. I used 5 clicks in the current setup. I did wonder if my needle was just really long since a good 5mm pokes though when fully in the 'clean' position which seems excessive. I'm working long hours this week but hoping to get time to fire it up at the weekend.
Hi @noise_boy Once your stove is fired up you will soon find out if you can or cannot close off the needle valve to stop fuel flow to the jet. Remember never to open the filler cap to release tank pressure when you have a hot burner or any residual flame. The Op.111B uses Coleman fuel or petrol as fuel, so the air space above the tank is full of petrol vapor! You can likely blow out any residual lame and allow the stove to fully cool before opening the filler cap.
Thanks @kerophile . So are you saying that if the flame shuts off fine I shouldn't be too concerned about a little seeping fuel? I wouldn't be leaving the stove under pressure anyway for long periods.
Seeing a very slight indication of liquid fuel when the stove is pressurused and cold is not satisfactory. However, if the leakage persists with a running stove you could have a problem is shutting it down.... Did you examine the conical end of the regulator if you had it out? It is possible that a previous owner was heavy handed and inpacted the cone into the valve seating, producing a ring marking on the cone, where leakage occurs. I have carefully re-faced such damaged cones in the past using very fine emery paper and a steady hand. How confident do you feel in doing this kind of fettling? Best Regards, Kerophile.
@kerophile I'd be happy to do that, however I remember the cone being in good shape when I took it all apart. There were no marks or obvious indentations. Maybe I should take it apart again and have a closer look.
Hi, Apologies, @Tony Press reminded me that you have a Op.111 and therfore kerosene fuel. Fuel leaks are still undesirable as they stink, but at least the fire risk is considerably reduced. If the surface of the cone of the needle valve is good, it should seal OK. Try firing up your stove with the needle left out. You will then definitely know if the needle valve is sealing. If the fuel seal is good you might then want to try 3 or 4 clicks when setting up the cleaning needle.... you shouldn’t have more than a couple of mm extending above the jet at most IMO. Best Regards, Kerophile
The lonely 111 I have I have never worried about leakage in a shut down state pressurised. I always release pressure as in any other kerosene stove when shutting off. I have treated the control as just that during operation, unlike a 111b or 8r when you need no naked flame before pressure release.
I removed the needle and established the stove shuts off just fine without it. On refitting it I noticed this time that the first 'click' happens as soon as I started turing the valve, so its possible I missed it last time and therefore set 6 clicks instead of 5. i tried 4 clicks but the needle was still very high, 5 clicks looked a happy medium. After a check under pressure to make sure it shut off (it did) and a clean up i took it outside, primed it and after a shaky start with a lot of yellow flame and some flaring... It worked! Strong blue flame, loud, stable, no yellow. Just a bit of flame around the stuffing box but after tightening it up that went away. Pleased there are no more gremlins to solve, it works better than i expected it to and I imagine it will give my nova a run for its' money. Now to refurb the case... Thanks for all your advice so far, its been invaluable. Base camp have also been very helpful!
Hi @noise_boy . Great to hear that you carried out the no-needle check and now have the stove operating as it should. The flame certainly looks nice and blue. I hope you had the windshield in place when priming/pre-heating. You need to keep draughts away when getting the burner up to temperature for effective kerosene vaporisation. Another tip is make up a glass fibre rope wick to sit in the spirit dish and improve priming performance: Making up some spirit-cup wicks. Best Regards, Kerophile.
Hi, have a look through this old thread to see if you can pick up some more ideas. I would certainly recommend Nick’s beer-can liner for the base of the case once you have restored it: Restoring a rusty case of an Optimus 111B. Best Regards, Kerophile.
10 years ago. Newark 2009 Report About time we had another attempt methinks. 10 years of fettling should have given us a few more.
It's been a few weeks but I've just managed to finish this itn time for the first camping trip this year. Quite pleased with how the case refurb went but always room for improvement, I keep telling myself it's going to get used and scratched and dirty etc... Still, nice to have it looking good if only for some photos! Ill post more pics including flame shots once I get back from the trip. Thanks again for all the good advice and patience.
