Autumn

Autumn

Monday, August 27, 2012

Rainy Day and Rust

The so called hurricane, for my neck of the woods, has proven to be a wuss. Thank the Good Lord. Most of the day we've had a nice steady rain with a periods of gusty wind. Nice day to spend my time with the garage door open at work on one of my current projects.

I recently purchased a sad and rusty Coleman 413G stove and two lanterns off Craigslist, cheap. I've always wanted to try and restore a Coleman stove. But, I'm not a mechanical minded kinda guy. It was the mechanical part of the stove rebuild that held me back.  

Then I remembered one of my best friends is a marine mechanic and has the ability to rebuild any carburetor in his sleep but failed miserably when he tried to can beans and peaches. With him in mind I thought how hard could it be to try my hand at restoration. After all, I can at least can a green bean.





 She's a mess, isn't she...notice the top where the latch is located....awful rust. I begin with disassembly.


Top, my two lanterns. The blue one is a Coleman model sold by Sears. I believe she's dated 1963. The green one is a 1968. They'll be restored after the stove is finished.

Above, I've taken out the burner assemblies. Notice the drip plate. It should be silver but is covered in grease, rust, and baked on carbon. About thirty years worth.





Drip plate and gas assembly removed. I was having my doubts.

I began with the lid. I removed every trace of rust. If you decide to use your Dermal tool make sure you purchase several of those little wire wheels. I wore out two. They work well for the latch and handle and tiny hard to reach areas of the stove body.



The lid finished, I next tackled the drip pan. First, all grease must be removed. I used an old litter box filled with hot water and Dawn liquid. Not sure if you can see the difference between the left side and the right of the pan but it worked like a charm. I then took the dry degreased part over to my bench grinder and used my wire wheel to remove the stubborn carbon deposits and surface rust.


Above, nice. A clean grease and rust free drip pan. Make sure to pay special attention to the folds, edges and underside. Then again I'm kinda anal...

Above, now it's time to begin the hard part...the body of the stove. I first applied a good dose of Simply (or Simple, can't remember) Green. As a matter of fact I sprayed it two hours prior. Let it soak. The grease and any oils must be removed before you use sand paper otherwise it'll just gum the pours of the paper. I used my palm sander and 80 grit black zirconium paper. If you think you'll only need two packs, buy four.



Above, notice the date stamp. 2 - 73, or as you well know, February 1973. If the date isn't stamped on the body look under the gas tank tabs. The tabs are those little ears you slide into the slots on the front of the stove case. The date will always be stamped on both ears.

Progress.


An hour later and she looks much better. The latch and handle required special attention from my Dremil. Please, wear eye protection. I lost count of the number of little wires that struck me on my face.

Almost.

Next I tackled the gas assembly. When I first removed it from the case it was covered in rust.

I next cleaned the gas tank after I first disassembled the gas generator and cleaned the needle and tube. Next I degreased the body with an application of Simply Green. Be gentle. The paint will come off easily and if you do not plan to replant you will remove most of the paint. Notice its pink instead of red. I will paint the tank. Take note of the tube. It was black with carbon before I took it over to my wire wheel.

I love the 'made in the U. S. A.' stamp. I failed to mention these stoves are no longer manufactured. Coleman has been sold. Any item you see with the Coleman logo is now made in China. The man that sold me this stove said, "You know, they use kerosene." I smiled. They actually burn white gas or Coleman fuel. 

With the exception of the grill, which I have soaking in my mixture of Simple Green and Dawn, the stove is ready for paint. You've just experienced about five hours of labor....and fun.

Stephen








30 comments:

  1. Sad that it's no longer made. Coleman is another name that currently has no value due to it being sold to China.

    Buddy of mine just picked up a Swedish backpacking stove from the 70s. Polished brass. In perfect shape. I could not afford one of those back when I was doing a lot of mountain climbing back then. The guy was going to throw it out.

    Your stove is starting to look good.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thanks, Sixbears. It was fun and I've another to restore. Then my lanterns. After spending time on Ebay and the prices the restored or original mint items sold for I decided what the heck, I'd try my hand.

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  2. Replies
    1. Thanks, my friend. When she's painted I'll post the results.

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  3. I'm glad Isaac missed you - and that project looks like fun. We haven't had many days this summer when I could work with the garage door open ... too cool & rainy.

    Stove's looking good, my friend.

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    1. I'll take the cold any day my friend. And thanks, glad the storm moved west too. Feel for those poor souls in its path.

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  4. Phyllis (N/W Jersey)August 27, 2012 at 9:54 PM

    Good job, Stephen! I couldn't survive without my Dremel tools - I think I have every attachment ever made.
    It's very relaxing to be working on a project and the time just lies by. Keep posting the pics!

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    1. I wish I had a newer Dremel. Mine is older and I need a few more attachments but I'm too cheap to buy another while my current one still functions. Thanks, Sweet Phyllis.

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  5. Dremels are great little tools. I've got two of them; a cordless one for smaller jobs, and a corded one for bigger stuff.
    And the stove is looking good!

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    1. Thanks, drjim. I keep spelling Dremel with an I...oh well.
      I'd like a larger, cordless Dermel but must weight my wants with my needs.

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    2. Yes, they are, drjim. I keep spelling 'Dremel' with an i...oh well.
      I'd like the larger model too, a cordless, but must weigh my wants with my needs. Thanks, my friend.

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  6. Looks like you performed miracles on that stove!!! Nice and relaxing to just work to the sound of rain, isn't it?

    Glad the storm missed you, looks like it is strengthening this evening.

    Take care.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I love the sound of falling rain, and wind. It was nice and peaceful. Just shut down the ole mind and work. The stove will, I hope, come out nice and pretty. I've quite a bit more to do on her. Thanks, my friend.

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  7. What are you going to use for paint?

    There are several types of high-temp grill paints out there. Would love to hear a recommendation.

    I'm putting together supplies for a 55-gal drum grill, maybe a smoker.

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    1. Good question, my friend. I'm not sure as yet...but tell 'ya what, I'll let you know. I did see where one dude used 1200 RustOleum silver paint for those areas under heat. The case and drip pan, not sure...we'll see. Thanks, my friend.

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  8. Stephen,

    I'm happy to hear the storm passed you and just gave you some rain and winds. Making it comfortable enough to be able to work out in the garage. Nice work on the Coleman Stove!!! When you're all done refurbishing the stove, I have a perfect place for it :-)
    Have a great day and give Sweet Wife a hug!

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  9. Very cool, Stephen. That is a very worthwhile project.

    Oddly enough, I was given an old Coleman lantern about 2 weeks ago. I think it's from the 60's, and maybe used 2-3 times. I'll get some pics up tonight.

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  10. Thank you Stephen,
    I have a Coleman just like that. We used it for almost 2 years while living in a converted school bus down in Louisiana.(sp) The stove looks pretty much like yours did. I will have to replace parts on my fuel tank since it no longer holds pressure. My husband almost got his divorce when he tried to put gasoline in it. (He put the right kind in). I just knew it would blow us to kingdom come, but it didn't and it was so much cheaper than the Coleman fuel. What a ritual to use that thing. But it did a fine job of Christmas dinner. Thank you for the tutorial. T

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    1. My friend, most pressure problems with these stove involves one of two things. First the leather inside the pump stem has been allowed to dry. It needs a few drops of oil on occasion. 3 in 1 oil works great. If you gently remove the little wire snap on the valve you can then gently remove the pump and take the end where the leather is located and allow it soak in about an inch of motor oil for two or so hours. Then replace. Then address the gas tank cap. Remove it and make note of the inside black gasket. Is it thin, worn down. If so either purchase a new one (Ebay) or replace it. It's a hard job but possible. Hit YouTube...Thanks.

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  11. It'll be brand new! Got overcast skies from Isaac, all the way over here. Fitful, gusty breezez from all around the compass, but mostly NNW. The surfers will be happy when the swell arrives...

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    1. We've had some good rain today but I'm not sure it's from the storm. Enjoy the ride, Craig. Thanks.

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  12. I enjoy cooking on campouts and have been frustrated with the camp stoves I have owned in the past so I purchased a two burner propane 60,000 btu's per burner stove. It is a tad heavy and larger then my other camp stoves but I can bring a quart of water to boil in a flash. It is also my backup canning stove and is more then hot enough to bring my 23 quart pressure cooker to the desired pressure twice as fast as my kitchen gas stove will.

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    1. Anon, sorry you've had such bad experiences from the campstoves. As long as their given a bit of maintenance; a drop of oil now and then, pressure cap rubber clean, they'll work for years and years. Seems you've found your perfect outfit. Thanks, and take care.

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  13. Watch out, my friend: restoring things, and making the world right and good one piece at a time can get awfully addictive. Have fun, and enjoy all the challenges and triumphs!

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    1. You are so correct...it is addictive. I've ordered spare parts, thinking about paint (gloss or flat) and can't wait for the weekend. Thanks, my dear friend.

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  14. Ohhhh, I can't wait to see the finished restoration! My grandparents have one of these stoves. They still use it. My cousins have been trying to talk them into throwing it away...and I'm like "live it me in the will"!!

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    1. Agreed, don't let it get lost...tag it. Thanks, LB.

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