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Alcohol stove rehab
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:23 pm
by Quetzalsailor
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:53 am
by Bluenose
If this works, it might be a neat work-around. I wrote it up in Word, dragged pictures in, converted to .pdfs, converted the .pdf to .jpg and uploaded the three pages to Photobucket, then copied the code above.
Your post viewed great. The only downside to this method is that the text isn't searchable.
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 6:41 am
by Hirilondë
Bluenose wrote:If this works, it might be a neat work-around. I wrote it up in Word, dragged pictures in, converted to .pdfs, converted the .pdf to .jpg and uploaded the three pages to Photobucket, then copied the code above.
Your post viewed great. The only downside to this method is that the text isn't searchable.
It does present very nicely. I don't think losing the ability to find it in a search is worth it though. One of my favorite things about this forum, aside from the professional nature of this place and its contributors, is being able to use it as a reference source.
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:52 am
by Adam
Great Post - You can see my restored old "Shipmate" stove on my Flickr site - I call her the "eyebrow remover" - and if anyone knows the old pressure alcohol stove's know's why I call her this :-)
I'm redoing the cabin interior this winter - and she goes in (replacing a newer Propane Stove)....
Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:43 pm
by Quetzalsailor
An update.
I have finished dissassembly and cleaning. I had to destroy a knob to get it off a burner control shaft (I broke a 30 year old Craftsman screwdriver repeatedly and repeatedly ground it back to shape). I spent several hours digging the burner valve packing out. Three had been repacked with what looks like Teflon tape. Two were apparently original; some sort of fiber (...) and maybe lead - very hard!) I tried several stores to buy Teflon packing but ended up with some sort of packing putty. Two kinds are available, one containing Teflon and the other containing graphite. This stuff is junk; it extrudes out along the shaft and into the valve. I ended up buying Teflon packing from McMaster Carr, rated for 500 deg F.' $32. or so for 16'; made by Gore in Germany. I used 11" or so. I also bought replacement knobs from McMaster Carr. There was a triple-folded length of fibrous wick, to hold preheat alcohol, under each burner. I replaced it with 1/2" fiberglass Tiki Torch wick since surely cotton lamp wick would simply burn. I reassembled the stove, using the corroded burners in the oven where they will not be used often. I used an old Kenyon alcohol stove - dissassembled to access one of the burner feeds, so that I could pressurize and feed the reassembled stove. Everything works, the oven reaches 400 deg F in just a few minutes. All burners burn evenly after sufficient warmup.
It's amazing how little alcohol it takes to preheat a burner, and too much makes an exciting flame. Eyebrow remover indeed, particularly in the oven where you cannof see how much you've dumped.
Because the corrosion damage has the potential to spray hot alcohol freely over a flame, I'm going to add a fuel cut off valve to be able to shut the whole thing down instantly. The corrosion damage on the two burners is ahead of the burner valves. McMaster Carr has a nice selection, but none say specifically suitable for alcohol.
I have yet to find suitable burner grates. PE Luke wrote me back to say that LeComte bought Luke stoves for just long enough to learn how to knock the design off and wished me 'good luck'.
Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:45 pm
by kendall
Post works nice as far a readability, Problem is that like many images posted, they disapear after a while. Deleted from photobucket, or just relabled and moved to another folder.
Interesting write up though.
Ken.
Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:04 pm
by Adam
