The colder weather has prompted me to get this big optimus heater operational. It is missing the correct large heater burner and the steel insulation disc that separates the burner from the heat dome. As I am unlikely to ever find the correct burner a stove one will have to do. I am not a stove expert so the best way I can describe the burner used is a primus no5 size but an optimus one, down on capacity but runs. First tests were not so successful, everything inside the dome was hotter than the sun while the heat dome was not, which explains why the stove burner it came with was full of holes and completely shot. I used the top from an old scrap primus stove burner to make an insulation disc which burnt green when first fired. After a spot of tinkering we now have a heat dome that glows red while the flame spreader does not. It still needs a clean and polish and the heat dome needs securing somehow but it is now a runner.
Interesting how you made a heat shield. I am missing a couple of them myself. Just for info. The thread for the retaining screw is 5/32 W.
Thank you @Nils Stephenson for the info on screw sizes, I have wired it in place for now so I can pump it without fear of having to catch a red hot dome. Some fettling pics.
