Fount Dent Removal - Ice

Yep, that bung in the top where the burner valve fits is apparently not tight!

Back to the old drawing board...

 

No pun but Cool Pete!!
Always a method to the madness isn't there?

 

Well done!!!
Thanks for sharing.

 

@AussiePete Just found this very handy solution and have three candidate's for this operation,cheers fellow stovie.
warm regards Alex

 

@toad of the cape
No worries mate ..... my pleasure.
Cheers
Pete

 

Hi friends!

I recently aqquired this Optimus 200P with a big dent at the top of it.
The plan is to use the freezing metod to remove the big top dent and maybe reduce the one on the side of the tank.

But how to seal it so that preassure of the freezing water can perform its magic? Am i supposed to let the carburator stay?

Regards Matti Kucer

 

@Matti Kucer
The crease type dent maybe hard to remove because the crease in itself is quite structurally strong. However it’s certainly worth a try.
My preference is to remove the valve assembly and use a fitting with the same thread as a plug. All openings into the fount must be closed, water tight. I do leave the pump with it’s NRV installed because in my method it’s frozen first in the bottom half.
Good luck with the dent removal.
Cheers
Pete

 

The tank is now in the freezer -18C for the first part of the operation. I cut of some 5cm from the valve assembly and sealed it by soldering the end. I believe that the cut off part can be restored again later.

I will continue with part two tomorrow evening.

Regards Matti Kucer

 

Soon time to fill up with water.

 

Here, the shortened and sealed/soldered lower part of the valve assembly. Now in the freezer for the initial hour. Then 30-45 minutes additional freezing for the magic to occur.

 

Having access to a freezer with a clear window would make the method even safer

 

ok, ok, that was yesterday !
How does it looks now ?

 

Can't wait to see the "end product"!!

 

Any news?

 

Ready yet???

 

Hi all!

Due to my late start friday evening I had to abort long after midnight, it was time to go to bed.
I then restarted step 1 during saturday.
With the base frozen I filled it today, waited 1 hour and 10 minutes.
CAUTION! In this case the time was perfect, the dent in the uppger part was gone. However, the power of the expanding water is extreme.

Here it is in a bucket filled with hot water.

 

ok, ok, she's bath now. But the dent, what about the dent ?

 

I would say its gone.

The lowest picture is the "after" picture.

 

uh, do we look at the same sharp long dent ?

 

Well, Yes. That sharp type of dent wont go this way. Only dents in the upper part.

I guess this lantern was dropped at some point.

 

@Matti Kucer Well done.
As you know, I have used this method of dent removal quite a bit, mostly for when the top of the fount has been pushed in. I have have very good success. Now yours with a upper side dent removal success adds to the usefulness of this method.
Cheers
Pete

 

I have borrowed some sticks for automotive dent repairs. Will try and see if I can reach the remaining dents.

 

I needed something hard that had a good tip to bend with, so i found a garden tool wallhanger that was useful. Managed to reduce the sharp dent. Its still there though.

 

Thanks AussiePete

Yours are the instructions I followed to take the dent out of a Primus 210 stove

Regards

 

Thanks Pete,

This is such a useful post and your detailed description gives me the confidence to try the same technique myself.

Does anyone know how the fuel pickup tube in a Tilley fount reacts if the same technique is used as you can't remove them? (can you?)

1. Would there be any likelihood of damage inside the pick-up due to expansion?
2. Would there be any sideways pressure on the Pick-up?
3. I have a damaged pump assembly so I could probably make a filler cap to seal the fount - is that what others have done.
4. What would be the best way to block the central fuel pickup?

 

Having looked at the Tilley fuel pickup, I doubt there would be any adverse consequences.

Tony

 

@ColinG
I have found that when I have used the freeze a third to a half of fount first, the pump tube or the pick up tube has never been affected. Perhaps this first layer of ice has the rest of the fount to expand in. When the fount is filled and sealed the pump tube and the bottom of the pickup tube are protected by the first layer of solid ice and the rest of the fount has the expansion resulting in the dent being removed (one hopes). The pickup tube is filled with water when filling the final space in the fount before sealing. This, I believe mitigates the stresses on the pickup tube as ice will form on both sides.

When using the ice method I leave a working NRV installed, seal the fuel delivery/pickup tube exit from the fount with an old sealed fitting of the correct thread and fit the fuel filler cap, with a good seal.

Just a note ...... I have made plugs for the sealing of the fuel delivery hole using scavenged and buggered parts that I have soldered up providing a watertight seal. After ensuring that the fount is full, I screw these bungs in.
Some Tilley fount’s and Bialaddin share the same thread type where the smaller Colemans tend to be 1/8NPT.
Cheers
Pete

 

Personally, I would never, ever, freeze water inside a tank that has a fuel pick up line in it without fortifying the line. At a minimum, I would make sure there was water inside the fuel line and hope that when the water inside the fuel line and outside of the fuel line froze, that provides some sort of equilibrium and the outside ice can't crush the fuel tube.

That would mean making perfectly sure that the fuel tube was clean and capable of allowing water to enter it.