Brass Ship's Stove - Admiralty patent 925

[Jerry Sousa]

I have recently acquired a ship's stove which runs on naptha. It is in four sections; base ring,main barrel, domed cover and chimney. It is about a foot in diameter and 25 inches high and weighs a good hundred pounds or so. Presumably it came off of a Royal Navy ship and would be at least sixty years old.

What would it take to restore this item to original working condition using naptha. Is naptha also known as parrafin and is it pressurised for stove use? I have the controls. Also, is there a book or website that tells the story of how the Royal Navy fitted out it's ships? Thanks.

[Jerry Sousa]

I have recently acquired a ship's stove which runs on naptha. It is in four sections; base ring,main barrel, domed cover and chimney. It is about a foot in diameter and 25 inches high and weighs a good hundred pounds or so. Presumably it came off of a Royal Navy ship and would be at least sixty years old.

What would it take to restore this item to original working condition using naptha. Is naptha also known as parrafin and is it pressurised for stove use? I have the controls. Also, is there a book or website that tells the story of how the Royal Navy fitted out it's ships? Thanks.

[Jerry Sousa]

I have recently acquired a ship's stove which runs on naptha. It is in four sections; base ring,main barrel, domed cover and chimney. It is about a foot in diameter and 25 inches high and weighs a good hundred pounds or so. Presumably it came off of a Royal Navy ship and would be at least sixty years old.

What would it take to restore this item to original working condition using naptha. Is naptha also known as parrafin and is it pressurised for stove use? I have the controls. Also, is there a book or website that tells the story of how the Royal Navy fitted out it's ships? Thanks.

[Wilson Fitt]

Parafin to the Brits is called kerosene on the western side of the Atlantic. The stuff that we call parafin over here is used for sealing jam jars and lubricating wood screws and plane bottoms.

Naptha is the stuff that is used to fuel camp stoves, also called white gas. It burns very clean and hot and is highly volatile. Once upon a time, when I was a kid, I tried to light a camp fire with the help of naptha. There was a mighty woosh of flame that scared the hell out of me as the fuel burned so fast that the wood didn't even get warmed up.

Naptha is great for cleaning paint brushes, but I wouldn't let it any closer to my boat than that. Maybe the old stove could be retrofitted with a propane burner with a thermocouple shutoff like modern heaters have. Less chance of blowing yourself into next week or further.

However, I recall reading about 'naptha launches' that were prevalent in the early years of this (I guess I mean last) century. As I understand them, naptha was used in place of water in the boilers as a dodge around the laws that required an operator of a steam engine to be licenced. They sound like floating bombs to me. I have never heard of anyone trying to operate a naptha launch in modern years, although steam engines seem to have a large group of afficianados. Perhaps someone knows more about these engines.

[Wilson Fitt]

Parafin to the Brits is called kerosene on the western side of the Atlantic. The stuff that we call parafin over here is used for sealing jam jars and lubricating wood screws and plane bottoms.

Naptha is the stuff that is used to fuel camp stoves, also called white gas. It burns very clean and hot and is highly volatile. Once upon a time, when I was a kid, I tried to light a camp fire with the help of naptha. There was a mighty woosh of flame that scared the hell out of me as the fuel burned so fast that the wood didn't even get warmed up.

Naptha is great for cleaning paint brushes, but I wouldn't let it any closer to my boat than that. Maybe the old stove could be retrofitted with a propane burner with a thermocouple shutoff like modern heaters have. Less chance of blowing yourself into next week or further.

However, I recall reading about 'naptha launches' that were prevalent in the early years of this (I guess I mean last) century. As I understand them, naptha was used in place of water in the boilers as a dodge around the laws that required an operator of a steam engine to be licenced. They sound like floating bombs to me. I have never heard of anyone trying to operate a naptha launch in modern years, although steam engines seem to have a large group of afficianados. Perhaps someone knows more about these engines.

[Wilson Fitt]

Parafin to the Brits is called kerosene on the western side of the Atlantic. The stuff that we call parafin over here is used for sealing jam jars and lubricating wood screws and plane bottoms.

Naptha is the stuff that is used to fuel camp stoves, also called white gas. It burns very clean and hot and is highly volatile. Once upon a time, when I was a kid, I tried to light a camp fire with the help of naptha. There was a mighty woosh of flame that scared the hell out of me as the fuel burned so fast that the wood didn't even get warmed up.

Naptha is great for cleaning paint brushes, but I wouldn't let it any closer to my boat than that. Maybe the old stove could be retrofitted with a propane burner with a thermocouple shutoff like modern heaters have. Less chance of blowing yourself into next week or further.

However, I recall reading about 'naptha launches' that were prevalent in the early years of this (I guess I mean last) century. As I understand them, naptha was used in place of water in the boilers as a dodge around the laws that required an operator of a steam engine to be licenced. They sound like floating bombs to me. I have never heard of anyone trying to operate a naptha launch in modern years, although steam engines seem to have a large group of afficianados. Perhaps someone knows more about these engines.

[johnh94927]

hi jerry - STOP! white gas is NOT gasoline. neither is naptha. there is a thread around here on the subject, i'll post it if i find it but DO NOT try to run your stove with gasoline.
in the meantime, there is a website called www.spiritburner.com (http://www.spiritburner.com) you can look at - interestingly, people actually collect these things, and there is the possibility that your old stove may be quite valuable as a collector's item.
it turns out that my old boat came with a crummy old stove i was going to toss, but i discovered that it actually is 'collectible' so as soon as i get things together, it's going on ebay, and may end its days in japan in a stove museum!
=john

[johnh94927]

hi jerry - STOP! white gas is NOT gasoline. neither is naptha. there is a thread around here on the subject, i'll post it if i find it but DO NOT try to run your stove with gasoline.
in the meantime, there is a website called www.spiritburner.com (http://www.spiritburner.com) you can look at - interestingly, people actually collect these things, and there is the possibility that your old stove may be quite valuable as a collector's item.
it turns out that my old boat came with a crummy old stove i was going to toss, but i discovered that it actually is 'collectible' so as soon as i get things together, it's going on ebay, and may end its days in japan in a stove museum!
=john

[johnh94927]

hi jerry - STOP! white gas is NOT gasoline. neither is naptha. there is a thread around here on the subject, i'll post it if i find it but DO NOT try to run your stove with gasoline.
in the meantime, there is a website called www.spiritburner.com (http://www.spiritburner.com) you can look at - interestingly, people actually collect these things, and there is the possibility that your old stove may be quite valuable as a collector's item.
it turns out that my old boat came with a crummy old stove i was going to toss, but i discovered that it actually is 'collectible' so as soon as i get things together, it's going on ebay, and may end its days in japan in a stove museum!
=john

[Scott Rosen]

Any chance of converting to diesel? It's safe, inexpensive and readily available.

[Scott Rosen]

Any chance of converting to diesel? It's safe, inexpensive and readily available.

[Scott Rosen]

Any chance of converting to diesel? It's safe, inexpensive and readily available.

[Wayne Jeffers]

When I think of naptha, I think of cigarette lighter fluid.

A quick search came up with a site from Exxon which reveals that naptha is a "generic, loosely defined term covering a range of light petroleum distillates. Included in the naphtha classification are: gasoline blending stocks, mineral spirits, and a broad selection of petroleum solvents."

http://www.exxon.com/exxon_productdata/lube_encyclopedia/naptha.html

Sounds like we're all right on what naptha is, but this doesn't tell us what could be used to fuel Jerry's stove without maybe burning his boat.

Best bet is that someone knowledgeable from the right side of the pond will set us straight.

Wayne

[Wayne Jeffers]

When I think of naptha, I think of cigarette lighter fluid.

A quick search came up with a site from Exxon which reveals that naptha is a "generic, loosely defined term covering a range of light petroleum distillates. Included in the naphtha classification are: gasoline blending stocks, mineral spirits, and a broad selection of petroleum solvents."

http://www.exxon.com/exxon_productdata/lube_encyclopedia/naptha.html

Sounds like we're all right on what naptha is, but this doesn't tell us what could be used to fuel Jerry's stove without maybe burning his boat.

Best bet is that someone knowledgeable from the right side of the pond will set us straight.

Wayne

[Wayne Jeffers]

When I think of naptha, I think of cigarette lighter fluid.

A quick search came up with a site from Exxon which reveals that naptha is a "generic, loosely defined term covering a range of light petroleum distillates. Included in the naphtha classification are: gasoline blending stocks, mineral spirits, and a broad selection of petroleum solvents."

http://www.exxon.com/exxon_productdata/lube_encyclopedia/naptha.html

Sounds like we're all right on what naptha is, but this doesn't tell us what could be used to fuel Jerry's stove without maybe burning his boat.

Best bet is that someone knowledgeable from the right side of the pond will set us straight.

Wayne

[johnh94927]

here's a couple of links to wb discussions on the subject, see if you can make or tails out of 'em:

http://media5.hypernet.com/~dick/ubb/Forum5/HTML/003471.html
- and -
http://media5.hypernet.com/~dick/ubb/Forum5/HTML/003485.html

[johnh94927]

here's a couple of links to wb discussions on the subject, see if you can make or tails out of 'em:

http://media5.hypernet.com/~dick/ubb/Forum5/HTML/003471.html
- and -
http://media5.hypernet.com/~dick/ubb/Forum5/HTML/003485.html

[johnh94927]

here's a couple of links to wb discussions on the subject, see if you can make or tails out of 'em:

http://media5.hypernet.com/~dick/ubb/Forum5/HTML/003471.html
- and -
http://media5.hypernet.com/~dick/ubb/Forum5/HTML/003485.html

[Jerry Sousa]

Right, thanks guys and pardon the delay. I shall most likely use charcoal in this stove so that I might bake bread and sweet potatoes in it.

Anyway, here's a link to a company "Navigator Stove Works", that bought out the Lunenburg Foundry's plans for a series of small cast iron ships stoves. It has'nt been mentioned on this site before so check it out. www.MARINESTOVE.COM (http://www.MARINESTOVE.COM)

[Jerry Sousa]

Right, thanks guys and pardon the delay. I shall most likely use charcoal in this stove so that I might bake bread and sweet potatoes in it.

Anyway, here's a link to a company "Navigator Stove Works", that bought out the Lunenburg Foundry's plans for a series of small cast iron ships stoves. It has'nt been mentioned on this site before so check it out. www.MARINESTOVE.COM (http://www.MARINESTOVE.COM)

[Jerry Sousa]

Right, thanks guys and pardon the delay. I shall most likely use charcoal in this stove so that I might bake bread and sweet potatoes in it.

Anyway, here's a link to a company "Navigator Stove Works", that bought out the Lunenburg Foundry's plans for a series of small cast iron ships stoves. It has'nt been mentioned on this site before so check it out. www.MARINESTOVE.COM (http://www.MARINESTOVE.COM)