We restore lots of these!

martin

I have one of these from my grandfather, have used it on small work, will have to look to see who made it, does anybody know what the material is inside, i've just bought anther Mamod steam engine and boiler and was wondering what's in the burner as it looks like it needs replacing.

Martin P.

Martin,

Material, given age of item, asbestos string???

John

Brought to mind adverts in ME in I think, late 60s, of a small burner device with twin metal tubes for a small heating job. Think it was called "Valtock" or something like that.

Long, long time ago, my Father made up a small meths burner but can't now remember what he used it for. Base was circular (3" dia.??) thin brass sheet with a rising taper towards the middle where there was a round, vertical sided cup, about 1" dia?? X 1/2"?? high, which served as the meths receptical. No idea what that started life as, could possibly have been a light fitting. A large hex brass nut dropped over the top with it's shoulder at the top. A piece of tinplate cut from a can was soft soldered under the shoulder and a wick hole punched in the middle. Meths in the small 'tank' and a length of asbestos string threaded through the punched hole. What he used it for is a mystery after all these years, especially as he made up his own electric soldering iron. He didn't do model making in any shape or form – his hobby was rod and line sea fishing. Point I'm making is, how easy to make useful devices just looking at items and a bit of imagination.

The meths burner in the Swedish-made 'Trangia' camping stove does not even have a wick or absorbent layer (the latter as in the 'Mamod&#39.

It is a spun or pressed, open, cylindrical cup resevoir with a double wall formed by turning the rim over and back down onto itself into the cup. This creates a roofed annulus, but the roof is perforated, making a ring of small holes. .The inner wall finishes slightly above the cup floor.

It is hard to see quite where the main flames are: on the open fuel surface, from the top holes, or both; but either way it is remarkably effective.

Simmnering or extinguishing is by a loose cap with a simple shutter in its top; though manipulating it can be a good way to find that flames are hot.

The VALTOCK 2000 was a later plated brass version with an extra reservoir attached at the side by a spring clip.

The top and bottom caps were made of aluminium and were notorious for seizing up almost needing stillsons to get them off.

Nearly always found with mollered top and bottom caps, undamaged ones are OK though.

Just had one last week that was a nicely done repurposed ECLIPSE AUTORAM grease gun; shame really as the Autoram is worth about 4x the item!

Cheers, Martin