Next up is the civilian model of a WWII G.I. stove. It’s a Coleman 530. There are subtle differences between the actual WWII model 520 and this 530, but they are essentially the same. This stove is dated A46, i.e. made in the first part of 1946. It was only lacking the “simmer disc/flame spreader disc”, which, from what I have read, was not included with all 530 stoves. I have a replacement on the way, even though it is not required for the stove to work properly. A couple of before pics:
I’m not sure what the previous owner/s filled the fuel tank with, but it looks like sand🤔😖 After the fact, I thought maybe since it was black sand with little gold flecks/bb’s (I thought were brass from inside the tank), it could have been gold🤔…maybe someone was trying to smuggle it out of a park or other restricted area🤔. Too late now, it’s spread all over my backyard now😖. It took some steel bb’s shook around inside with some GM “Top engine cleaner and some fresh fuel to clean it up. I put 50 steel airgun bb’s in it, I counted only 46 that came out.…I think I saw one fall on the ground, then another shook loose when I dropped the stove on my patio table by accident…a happy accident👍🏻 That still leaves three unaccounted for…I hope they fell out when I was dumping out the nasty fuel. Anyway, there are none loose rolling around inside.
I only wiped the stove down on the outside. I then proceeded to replace the fuel cap gasket which was as hard as a rock, oiled the leather pump cup, and cleaned the generator, fuel valve, fuel pickup and jet. I cleaned the carbon off of the burner bell with white vinegar, and removed the check valve and soaked it in GM “Top engine cleaner”, it came out bright and shiny. Overall the stove was in nice shape…except the whole tank full of sand thing🤨. It fired right up, the big yellow flame is the stove working as it should until it gets hot enough to “generate” causing the liquid white gas fuel to vaporize.
Burning beautifully, now I just need to clean up the aluminum case/pots the stove fits inside for storage. They are in nice shape, no serious dents, but in need of some serious TLC.
This evening I finished repairing/refurbing/modifying another old stove. My father got this stove from a plumber many years ago, it was used for melting lead for “old school” plumbing, especially cast iron sewer pipes. I know for a fact that this stove has not been fired up for 50+ years…until today🙂.
It’s an American Gas Machine Company (AGM) JIFFYKOOK No.15 with the flat slot burner instead of a round style burner. I don’t know which style was more common on this make/model stove. These stoves are pretty rare. I believe they were made sometime in the 1920’s-30’s, maybe as late as the 40’s? It burns “white gas”/Coleman fuel. Since the original generator tube assembly was incomplete and screwed up, I had to modify (cut and thread) several parts of a Coleman 2-Burner stove generator assembly, tube, jet, and pricker needle to work on this stove (AGM parts are almost non-existent). I installed a Viton fuel cap gasket to replace the original leather one. I could have made another leather one, but the Viton was easier. The NRV (non-return valve) at the bottom of the pump tube is leaking a bit even after a thorough cleaning (a new replacement is not available). Luckily the pump screws down and closes off the NRV like a Coleman stove or lantern as a safety feature. The leather pump cup is functional, but the stove could benefit from a new one. I may need to make a replacement at some point.
I decided to give my fire piston a test run. Using some shavings of some “fatwood” and a wad of “char cloth” as tinder I then placed a small wad of char cloth into the divot in the end of the fire piston. Whammo, I slammed the fire piston on the table and Voilá, an ember in the end of the piston after it is withdrawn. I dropped the ember into my pile of fatwood and char cloth and blew on it to get it going. After a decent coal/ember was going I added some dry grass, a little more blowing on the coal/ember and I had my little test fire. P.S. It took me a half dozen tries for success, but it only took a few minutes overall ~15-20?
Comments
A couple of before pics:
After the fact, I thought maybe since it was black sand with little gold flecks/bb’s (I thought were brass from inside the tank), it could have been gold🤔…maybe someone was trying to smuggle it out of a park or other restricted area🤔.
Too late now, it’s spread all over my backyard now😖. It took some steel bb’s shook around inside with some GM “Top engine cleaner and some fresh fuel to clean it up. I put 50 steel airgun bb’s in it, I counted only 46 that came out.…I think I saw one fall on the ground, then another shook loose when I dropped the stove on my patio table by accident…a happy accident👍🏻
That still leaves three unaccounted for…I hope they fell out when I was dumping out the nasty fuel. Anyway, there are none loose rolling around inside.
It fired right up, the big yellow flame is the stove working as it should until it gets hot enough to “generate” causing the liquid white gas fuel to vaporize.
Almost unrecognizable!
Thank You🙏🏼
This evening I finished repairing/refurbing/modifying another old stove. My father got this stove from a plumber many years ago, it was used for melting lead for “old school” plumbing, especially cast iron sewer pipes. I know for a fact that this stove has not been fired up for 50+ years…until today🙂.
Since the original generator tube assembly was incomplete and screwed up, I had to modify (cut and thread) several parts of a Coleman 2-Burner stove generator assembly, tube, jet, and pricker needle to work on this stove (AGM parts are almost non-existent). I installed a Viton fuel cap gasket to replace the original leather one. I could have made another leather one, but the Viton was easier. The NRV (non-return valve) at the bottom of the pump tube is leaking a bit even after a thorough cleaning (a new replacement is not available). Luckily the pump screws down and closes off the NRV like a Coleman stove or lantern as a safety feature. The leather pump cup is functional, but the stove could benefit from a new one. I may need to make a replacement at some point.
P.S. It took me a half dozen tries for success, but it only took a few minutes overall ~15-20?