1 Steam Cars : Phorum
General Steam Car topics
Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Mike Clark (IP Logged)
Date: July 31, 2002 03:03PM
<HTML>In reply to Peter Brow in the noisy vaporising burner link I thought I'd better start a new thread to discuss Coleman/Maxwell things.
I didn't want to use hexane in my pilot - its such a pest to store and carry.
I tried a loop type pilot like the Packard type shown in Stanley Museum Quarterly using unleaded gasolene. Hopeless - the vaporisation is very unstable, although improved by putting in a braided wire. I have since worked on a Maxwell pilot from Stuart Herman which at first seemed to be the answer as it burns well with a blue but rather feeble flame.
I got a new Coleman gas generator tube which was intended for unleaded and which had a thin lining of insulating material like Fibrefrax paper inside the tube. It worked for a while but then fell apart as the end into which the jet is screwed is silver soldered into the tube and soon starts to leak. This causes a free yellow flame to escape just before the generator tube enters the mixing tube of the unit - just as we see in Chris Richard's picture of Maxwell pilot misbehaving on this website. The brass tube also eventually starts to bend with the heat.
I then made up a new generator tube machined out of solid stainless, bored 1/4 inch then finished to 5/16th o/d, the end being drilled and tapped 5/32 UNF to take the jet from the Coleman generator. I also used the Coleman valve/jet pricker machanism. I had to bore out the end about 20 thou (to 7mm) before my flaring tool would work. Instead of the insulating paper lining of the Coleman part I wound a helical coil 1/4 o/d and 2.5" long out of 40thou copper wire. This just pushes inside the tube.
The finished pilot works very well but needs a minimum of 35 or better 40psi. It ran 12 hours one day last week with absolutely no attention and relit the next day with no need for any pricking out. I have an electronic continuous sparker installed and find the pilot will relight with this even after being out for 5 or 10 minutes while refuelling the car.
I find this makes for a very good pilot. I think the reason it seems better on unleaded than the loop type is that the main heat source is the body of the casting which is in no danger of getting too hot. There are five small flames from the side of the mixing tube but they are not too fierce. At first I had too much insulation in the trough under the pilot but took most of this out, just leaving a smear of fireclay so that air can circulate round the body of the pilot.
Mike</HTML>
I didn't want to use hexane in my pilot - its such a pest to store and carry.
I tried a loop type pilot like the Packard type shown in Stanley Museum Quarterly using unleaded gasolene. Hopeless - the vaporisation is very unstable, although improved by putting in a braided wire. I have since worked on a Maxwell pilot from Stuart Herman which at first seemed to be the answer as it burns well with a blue but rather feeble flame.
I got a new Coleman gas generator tube which was intended for unleaded and which had a thin lining of insulating material like Fibrefrax paper inside the tube. It worked for a while but then fell apart as the end into which the jet is screwed is silver soldered into the tube and soon starts to leak. This causes a free yellow flame to escape just before the generator tube enters the mixing tube of the unit - just as we see in Chris Richard's picture of Maxwell pilot misbehaving on this website. The brass tube also eventually starts to bend with the heat.
I then made up a new generator tube machined out of solid stainless, bored 1/4 inch then finished to 5/16th o/d, the end being drilled and tapped 5/32 UNF to take the jet from the Coleman generator. I also used the Coleman valve/jet pricker machanism. I had to bore out the end about 20 thou (to 7mm) before my flaring tool would work. Instead of the insulating paper lining of the Coleman part I wound a helical coil 1/4 o/d and 2.5" long out of 40thou copper wire. This just pushes inside the tube.
The finished pilot works very well but needs a minimum of 35 or better 40psi. It ran 12 hours one day last week with absolutely no attention and relit the next day with no need for any pricking out. I have an electronic continuous sparker installed and find the pilot will relight with this even after being out for 5 or 10 minutes while refuelling the car.
I find this makes for a very good pilot. I think the reason it seems better on unleaded than the loop type is that the main heat source is the body of the casting which is in no danger of getting too hot. There are five small flames from the side of the mixing tube but they are not too fierce. At first I had too much insulation in the trough under the pilot but took most of this out, just leaving a smear of fireclay so that air can circulate round the body of the pilot.
Mike</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Peter Brow (IP Logged)
Date: August 01, 2002 07:54AM
<HTML>Hi Mike,
Thanks for the interesting info on the new unleaded Coleman generator and your successful pilot generator (congratulations). I wonder why Coleman put insulating paper inside instead of just making the generator smaller. Too bad the stock Coleman unleaded generator is unsuitable for steam car use, but thanks to your experiments and report, we know not to try it.
Your note on getting the vaporizing heat from the pilot casting instead of from the flame reminds me of comments on the excellent casting-heated "Empire" (Cruban) pilot vaporizer some months ago in this Phorum. (CRUBAN = company founder Charles R. UeBelmesser + stANley). I suspect that radiant heat from the main burner overheats pilot vaporizers in many steam cars, and is the cause of much of the carbon and other trouble experienced. This would help explain why some pilots work fine out of the car, but give trouble when installed. Taking pilot vaporizing heat from casting cooled by fuel/air mix, solves the problem.
I am considering putting a vented refractory hood over the pilot vaporizer, so that pilot vaporizer only takes heat from the pilot itself, and not from the main burner. Yet vaporizer is exposed to pilot flame for quicker warmup than with casting heat. The main vaporizer barrel would also be inside of this hood, which in my sketches looks like an elongated rectangular box with a couple of vent slots on the side, right at the top of the box. It is basically a vented radiant heat shield, open at the bottom over the pilot flameholder/grate and a bit narrower than the pilot grate. Bottom edge of box should be 1/2" or so above pilot grate, so as not to impede main burner lighting. With this, a vaporizer perfectly sized & adjusted for a given fuel should give no trouble (in theory -- always an important caveat).
Interesting comments (in "Noisy Vaporizing Burners") on slow fuel pressure pulsation between pilot vaporizer and pilot fuel line. I have heard of check valves, and also pressure regulators, installed in the pilot fuel line. With a diaphragm type pressure regulator, the diaphragm itself would act as a small accumulator in the line, to absorb & damp out pressure fluctuations, besides intended purpose of allowing easy adjustment & regulation of pilot fuel pressure.
Could a small diaphragm accumulator be added in the main fuel line, between steam automatic and main vaporizer? Downside would be extra fuel capacity in the line, and a bit longer shutdown time. Might this stop main burner howling? If it didn't, that would narrow down the list of possible causes of howling.
I like your use of a fireclay smear for surface heat insulation. I have considered using some ITC100 or "Satanite" white ceramic paint for similar purposes; this is formulated for excellent adhesion to high-temp metal surfaces and is cheap and water-based. Reflects something like 98% of incident radiant heat. Reportedly cheap steel parts painted with this stuff are replacing high-temp alloy parts in some furnace, forge, and kiln applications.
Peter</HTML>
Thanks for the interesting info on the new unleaded Coleman generator and your successful pilot generator (congratulations). I wonder why Coleman put insulating paper inside instead of just making the generator smaller. Too bad the stock Coleman unleaded generator is unsuitable for steam car use, but thanks to your experiments and report, we know not to try it.
Your note on getting the vaporizing heat from the pilot casting instead of from the flame reminds me of comments on the excellent casting-heated "Empire" (Cruban) pilot vaporizer some months ago in this Phorum. (CRUBAN = company founder Charles R. UeBelmesser + stANley). I suspect that radiant heat from the main burner overheats pilot vaporizers in many steam cars, and is the cause of much of the carbon and other trouble experienced. This would help explain why some pilots work fine out of the car, but give trouble when installed. Taking pilot vaporizing heat from casting cooled by fuel/air mix, solves the problem.
I am considering putting a vented refractory hood over the pilot vaporizer, so that pilot vaporizer only takes heat from the pilot itself, and not from the main burner. Yet vaporizer is exposed to pilot flame for quicker warmup than with casting heat. The main vaporizer barrel would also be inside of this hood, which in my sketches looks like an elongated rectangular box with a couple of vent slots on the side, right at the top of the box. It is basically a vented radiant heat shield, open at the bottom over the pilot flameholder/grate and a bit narrower than the pilot grate. Bottom edge of box should be 1/2" or so above pilot grate, so as not to impede main burner lighting. With this, a vaporizer perfectly sized & adjusted for a given fuel should give no trouble (in theory -- always an important caveat).
Interesting comments (in "Noisy Vaporizing Burners") on slow fuel pressure pulsation between pilot vaporizer and pilot fuel line. I have heard of check valves, and also pressure regulators, installed in the pilot fuel line. With a diaphragm type pressure regulator, the diaphragm itself would act as a small accumulator in the line, to absorb & damp out pressure fluctuations, besides intended purpose of allowing easy adjustment & regulation of pilot fuel pressure.
Could a small diaphragm accumulator be added in the main fuel line, between steam automatic and main vaporizer? Downside would be extra fuel capacity in the line, and a bit longer shutdown time. Might this stop main burner howling? If it didn't, that would narrow down the list of possible causes of howling.
I like your use of a fireclay smear for surface heat insulation. I have considered using some ITC100 or "Satanite" white ceramic paint for similar purposes; this is formulated for excellent adhesion to high-temp metal surfaces and is cheap and water-based. Reflects something like 98% of incident radiant heat. Reportedly cheap steel parts painted with this stuff are replacing high-temp alloy parts in some furnace, forge, and kiln applications.
Peter</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: HOWARD RANDALL (IP Logged)
Date: August 01, 2002 10:52AM
<HTML>Thought I would share my experience with this style pilot.
I was confused by the "paper" inside the tube, as well as the silver solder issue. Must be a newer / different style generator than I am used to. I have been running this style pilot for 25 years. The Coleman generator / pilot supplied with the Ottoway burner I purchased uses a flared fitting to connect the generator to the pilot fuel valve assembly and there is a steel, spiral wound, "spring" the full length of the generator needle. When purchased, the burner was supplied with a fuel pressure regulator, filter, and short, 8", 1/16 dia. fuel supply tube that connects to the larger pilot supply line, regulator, filter and tank. I run Coleman stove fuel and believe I set the regulator at 12#, with supply tank at 20-25#.
I can count on one hand the number of times I have lost the pilot. I am on my second generator in 25 years. In the first, the spiral wound, "spring" stuck in the brass tube and broke when I tried to extract it. I now clean the spiral wound, "spring" every 4-5 trips. There is little if any surging and I have yet to have the over heating / generator sag issues with this all SS burner running on gasoline.
I believe that my style generator is no longer available accept as "old stock". I found my backups in an older camping supply store in Boston and quite a few surfaced in hardware stores on a tour through Amish country in Indiana a few years back. I now keep an eye out in the metal recycling container at the transfer station in my small town for old Colman stoves!
Sounds like you have re-created the "old style" generator with your modifications. It should continue to perform well based on my experience.
Thanks for the heads-up on the new style generator.</HTML>
I was confused by the "paper" inside the tube, as well as the silver solder issue. Must be a newer / different style generator than I am used to. I have been running this style pilot for 25 years. The Coleman generator / pilot supplied with the Ottoway burner I purchased uses a flared fitting to connect the generator to the pilot fuel valve assembly and there is a steel, spiral wound, "spring" the full length of the generator needle. When purchased, the burner was supplied with a fuel pressure regulator, filter, and short, 8", 1/16 dia. fuel supply tube that connects to the larger pilot supply line, regulator, filter and tank. I run Coleman stove fuel and believe I set the regulator at 12#, with supply tank at 20-25#.
I can count on one hand the number of times I have lost the pilot. I am on my second generator in 25 years. In the first, the spiral wound, "spring" stuck in the brass tube and broke when I tried to extract it. I now clean the spiral wound, "spring" every 4-5 trips. There is little if any surging and I have yet to have the over heating / generator sag issues with this all SS burner running on gasoline.
I believe that my style generator is no longer available accept as "old stock". I found my backups in an older camping supply store in Boston and quite a few surfaced in hardware stores on a tour through Amish country in Indiana a few years back. I now keep an eye out in the metal recycling container at the transfer station in my small town for old Colman stoves!
Sounds like you have re-created the "old style" generator with your modifications. It should continue to perform well based on my experience.
Thanks for the heads-up on the new style generator.</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: peter heid (IP Logged)
Date: August 01, 2002 12:56PM
<HTML>I am playing with coleman parts purchased new through [www.coleman.com] Some stoves, of the suitcase variety, have steel vaporizer tubes and can produce quite a range of outputs. They have a great listing on their parts page.
Peter Heid</HTML>
Peter Heid</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: David K. Nergaard (IP Logged)
Date: August 01, 2002 09:58PM
<HTML>Where can one get ITC100? I would like to try it in my burner.
I have used a home made Stanley style pilot with a hairpin loop of 1/4 inch stainless tubing as the vaoporizor. The vaporizor is over the first ten slots in the pilot grate. My first vaporizor of this type lasted 30 years, I am now using the second. The cast iron grate that came with the car in 1970 finally fell apart last spring (2001) and has been replaced with a piece of one inch square stainless steel tubing with 0.025 slots cut with a slitting saw. On rare ocasions it flashes back and burns inside the grate, which then gets red hot for its whole length. This has no apparent effect on its duty as a pilot! However, it obviously does the grate no good and I wonder whether the ceramic paint will help.</HTML>
I have used a home made Stanley style pilot with a hairpin loop of 1/4 inch stainless tubing as the vaoporizor. The vaporizor is over the first ten slots in the pilot grate. My first vaporizor of this type lasted 30 years, I am now using the second. The cast iron grate that came with the car in 1970 finally fell apart last spring (2001) and has been replaced with a piece of one inch square stainless steel tubing with 0.025 slots cut with a slitting saw. On rare ocasions it flashes back and burns inside the grate, which then gets red hot for its whole length. This has no apparent effect on its duty as a pilot! However, it obviously does the grate no good and I wonder whether the ceramic paint will help.</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Peter Brow (IP Logged)
Date: August 02, 2002 06:41AM
<HTML>Hi David,
Just did a search at Yahoo, and found several suppliers. This one has downloadable .pdf info sheets on the stuff, and sells it, but you might want to shop around as I seem to recall seeing it cheaper elsewhere:
[budgetcastingsupply.com]
Link at bottom of page for ordering.
I have been wondering if this stuff would be good for painting pilot & main burner flameholders to keep them cooler, and if you try it, I'd be interested in hearing how it works out. Also, I may have been wrong about which ITC paint is used on metal; may be ITC213(?) rather than ITC100. I know that ITC100 is often painted onto ceramic fiber linings in gas forges, kilns, etc.. ITC = "International Technical Ceramics", the manufacturer.
Peter</HTML>
Just did a search at Yahoo, and found several suppliers. This one has downloadable .pdf info sheets on the stuff, and sells it, but you might want to shop around as I seem to recall seeing it cheaper elsewhere:
[budgetcastingsupply.com]
Link at bottom of page for ordering.
I have been wondering if this stuff would be good for painting pilot & main burner flameholders to keep them cooler, and if you try it, I'd be interested in hearing how it works out. Also, I may have been wrong about which ITC paint is used on metal; may be ITC213(?) rather than ITC100. I know that ITC100 is often painted onto ceramic fiber linings in gas forges, kilns, etc.. ITC = "International Technical Ceramics", the manufacturer.
Peter</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Pat Farrell (IP Logged)
Date: August 02, 2002 01:59PM
<HTML>Peter Brow,
To keep them cool, the white reflective paint has been used successfully on Stanley main burner grates. I haven't heard of anyone using it on their pilot housing casting. Should work just as well.
My first Maxwell pilot lasted 20,000 miles without a cleaning. When I tried to take it apart to clean it because it had plugged, it was solid carbon and I replaced it with a new one. I have 2,000 miles on this one without any problems. I haven't taken it out yet. Seldom ever goes out. I have even left it on 24 hours a day. Takes about a gallon of Coleman fuel in 24 hours to operate. I buy my Coleman fuel at K Mart for $1.79 a gallon.
The newly manufactured Colman Generators are thin junk. The quality generators are the old stock.</HTML>
To keep them cool, the white reflective paint has been used successfully on Stanley main burner grates. I haven't heard of anyone using it on their pilot housing casting. Should work just as well.
My first Maxwell pilot lasted 20,000 miles without a cleaning. When I tried to take it apart to clean it because it had plugged, it was solid carbon and I replaced it with a new one. I have 2,000 miles on this one without any problems. I haven't taken it out yet. Seldom ever goes out. I have even left it on 24 hours a day. Takes about a gallon of Coleman fuel in 24 hours to operate. I buy my Coleman fuel at K Mart for $1.79 a gallon.
The newly manufactured Colman Generators are thin junk. The quality generators are the old stock.</HTML>
Re: Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Peter Heid (IP Logged)
Date: August 02, 2002 06:19PM
<HTML>Pat,
The new coleman generator I purchased is heavy steel tubing, not your average junk. The generator is for the suitcase style stoves, not backpack stoves where weight is a consideration. I find them to be a quality unit at a fair price.
Peter Heid</HTML>
The new coleman generator I purchased is heavy steel tubing, not your average junk. The generator is for the suitcase style stoves, not backpack stoves where weight is a consideration. I find them to be a quality unit at a fair price.
Peter Heid</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Peter Brow (IP Logged)
Date: August 04, 2002 08:53PM
<HTML>Howard, David, and Pat,
Thanks for the expert info on your pilot lights. These things sound downright reliable! You've got me considering a Maxwell pilot now -- are plans available for these?
I dropped by a sporting goods store yesterday, and got a look at Coleman generators. The place I went to, at a mall, had both of the types discussed here. The obviously wimpy brass ones appear to be for lanterns, and longer hefty steel generators are available for stoves. Not sure if the steel ones were old stock. I also did not have time to study the package info, to see if any of these were recommended for unleaded motor fuel. I have seen some that said "unleaded fuel" on the box, however.
Pat: $1.79/gal for Coleman fuel? Exactly what I am paying for unleaded premium currently. Hmm.
David: Just a thought; wonder if the slot size in your pilot might be a factor in the rare "inside burning". I think stock Stanley pilots (& slotted main burners?) had .022" slots, 22 of them if I recall correctly. McMaster lists .023 slitting saws. Next smaller size they list is less than .022, .018 or something.
Peter</HTML>
Thanks for the expert info on your pilot lights. These things sound downright reliable! You've got me considering a Maxwell pilot now -- are plans available for these?
I dropped by a sporting goods store yesterday, and got a look at Coleman generators. The place I went to, at a mall, had both of the types discussed here. The obviously wimpy brass ones appear to be for lanterns, and longer hefty steel generators are available for stoves. Not sure if the steel ones were old stock. I also did not have time to study the package info, to see if any of these were recommended for unleaded motor fuel. I have seen some that said "unleaded fuel" on the box, however.
Pat: $1.79/gal for Coleman fuel? Exactly what I am paying for unleaded premium currently. Hmm.
David: Just a thought; wonder if the slot size in your pilot might be a factor in the rare "inside burning". I think stock Stanley pilots (& slotted main burners?) had .022" slots, 22 of them if I recall correctly. McMaster lists .023 slitting saws. Next smaller size they list is less than .022, .018 or something.
Peter</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Rolly Evans (IP Logged)
Date: August 05, 2002 07:55AM
<HTML>I believe my Stanley pilot is original; I measured it very accurately to do a cad drawing. The slots are .025 Flat gauge stock fits nicely in every slot. Richard Olivier built one from my drawings and its been running fine for the last year or so. It can be seen on the SACA web site SACA-NE
[www.steamautomobile.com];
[www.steamautomobile.com];
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Pat Farrell (IP Logged)
Date: August 05, 2002 02:36PM
<HTML>The Maxwell pilot uses the Coleman number 500-2891 generator. It's brass generator tube is 5 inches in overall length and it is secured to it's control valve by a tubing nut. The generator was originally used in a single burner camp cooker that had it's round fuel tank attached directly below it's burner. This camp cooker was made from the late '40's thru the early '60's. I don't have the camp cooker's model number handy. It's generator is still occasionally available from new old stock found in the old hardware stores. There is also a new replacement generator presently available, but it is of not the same good quality as the old ones. The machined Maxwell pilot castings are presently available from Alan Kelso. Alan's e-mail address is: steaman@cvn.net</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: David K. Nergaard (IP Logged)
Date: August 05, 2002 10:17PM
<HTML>My old pilot grate was cast iron and had 0.025 slots. I think my problems with the new pilot are related to the use of stainless steel for the grate. If it bothers me enough, I may get an iron casting made and see.
Ole Vikre made some pilot castings. I have one of them, but it does not fit in my tired old burner.</HTML>
Ole Vikre made some pilot castings. I have one of them, but it does not fit in my tired old burner.</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Peter Brow (IP Logged)
Date: August 06, 2002 05:16AM
<HTML>Rolly and David,
Oops! Checked my source for the .022 burner slot figure, and it was not for Stanley pilots but for Baker main burners. Yeesh, I even got the maker wrong (tho it was installed in a Stanley, which is probably what threw me off). See The Steam Automobile, Vol. 22, #1, p.21. ("approximately .022"). Sorry about the goof; thanks for catching it. McMaster does stock .025 wide saws, and that is what I will use.
In my experiments, I found that slot & hole sizes can be critical at reduced firing rates, even for the same total opening area. Even a few thou more width of slots or holes and the thing can backfire, at least in the burners I experimented with. With smaller openings, a greater turn-down ratio was possible w/o backfire, even with the same total opening area. Lesson learned: don't try to cut fabrication work by using fewer/wider openings in flameholders. Must be some odd flame-propagation / fluid dynamic thing.
Too-hot flameholders will definitely cause backfires too! Been there, done that, got the singed eyebrows. :)
Peter</HTML>
Oops! Checked my source for the .022 burner slot figure, and it was not for Stanley pilots but for Baker main burners. Yeesh, I even got the maker wrong (tho it was installed in a Stanley, which is probably what threw me off). See The Steam Automobile, Vol. 22, #1, p.21. ("approximately .022"). Sorry about the goof; thanks for catching it. McMaster does stock .025 wide saws, and that is what I will use.
In my experiments, I found that slot & hole sizes can be critical at reduced firing rates, even for the same total opening area. Even a few thou more width of slots or holes and the thing can backfire, at least in the burners I experimented with. With smaller openings, a greater turn-down ratio was possible w/o backfire, even with the same total opening area. Lesson learned: don't try to cut fabrication work by using fewer/wider openings in flameholders. Must be some odd flame-propagation / fluid dynamic thing.
Too-hot flameholders will definitely cause backfires too! Been there, done that, got the singed eyebrows. :)
Peter</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Peter Brow (IP Logged)
Date: August 06, 2002 06:08AM
<HTML>Pat: Thanks for the info on Maxwell pilots & their Coleman generators. I have to check the Ottaway plans (designed for Maxwell pilots) and see if the pilot length will work well with the main burner I am designing. Thanks also for the ceramic paint info; good to know that this has already been used successfully on steam car burners.
David: one other thing that seemed to have an effect on backfiring in my experiments was the thickness of the grate, and the resulting passage length. With thinner grates (I tried thin stainless too), narrower slots and holes seemed to work better. With thick castings, slightly wider openings were possible without backfiring. I found the number of parameters to adjust a bit bewildering.
Peter</HTML>
David: one other thing that seemed to have an effect on backfiring in my experiments was the thickness of the grate, and the resulting passage length. With thinner grates (I tried thin stainless too), narrower slots and holes seemed to work better. With thick castings, slightly wider openings were possible without backfiring. I found the number of parameters to adjust a bit bewildering.
Peter</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Mike Clark (IP Logged)
Date: August 06, 2002 07:32AM
<HTML>Peter (Heid),
I solved my Maxwell problems by making my own stainless vaporiser tube but it would be helpful if you could tell us the Coleman part number of the new steel generator tubes which have been mentioned. I would then inform UK steamers through our Steamcar Magazine so we can order the right bits through Coleman's British importer - they won't sell direct.
The brass generator tube I tried but which couldn't take the heat is 4.75" from flare to nozzle end and has part number 295-5891 for use in unleaded lantern number 295.
Wish I could get unleaded for $1.79/USgallon - it's $4.45 in the UK - you guys don't know how lucky you are!
Mike</HTML>
I solved my Maxwell problems by making my own stainless vaporiser tube but it would be helpful if you could tell us the Coleman part number of the new steel generator tubes which have been mentioned. I would then inform UK steamers through our Steamcar Magazine so we can order the right bits through Coleman's British importer - they won't sell direct.
The brass generator tube I tried but which couldn't take the heat is 4.75" from flare to nozzle end and has part number 295-5891 for use in unleaded lantern number 295.
Wish I could get unleaded for $1.79/USgallon - it's $4.45 in the UK - you guys don't know how lucky you are!
Mike</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Peter Heid (IP Logged)
Date: August 06, 2002 02:50PM
<HTML>Mike,
Coleman 2 burner camp stove model 414-700 has a single steel generator, part no. 413A5621 that is capable of up to 24,500 btus. I purchased the valve & generator assembly, part no. 413B6601 for experimentation at a cost of about $23.00 US and the generator alone is $11.10. I also purchased the burner pieces and fuel tank with pump. The tank with pump is only $22.00, part no. 413-5601 and the burner assembly part number 413D3461 is only $3.19. Their web site has a good break down of the parts for this stove and you can also try stoves 424-700G and 425F499G for parts. These are also multi burner camp stoves, not the back pack light weight types. Coleman.com will get you there.
Peter Heid</HTML>
Coleman 2 burner camp stove model 414-700 has a single steel generator, part no. 413A5621 that is capable of up to 24,500 btus. I purchased the valve & generator assembly, part no. 413B6601 for experimentation at a cost of about $23.00 US and the generator alone is $11.10. I also purchased the burner pieces and fuel tank with pump. The tank with pump is only $22.00, part no. 413-5601 and the burner assembly part number 413D3461 is only $3.19. Their web site has a good break down of the parts for this stove and you can also try stoves 424-700G and 425F499G for parts. These are also multi burner camp stoves, not the back pack light weight types. Coleman.com will get you there.
Peter Heid</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Dick Vennerbeck (IP Logged)
Date: August 08, 2002 12:18AM
<HTML>Howard,
Your generators come from old Coleman "Speedmaster 500" stoves I think. I have reproductions available with very heavy wall brass tube.
May your pilot stay lit,
Dick Vennerbeck RVennerbeck@direcway.com</HTML>
Your generators come from old Coleman "Speedmaster 500" stoves I think. I have reproductions available with very heavy wall brass tube.
May your pilot stay lit,
Dick Vennerbeck RVennerbeck@direcway.com</HTML>
Re: Maxwell pilots and Coleman gas generators
Posted by: Pat Farrell (IP Logged)
Date: August 31, 2002 03:43AM
<HTML>Getting ready for the Hot Fog Steam car tour. Tonight I renewed my supply of Coleman fuel from Walmart at $3.49 a gallon. Is the price is up because of the Labor day weekend? Their house brand is $2.89 a gallon.</HTML>
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