gas stove

[treadlightly]

I have just acquired a gas stove, a Camping Gaz "Bleuet S 200". It is at least 35 years old and I know it hasn't been used for probably 34 of those.

Now, I don't use these things, never have, so I wonder if any of you good people out there can help with advice?

Is it safe to use after all this time? It has a canister attached (plus two spares) and the gas emits when the wheel is turned. I haven't lit it yet. Is there anything I should do safety-wise to make sure it is in working order? Are there any potential problems to consider?

Thanks in advance.

 

[eel28]

I don't know enough about all the in's and out's of these particular stoves to offer much advice, other than to say when you do light it, make sure you are outside with plenty of space around you, and light it at arms length.

Knowing there are few people on here that do know about these stoves, I'm sure someone will offer some 'technical' info for you soon

 

[Ogri the trog]

If I remember rightly, this stove was made in the days when a "pierce type" gas cartridge offered the ultimate in convenience. You placed the gas cannister in a frame and screwed the burner assembly into it, puncturing the canister and allowing the gas to reach the gate-valve & burner, held in a channel by a rubber collar surrounding the central spike.
These days they are somewhat frowned upon as being both "old hat" and not as safe as they might be - any twist of the burner assembly in your pack results in leaking gas, as does any perishing or splitting of the rubber collar - not only a danger of fire / explosion but you might be relying on it and arrive at your destination to find you have no gas left!

You should be able to continue using it, as has been said, light it outdoors and use it until the current cartridge is empty - whereupon I would do a very thorough inspection of the rubber collar before using it again. Bluet started producing half height gas canisters so that you had an element of flexibility and redundancy if your first cartridge failed - you simply swapped them top to bottom and carried on.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[widu13]

I have the same stove. A pierced cartridge it is. Ogri's advice is spot on. The rubber based washers tend to perish but are easily found and replaced. Use it and enjoy it. Pierceable cartridges are slightly cheaper than the screw on ones if you by camping gaz, and very much cheaper if you buy the non branded stuff.

 

[nunzionuk]

put it in water, to make sure there are no leaks from it, remember to dry before lighting. They are normally bomb proof. When/if you change the cartridge, have a check of the rubber, normally they are replacable.

Otherwise you are mostly set, try to keep it level while burning and store out of sunlight.

 

[Tengu]

if its got gas still in it after three decades then the rubber must be sound...

I still use these things, as the gas is very cheap. (Though I have a MSR Pocket Rocket and 100g cans for walking...not so cheap)

Recently I got a blow torch that uses these cannisters.

 

[widu13]

Blow torch gas is usually cheaper and fits the stoves.

 

[treadlightly]

Fired it up for the first time yesterday and it worked a treat.

Anyone know how long I can expect a 190g butane/propane canister to last?

 

[ged]

Fired it up for the first time yesterday and it worked a treat.

Anyone know how long I can expect a 190g butane/propane canister to last?

It depends on how you use it. It's a very long time since I've used one of those, but I think I do still have one in the shed somewhere. I think you will be using around four or five grammes of gas per minute at full blast. Boiling water is a lot more efficient if you use some method of improving the heat transfer from the flame to the pot. Personally I would probably cook on it, but use something else to boil water if I could.

 

[rik_uk3]

Light it up its fine. You would be supprised how long these stoves have been around in one form or another. I remember them in the 60's, Bonnington used them on Everest in the early 70's.

They don't like cold weather though, so if its chilly it will take its time to brew (Bonnington's team used them in a tent where temperature soon warmed up and of course altitude helped some).

 

[rik_uk3]

Blow torch gas is usually cheaper and fits the stoves.

Which blow torch uses these cartridges, these are the pierce type not standard Lindal thread screw canisters.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Which blow torch uses these cartridges, these are the pierce type not standard Lindal thread screw canisters.

There's still a few to be had, some new ones (possibly NOS) too. Not so common in UK these days.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Electronic-Ig...DIY_Materials_Plumbing_MJ&hash=item588a2c2102

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SILVERLINE-BU...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item45fb5c4a58

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Butane-Blow-T...DIY_Materials_Plumbing_MJ&hash=item3cb9455f0e

 

[BobvanVelzen]

take a picture and send it to campingaz (info@coleman.com i believe) they have an interest in old stoves. safety: check rubber, clean burner head, check for cobwebs inside.

 

[DavidJT]

I also picked up an old collapsable two ring burner, and large (10" ish diameter?) half full gas canister at a car boot Sunday. Don't recognise the brand, but still works well and set me back..... £1 !

 

[rik_uk3]

There's still a few to be had, some new ones (possibly NOS) too. Not so common in UK these days.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Electronic-Ig...DIY_Materials_Plumbing_MJ&hash=item588a2c2102

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SILVERLINE-BU...Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item45fb5c4a58

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Butane-Blow-T...DIY_Materials_Plumbing_MJ&hash=item3cb9455f0e

Like you say, not common, I think Widdu got his stoves mixed up. You still got you CG Comfort lamp? I'm after another.

 

[bilmo-p5]

You still got you CG Comfort lamp? I'm after another.

Yes, indeed. I'll keep an eye out for one...

 

[widu13]

(Though I have a MSR Pocket Rocket and 100g cans for walking...not so cheap)

Recently I got a blow torch that uses these cannisters.

Sorry, I was talking about screw on gas cannisters- the blow torch gas is cheaper than camping cartridges and often a better butane/propane mix.

 

[Tengu]

can you post a pic? I have other stoves

 

[rik_uk3]

Yes, indeed. I'll keep an eye out for one...

Cheers mate, daughter started the ball rolling buying her own glamping kit, then the wife says 'I'll go too' then I find her lighting my Comfort lantern...'We'll take this one' etc etc etc. I talked her out of taking the Tilley Table lamp but she likes Vapalux so I'm safe there. Daughter was overjoyed to find pink fold up chairs

 

[ged]

Sorry, I was talking about screw on gas cannisters- the blow torch gas is cheaper than camping cartridges and often a better butane/propane mix.

'Better' is a strange word to use for a butane/propane mixture.

There's a lot of physics and engineering involved in the design and construction of gas appliances so that, hopefully, they are safe in use.

The physics means that liquified propane in a bottle at room temperatures will be at a much higher pressure than the liquified butane in the bottle sitting next to it. For example at 20 degrees Celsius, butane will be at about 15psi but propane will be at about 100psi. Mixes of propane and butane which have a higher proportion of propane operate at pro rata higher pressures.

The engineering means that any given appliance has been designed to work on a particular gas or gas mixture and within a particular range of temperatures. For example my wife has a blowtorch in the kitchen (for doing exciting things like setting fire to the pudding) and although it uses a propane/butane mix, it states clearly on the label that it must not be used with any gas mixture which has a propane concentration higher than 18% and it must not be stored at temperatures greater than 60 degrees Celsius.

At normal atmospheric pressure and at temperatures much below 0 degrees Celsius, pure butane won't turn into a gas at all. Propane can be a gas down to about minus 42 degrees. So propane might be 'better' at very cold temperatures, but only if the appliance is designed to be used with that gas. If you use a gas other than the one for which the appliance is designed you may effectively have made a little grenade, which might for example go off when you leave it on the car's dashboard one sunny day.

In some jurisdictions you may be breaking the law if you use an incorrect gas mixture. You won't care very much about that if your grenade had just killed you, but if it killed someone else you may want to find a good lawyer.