Pods, a bialaddin lamp burner is simplicity in itself - pretty similar to a Tilley burner. David, good to hear! Many thanks. I kind of get why it does it, just didn't expect it to be "normal". Especially as the first time it did it, I was holding the handle. Change of underwear required...!
Yeah, the burner is full of vapour/air mixture which continues to burn slowly. As it does so, air is drawn in through the intake and eventually, the exact explosive ratio of fuel and oxygen is reached inside the burner - thus the backfire. It's the same principle as a demonstration I did in science lessons using a bunsen burner and a large coffee can with a push-in lid. You may recall it from school. I just wittered on to the kids and as the explosive point was reached there was a loud explosion and the top of the can blasted off and hit the ceiling. I hoped one day some kid would pee themselves but it never happened...
I remember what happened after my practical partner and I pulled a similar stunt, not to mention Iodine crystals and Ammonia!! Would be Incarerated to-day for that.
expat, you'll be glad to know that base-camp have the ceramic tubes in stock now, which is fortunate as my little magpie of a cat has gone off with one of mine...
... Yes.. Hmm .. .. Very!... Also the standard burner has an integral burner ring thing and yours unscrews? You say Steel and Brass, I take it they are Stainless?..
David, yep, our chemistry teacher had a similar sense of humour! Probably why he let us make nitrogen tri-iodide...! Dweller, many thanks for the heads up! Pods, no idea whether it's stainless or not!
You were Lucky. My time with this compound cost me and my fellow cohorts a very sore rear end!! More possibly due to "painting" it under desk lids at the end of a lesson/room change, it dries fairly quickly
Gavin - he did let us know in no uncertain terms that if it was used in school he knew who it would be and promised swift retribution...!
This Bowl fire sounds like mine! After some 15-20 minutes the blue flames descend to about 1/3 of the mantle. They do not go lower, it continues burning properly. I noticed that the mantle has a 1/82 gap and there is the same gap between the circular Nut and the burner, when I lift the mantle with a screwdriver, the flames return upwards, but not necessarily to the top. I am going to make a spacer to lift the mantle as much as necessary to see if this solves the (minor) problem. I don't have the parts list, so I can't tell if this spacer is what you refer to as F709, it will need to go between the plate with the small holes in it and the circular nut. Jim
David, When I reduce the pressure on mine,(very low), the flames go back up but the heat output is very much reduced. I don't think this is the problem! Jim
Looking at those photos, I see there is a plain spacer ring above the Multi-holed Burner disc in the picture. I do not have this spacer, so I guess I shall have to turn one up! Jim. No! wrong! I see that that is just the round fixing nut, but I'll make the spacer just to prove that i am wrong! Jim.
Good evening - I am new to paraffin lamps but am slowly building a collection of old Tilley’s, Bialaddin and Petromax lamps. I have just bought a restored Mk2/3 bowl fire and it is exhibiting exactly this behaviour. All starts fine and clear blue jets from the underside of the burner which, after a few minutes, become unstable and slowly descend before going out and producing lots of acrid smoke. Like other posters here I have tried more, less pressure but the same happens every time. Can anybody help?
Hi Nick! Welcome to CPL! You say that it has been restored...Does that mean just new seals? ...I would start by emptying the paraffin and doing a 'dunk' test to test for air leaks. If that is ok then and assuming the burner is free from blockages/spider webs i would look at the vapouriser...gently remove the needle... is it clean or does it have a build up of carbon? ...If it does then you could try cleaning it out by gently tapping it on a piece of wood to get any carbon out..Heating and quenching may help followed by more gentle tapping, but you may need a new vapouriser? Hope this helps.
