A question for the stove fetishists

[Andy M]

My favourite Optimus Hunter copy is playing up  The graphite packing round the valve shaft has collapsed. I now have a choice of a useless sooty flame with no heat or the full flame thrower effect straight along the valve towards your fingers.

Best deal I can get on bits to repair is £30. As this is 60% of the price of a new dual fuel and I still have the green one working I won't be rushing.

Anyone know a cheaper source of bits or a general use packing material?

Cheers

Andy

[squirrelciv]

Scrap it and go gas!

[Richard]

Scrap both and go with the meths !

[002]

Bollocks to both the above !

Have you tried base-camp.co.uk for parts and info..

I think its worth fixing.

Jethro

[johnr]

if its a conventional stuffing gland on the shaft, ive used soft copper strands from electrical flexes to pack them, theyre nice and soft and flexible for making the seal onto the shaft. especially if you anneal them first.

[Steve Lake]

go with the meths !

Is this your solution for avoiding the proposed increase in Unit Alcohol price.. i think we should be told!

[Andy M]

Thank you.

I think Base Camp are the answer. They seem to be the sort of business where you need to catch the owner on the right day, but 5-quid makes sense where the click-and-buy places £30 does not. I'll wait until work calms down for christmas, telephone calls mid afternoon are a PITA but easy compared to finding a working fax machine.

Having experienced gas (as I believe has Jethro also) there will be no conversion. Having had the Wee over the peaks and discovered no lack of go though, I might go back to carrying the pocket stove and using hexamine/twigs as a back up.

Andy

[johnr]

have you seen the biolite stove? its a variation on the woodgas stove. you light twigs etc in it and when i gets hot, the heat generates an electrical current that powers a fan in the unit which aerates the fire giving a much hotter and more importanly a smoke free burn, with a flame like a gas burner. the useful thing about the biolite is that the stove has a socket on the front that uses the power generated by the stove to power an led light or charge a mobile phone!!!! clever technology, and if you factor in how much you can pay for gas refils over a few years, not that expensive!

http://biolitestove.com/

[guest40]

I think johnr may be working the stock market..... LOL

[johnr]

tbh i would love a biolite stove, but i can justify the cost as ive already got a woodgas stove.

[gordy2169]

guess theres not much of a used market for this biostove thing?

[johnr]

theyre pretty new to the market and just dont turn up second hand. they also dont sell them in the uk yet, so you would have to order from the usa.

[guest1407]

I can buy one here and bring it to the Dragon for example.
 
Biolite Stove in NL

I think they are ridiculous expensive, though.

@ Andy M.  What part do you exactly need?

Optimus parts in NL

Maybe I can help? 

[steveD]

Just got a Primus!

Will connect to Gas and has a bottle for Fluid fuels, will take anything from the Gas to Diesel, just alter the jet!

Tried it on the Gas and very good / hot, need to try the petrol now!

[gordy2169]

there not cheep not sure i can puch for 1 as i only do 2 or 3 rallys a year if that but i just love the idea of turning crap in to power!