Annie,

remember then that fourteen years of my use in Johanna may sum up to fourteen months of your use. Still, I was quite happy with it. My guess is that pricking the jet just before shutting down, with the burner still hot, was less hard on the needle.

On the other hand, I was less lucky with the burner in Johanna’s Taylor heater. That one also had an Optimus burner, but not of the same model as those in the Optimus 155 stove, so regular attention was needed.  Frankly, that burner could be a real pain.

Arne

Jim

no, the dirt did not «come right back up», as you put it. Still, this was not as good as the internal pricker, and it was a relieve when I got the Optimus 155 with these improved burners. I guess one could say there was a reason for inventing the internal pricker (and the ‘throttle/shut-off valve’). However, adjusting the heat by increasing or relieving pressure in the tank, as on that butterfly stove, has worked well enough for me, since each burner had its own tank, pump and valve.

The standard procedure before shutting down a self-pricking burner on Johanna’s stove was to turn the valve knob fully ccw before finally shutting down by turning it fully cw. This ccw. action made the pricker protrude up from the jet, and this simply meant that next start-up would be trouble-free. I used ordinary kerosene, not fancy stuff ‘for soot-free and odourless cooking’, and the stove still worked very well for the 14 years I had it in Johanna. I have to add, of course, that I didn’t live on board, but on the other hand, I visited Johanna often, summer and winter, and the stove was lit just about every time.

Arne

Paul Thompson wrote:

Graham Cox wrote:

Jim Creighton wrote:

Ha anyone had any experience with these kerosene stoves:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AYA2I50?psc=1

It has been adapted for a swing stove. Sure a two burner setup for a typical gallley stove is possible?

This type of stove was once common on small boats and in third world kitchens everywhere.  I have not used this particular unit but am familiar with the type and really like it for voyaging, though I have heard that it is becoming difficult to source kerosene in some areas.  The quality of the unit, and particularly of the burner, can vary widely, with some rusting out quickly, but a good one will last a long time.  I think this unit from India has been used by James Baldwin of Atom Voyages (he has a design for gimballing it on his website) and he speaks highly of its quality.  It is about the only fuel where you could conveniently and safely carry a six month supply.

I have exactly the same setup as James Bladwin onboard LC and love it. Lots of pics on my FB page.

Jim Creighton wrote:

Another source for this stove:

http://stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=73&products_id=216

It's a "Butterfly" stove. Made in India, I believe.

• A needle valve just below the burner. This valve is not only good for adjusting the heat (releaving pressure on the tank also works well on that), but also saves you a lot of pumping each time it is to be lit again. One simply shuts off the burner with that valve and keep the pressure in the tank, ready for next start-up (some tanks even have a manometer).
• The other thing is that there is no internal cleaning needle on the shown stove.   The internal needle pushes any deposit out through the jet (nozzle?). This use to be operated by turning this (missing ) valve backwards. Instead you have to use an external cleaning needle which pushes the dirt back into the burner, so it is likely to come back and block the jet soon...
  

Arne

David Tyler wrote:

Is it worth considering the multi-fuel camping stoves that have been widely used during long-term and high-altitude camping for many years? There are some branded models, but this one, made in China, seems to be widely available at reasonable cost. They all claim to run on butane, white gas (pure petrol/gasoline) kerosene and sometimes diesel, with jets of different diameters being interchanged. I wonder whether they will also run on alcohol, if they will run on something as volatile as white gas? The burner would obviously have to be built into some kind of cooker body, and the tank would have to be secured.

[edit] There are some backpackers' fora eg 

http://classiccampstoves.com/threads/brs-8a-multi-fuel.16553/

that report;

• These cheap BRS Chinese-made stoves are low quality, but good enough to see whether you like a multifuel stove, before investing in an MSR, Optimus or Primus.
• They do not burn well on kerosene or diesel
• They will not work with alcohol
• But a mix of alcohol and kerosene works well.
• Apparently Coleman fuel/white gas is pure naphtha, and panel wipe, used by car bodyshops, is also naphtha, much cheaper and the same price as meths.
  
• They are a roarer burner, very fast and very noisy.

The multi fuel stove is what I was referring to when I suggested Trangia.  As it happens Blacks have an offer on the Primus multi fuel stove (£135).... so I've bought one.  It needs mounting somehow, but based on your pot idea I think I can make something work.  The attractive bit for me was the option to use many fuel types.  Of course this may mean that its useless for all fuel types.  Having said that, these seem to have been tested at various altitudes and in various conditions.  So I trial one burner and see how I get on.

Peter