Kero blow lamps

[Zsteve]

Hi guys,

Must be some of you out ther with at least a couple of the old Companion or Primus kero blow torches in the shed?

Just wanted to ask what any of you use for clean out the tiny little jet, mine for ever seem to get clogged all the time. I also just got a small one (with no pump that I think is a spirit torch, with a very tiny jet that I am sure is blocked.
What the heck do you clean these tiny holes with - I can find anything small enough?

Regards,
Steve

[ian]

I've got a 35 year old Svea stove that runs on unleaded -- when I'm game enough to fill the tank.
To clean the jet, the Svea uses a short piece of fine wire, something like 8A fuse wire only stiffer.

[chambezio]

The old man had a kero blow torch he used to use a life time ago.
I have used a wire snapped off a wire brush with success.
The wire is stiff enough when gripped in the jaws of long nosed pliers, works well

[chippy 71]

Hi guys,

Must be some of you out ther with at least a couple of the old Companion or Primus kero blow torches in the shed?

Just wanted to ask what any of you use for clean out the tiny little jet, mine for ever seem to get clogged all the time. I also just got a small one (with no pump that I think is a spirit torch, with a very tiny jet that I am sure is blocked.
What the heck do you clean these tiny holes with - I can find anything small enough?

Regards,
Steve

Used to be able to buy what was called a pricker in hardware and camping shops. These were about 4" long and about1/2" wide and slightly tapered to one end which was folded over with a fine piece of wire under the fold which stuck out about 1/2" at right angles.
This was used to poke in the hole and clear out any soot or blockage.
Failing that a piece of fine fuse wire.
I think I might still have one in the shed somewhere, put away in a safe place.:roll:

Colin.

[mike48]

Hi

if you cannot find any "Primus prickers", send me a private message with an email address, and you can borrow mine (Svea) by post.
But I also sometimes just "pick" a hand wire brush strand and use it.
Always seemed to be about the correct diameter.
But dont force it whatever you do, as the jet/nipple orifice is absolutely critical for air and fuel mix ratio.

If you need to remove the nipple, you can borrow my antique nipple wrench also if needs be, but it (they, I have two!) are a little heavier for the post. Sometimes using this special wrench is the only way to remove the nipple due to limited access.
You will need to tell me the AF (acros flats) dimension.

If your torch doesnt use a pump, it may be a "Shellite torch.
I had one, in a previous life, but they are slightly more dangerous in use.
They have a nice low noise "purring" sound in use.

There is plenty of info and photos on the web about all these torches and matters, including one from the US (Zangobob's!) and others from AUS and EU.

Good luck mate.

cheerio, mike, BN

[orraloon]

The prickers are the way to go if you can find one. You can use it while the thing is lit and the pressure clears the jet. Most hardware stores used to stock them so perhaps some of the old small stores may still have a few out the back. Have a look on line. Ebay perhaps.
Regards
John

[AUSSIE]

Pricker

[chippy 71]

Pricker


Aussie,

How old is that packet??? Looks quite a few years old to me!

Colin

[AUSSIE]

Aussie,

How old is that packet??? Looks quite a few years old to me!

Colin
B**&&^ed if I know,I just dug this up on the NET so you would know what to look for

[chippy 71]

B**&&^ed if I know,I just dug this up on the NET so you would know what to look for

Looks like a packet I inherited from my father many years ago and he had had it for some years so probably c1930/40.

Colin.

[Zsteve]

Thanks Guys, some good suggestions there. I might try the wire brush wires - only just stumbled on that thought on the weekend so having somone else recommend it Imight try it on the larger primus torches.

Ah yes, a pricker, thanks for an image, might try find one. The wire brush wires though are too big for the little primus pictured I;ll try it on the bigger ones

Typically when I lay the small primus torch (pictured) on its side to take the photo it stared leaking (metho) from the Tip which was blocked:oo: Seeing that, I tried to fire it up and this time it at least shot a stream of gas out the nozzle but could only manage to light it when most of the pressure had gone (possibly toomuch had gone) as it had a small flame that went out and I could not get it to light again and I ran out of matches. Then I didn't try light it much with the shroud mounted on the end, have to try that next.

Really appreciate the offers Mike - any chance of a pic of the nipple wrench - I might try make one.

Can you still get Shellite? - I figure my primus pictured runs on alcohol (or posibly shellite) any suggestion? I read some small ones run on Petrol?

Thanks.
Steve

[ian]

I'm not entirely sure, but my memory of the heat out put of camping stoves suggests that you can't run a Primus type torch on Metho because Metho doesn't contain enough heat energy to keep the torch pressurised.

Petrol can substitute for shellite or Naptha but is not recommended because the additives lead to more soot and bocked nozzelles and the fuel itself is more volitile.

You should be able to get Shellite from camping stores.

[mike48]

Hi Ian

Hmmmm....
Looking at that photo of your torch, I think if it were me, I would find it on the web and determine exactly what fuel it was designed for, and how to use it.
In a previous life, I have had some terrifying experiences with liquid fuel blowtorches, where they flare and spurt flame.
Have your extinguisher ready.

I have now gone over to use of a Kovea mini torch ($30) using butane cannisters available from camping stores. You can buy the gas cannisters for $1.50 each when "on special". Cheaper, and doesnt need liquid fuel, nor a 10 yr check, like my old Primus propane torch.
Not much nostalgia, as compared to a blowtorch..

Photos of nipple wrenches attached.
Designed to remove a nipple through the blowtorch (flame) outlet tube of a standard size Primus type torch..
You can get another type, which looks just like a pressed steel ring spanner.
You may find that a small adjustable spanner will work on yours, but dont force it, as you may burr the flats.

Good luck.
Cheerio, Mike

[Zsteve]

Thanks Mike, Should be able to make a wrench ok.

I have looked around on the net and have found very limited info - with nil on this specific torch.

General info on various type of torches says the that the smaller torches used a more volatile fuel (than kero) as they had no pump, and the action of preheating/ using them kept them at operating pressure which kept them going.

regards
Steve

[ian]

I have looked around on the net and have found very limited info - with nil on this specific torch.

General info on various type of torches says the that the smaller torches used a more volatile fuel (than kero) as they had no pump, and the action of preheating/ using them kept them at operating pressure which kept them going.Steve
my guess -- and I stress it is a guess -- is that your torch is designed to run on something like shellite or lighter fluid. Petrol is a poor substitute.

I strongly suggest you keep the torch as a curiousity and buy follow Mike's advice about getting a gas torch

[mike48]

Hi again Steve,

is there any pump attached to the unit that we cannot see in the photo?
What do you think the perforated cylindrical (steel?) tube is for? to take a missing handle?
How do you think the unit works ?

This unit may not actually be a blowtorch, but rather an alcohol (methyl alcohol) fueled blowtorch pre-heater, or similar.
Or it may be a jewellery torch, meant to have a little flame, but utilised a mouthpiece and mouth blown air to generate a tiny blowtorch flame. We used to make these in the old days from a wick in a Vegemite jar full of metho, and plastic tubing and a glass tubing "drawn" to a point.
But as i recall, you could buy manufactured burners.
Caution on the quality of alcohol.
Read up on this on the web.

I would still think it is probably alcohol fueled, but i could be wrong.
Read Zangobobs article on mini-torches.
These mini torches and particularly alcohol torches suffer badly from nipple fouling due to the additives or contaminants, including water, in the fuel.
My Optimus 99 camp stove (Shellite) was great until it got a bit cloggy (technical term).
The unit had a pricker built in to the fuel adjustment, so that you could clear it by using the fuel adjuster, then turn the heat back up immediately. Great design. Absolutely fantastic stove; but I now use a Kovea micro hiker, and butane/propane!

I would be emailing one of the collector's associations to get actual information on the exact unit, and use the correct fuel.
This may take a while, but someone out there, as on this website (there are some very knowledgeable sleepers out there), has probably come across this unit before, and has the information.
Try an email to Classic Camp Stoves, Zangobob, or Blowlamps Unlimited, or Fogas, or the French sites.
As a very last resort, ask Primus.SE, who may refer you to some resource!

You have us all curious now.

Good luck
cheerio, mike

[Zsteve]

THanks for the saftey advice Ian, there are plenty of horror stories of these things around, so Iam pretty careful and I don't want to add to them - and I already have a gas torch....I just like old school stuff, and why I am partial to hand tools.

Mike - I probaby should have taken a few more pics. however basically what you see is what you get. there's no pumps or anything else, just a filler cap, tube out the top of the tanks with jet at the top. it also has a small well at the base of the tube for preheating. The tube/burner Cap screws on to the top (connected by chain) and I understand to extinguish/seal it you need to put the cap on and let pressure out of the tank. The brass perforated (shroud) bit slides off a retaining pin and it fits snugly on the top of the tube to form the burner.

Will have to try a few more web sites, thanks for the suggestions.

Its in pretty good condition overall, and I like your idea of a jewlers torch - but could be a bit big for that, certainly with the shroud in place. It has a very fine jet which also fits with the theory that its a alcohol or maybe shellite torch (or at least some type of fuel that has a higher volatility than kero).

As for cleaning jets in a couple of my larger kero torches I found a brass wire brush with fine wire that I had in a box and it did a good job cleaning the jets on those.

Regards
Steve

[ian]

Mike - I probaby should have taken a few more pics. however basically what you see is what you get. there's no pumps or anything else, just a filler cap, tube out the top of the tanks with jet at the top. it also has a small well at the base of the tube for preheating. The tube/burner Cap screws on to the top (connected by chain) and I understand to extinguish/seal it you need to put the cap on and let pressure out of the tank. The brass perforated (shroud) bit slides off a retaining pin and it fits snugly on the top of the tube to form the burner.

Will have to try a few more web sites, thanks for the suggestions.

Its in pretty good condition overall, and I like your idea of a jewlers torch - but could be a bit big for that, certainly with the shroud in place. It has a very fine jet which also fits with the theory that its a alcohol or maybe shellite torch (or at least some type of fuel that has a higher volatility than kero).

As for cleaning jets in a couple of my larger kero torches I found a brass wire brush with fine wire that I had in a box and it did a good job cleaning the jets on those.

Regards
SteveSteve
your torch is almost certainly designed for shellite, the small well is the giveaway.

just be aware that the jet is sized for the fuel the torch is supposed to use.
for example, kero jets need a larger orifice compared to shellite jets

[mike48]

I am a bit curious as to why it has no handle.
And I cannot see any fuel adjusting knob.
So , it still may be an alcohol unit, but the three air holes suggests Shellite or white petrol.
The outlet screw on cap also suggests alcohol.

If the top feed tube was vertical ie without a bend, it could be a bunsen burner.
Barthel and others made these.
I wonder if someone has bent it off vertical?

Anyway, a very nice Primus to have.
Please put us out of our curiosity misery.

cheerio, Mike

[Zsteve]

A couple more pics. So you should be able to see how it would be with everything in the right place. Internally it has wicking that helps draw the fuel up to the tip.

HAve now tried it with metho a couple of times and it generates plenty of pressure and sends a stream of gas out but it will not light til the stream has almost died down. Possibly these are finicky to get going but maybe its not the right fuel.

Will try and track down some shellite sometime and see how it goes.

thanks
Steve

[mike48]

Hi Steve,

Klas Jaederfeldt from Sweden suggests that this may be a ski-wax lamp, and probably uses petrol.

" every lamps in Primus 800 series is for Benzin (petrol) and I think the small ones is for skivax. i haven any drawings for this lamp"


Cheerio, Mike

[Zsteve]

thanks Mike.