Beatrice....a bit of a project...

[Robbi]

Big thanks to Tengu for the Beatrice No33 flat iron heater / stove that arrived today.

Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of " before " but Tengus for sale thread gives you an idea.
Been playing this evening and took it apart, I gave the base / tank a bit of a clean and it came up quite well.
I'll start on the pile of bits soon.

I've managed to source some new Mica for the window, a new wick, a new fibre washer for the filler cap and I'll make a gasket for the wick assembly from thin leather. Quite looking forward to this.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Good luck with the resto, don't forget the pics.

 

[Nice65]

They’re lovely things, the Beatrice paraffin heaters, real classic look to them. I was after one for a while as I have a fair few litres of paraffin to use but only lanterns to burn it in, but these days they’re not ideal as domestic heaters, great for sheds and workshops.

 

[Robbi]

That and a cowboy coffee percolator and I'm good to go.

 

[Robbi]

Started a bit of a clean up on the little wing type handles and interestingly there's a word and date on the inside. The word is BEAT and the date is 1901

I think it's come up ok so far

 

[SaraR]

Nice little project there and it's coming along nicely!

What kind of burn time do you get out of one fill with these stoves?

 

[Robbi]

Absolutely no idea yet.

Gimme a chance..

 

[Toddy]

The best of those little stoves, when set properly, burned low and long to get through the night without needing refilled.
The smell of paraffin stoves is so tied up with my childhood Winters that it's incredibly evocative of a well kept, clean and warm home.
The little ones were used in bathrooms to stop pipes freezing, and the slightly larger ones, like the Beatrice, were used in kitchens and greenhouses. Even in my childhood though, that Beatrice would have been considered an old stove. It's doing really well to last so soundly.

When those stoves were made not all homes were connected to gas, electric cookers were a novelty, and in Summer many folks still had to 'light a fire' to cook.
The old set in ranges were good things, but they threw out heat like a furnace. No one wants that in Summer, and these little Beatrice stoves were clean to use and easy to cook simple things on without having to thole the heat of the range, or waste the fuel. Good way to boil a kettle, do a fry up, even bake on a girdle/bakestone, too.

M

 

[Tengu]

1901? I thought it was 20s/30s. But maybe that's an old mould.

How di you clean it so well?

 

[Robbi]

1901? I thought it was 20s/30s. But maybe that's an old mould.

How di you clean it so well?

Hi Tengu,

I had a great chat with the guy that owns Base Camp, a classic stove supplies company, very knowledgeable bloke, he reckoned about 1928 but without seeing it very hard to tell.... Well, I found the date. 1901

I soaked it all in lots and lots of WD40 and left it for ages, it all came apart quite well except for one large screw but I soaked it overnight and it slowly slowly surrendered this morning

I then set to work with a Dremel and circular wire wheel and it works really well but takes ages to do.

I've ordered a new wick and mica window from Base Camp and more wire wheels from Amazon that will be here tomorrow and I already have some high temperature silver paint.

Happy days.

 

[Robbi]

Toddy.....

If you could get hold of a twin wick version, they are fantastically good at a rolling boil for jam making.

 

[Nice65]

Hi Tengu,

I had a great chat with the guy that owns Base Camp, a classic stove supplies company, very knowledgeable bloke, he reckoned about 1928 but without seeing it very hard to tell.... Well, I found the date. 1901

I soaked it all in lots and lots of WD40 and left it for ages, it all came apart quite well except for one large screw but I soaked it overnight and it slowly slowly surrendered this morning

I then set to work with a Dremel and circular wire wheel and it works really well but takes ages to do.

I've ordered a new wick and mica window from Base Camp and more wire wheels from Amazon that will be here tomorrow and I already have some high temperature silver paint.

Happy days.

Here’s a bit about fettling a 1901, not the process but some pics of a 1901. It looks like it has some different features to your stove, it doesn’t have the same cast ‘wings’ with the stamp on, but yours is a very early model I think. Rik_UK is a member on that forum and reckons production was late 1800 to mid 1900.

Beatrice No33 - 1901

Hi, not a camp stove but an interesting fettling project completed. This is a 1901 Beatrice No33 cast iron "Sad Iron" (Flat Iron) 4-inch wick stove,...

classiccampstoves.com

Another bloke you could contact is Miles Stair. Years ago he was one of the only connections we had on BritishBlades that would export CountyComm gear to us greedy UK EDC fans. But as well as his survival shop he has a wick and stove shop and is a world expert on these things. Mind you, the bloke at BaseCamp is no slouch, every time I phone him or Amanda I’m on the phone a good hour or so, lovely people. They warm mince pies at Christmas for their punters on a little paraffin stove.

Beatrice Kerosene Heater / Parlor Stove Wicks

 

[Robbi]

Hi Rich,

Thanks for that, I've seen that article in my poking around the net.

I'll check out Miles Stair, many thanks.

Interestingly, Mike at Base Camp said that all the metalwork including the top was originally tinned so would have been a Silver colour, I have some high temperature silver rattle can paint that should look OK and try to keep it looking nearly original.

 

[Nice65]

Hi Rich,

Thanks for that, I've seen that article in my poking around the net.

I'll check out Miles Stair, many thanks.

Interestingly, Mike at Base Camp said that all the metalwork including the top was originally tinned so would have been a Silver colour, I have some high temperature silver rattle can paint that should look OK and try to keep it looking nearly original.

There are re-tinning services depending on how authentic you want it to be. Due to its age and condition, a full restoration would be lovely.

RETINNING COPPER POTS AND PANS UK • NEWLYN TINNING

United Kingdom copper pan retinning with instant cost calculator. Re-tinning for copper pots and pans. Newlyn-working with copper since 1890.

newlyntinning.com

 

[Robbi]

There are re-tinning services depending on how authentic you want it to be. Due to its age and condition, a full restoration would be lovely.

RETINNING COPPER POTS AND PANS UK • NEWLYN TINNING

United Kingdom copper pan retinning with instant cost calculator. Re-tinning for copper pots and pans. Newlyn-working with copper since 1890.

newlyntinning.com

Oh.... Now you've done it.

More research required.!!

 

[Mesquite]

I then set to work with a Dremel and circular wire wheel and it works really well but takes ages to do.

Ditch the wire wheels and use these instead.

They wear out like the wire wheels but don't leave nasty little bits of wire everywhere. You still need to use eye protection but the bits coming off won't stick in your face. They're in different grit equivilants so you get a really nice finish was well

Note, no affliation to the ebay seller.

 

[Robbi]

Ditch the wire wheels and use these instead.

They wear out like the wire wheels but don't leave nasty little bits of wire everywhere. You still need to use eye protection but the bits coming off won't stick in your face. They're in different grit equivilants so you get a really nice finish was well
View attachment 77868
Note, no affliation to the ebay seller.

Thanks for this.

I did see them on amazon but never having used them I stuck with the wire wheels, must admit though I have been picking bits of wire from my fleece all evening, if I need any more I'll give them a go.

 

[Robbi]

An afternoon of Dremeling is very therapeutic
Trying to decide whether to leave it as it is, paint some of it, paint all of it.

What do you think ?

( the 1901 date is on every one of the cast items.)

 

[Mesquite]

Nice work.

Personally I wouldn't paint the chimney and mica holder but I'd season all the cast iron in oil so you can keep it rust free.

 

[Robbi]

Many thanks.

I thought about coating all the metalwork in ACF-50

acf-50 - Search Videos

www.bing.com

I use it on the bike and it's fantastic stuff.