SETTING UP A BUTTERFLY MODEL 2628
STOVE
These instructions are for the
older type Butterfly stoves sold during Y2K. Tens of thousands
of the stoves were sold and few were actually set up to use.
Many of them are being found in as-new condition, still in the
original box. Those older stoves will work fine, but they do
need to be set up correctly before use.
1. Remove the
pot/pan support ring from the top of the
stove.
2. Remove the
brown top of the stove...it just slides up and off. Then
carefully run your finger around the inside edge...you
may have to remove a burr or two with a file before you
reassemble (It is easy to know if there are burrs -- your
finger is slashed).
3. Now you have
the white circle of metal (body of stove) totally
exposed. It is held in place with 3 Phillips head screws
around the base. Remove the screws, lift from the back
first, lift and bring it forward over the red wick riser
handle, then remove it and set it aside.
4. You now have
the brown base all by itself. The fuel pan is held on by
3 bolts with slot heads and wing nuts. Remove those, and
the pan separates from the base unit. However, before you
remove the pan, mark the side of the base assembly and
straight down on the pan with a piece of chalk -- the 3
holes are NOT lined up perfectly!
5. The base unit,
which has the wick tubes and wick riser assembly, is
exposed.
6. With
everything disassembled, now is the time to put a good
coat of auto polish on every metal surface except the
burner unit. Use a Q-Tip to reach all corners and
crevasses, then when the polish is dry rub it with an old
toothbrush.
7. From both the
top and bottom, look at the tubes to make sure they are
rounded out. They are actually rolled steel, not a tube,
so they do have a seam. Make sure the edges of the seam
do not overlap, using needle nose pliers to gently expand
and round them out -- if needed.
8. Before you
started all this, you need spare wicks. I have them
at my
Wick Shop. You can use a medium O Cedar mop
head, or something similar, with the same thickness of
strands as the short ones that came with the stove. Take
the mop apart by cutting the stitches that hold the tape
in the center, and you should have 64 wicks, each 23
inches long. Put Elmer's white glue into one end of the
wick, about a half inch down, and try to draw it to a
point. When the glue dries (overnight), it will make
pushing the wicks through the wick tubes vastly easier.
Your fingers will get sticky, but the glue washes off
with soap and water.
9. Thread the
wicks through from the bottom of the tubes -- the pan
side. You may have to use a very small, flat bladed
screwdriver to help push the wicks up through the tubes.
Pull the wicks up until they are about a half inch above
the top plate when the wick riser is in the full "up"
position. Lower the wick riser so the wicks disappear,
then raise the wicks so they are level with the top
plate. Now you can adjust them so they are all about the
same height. Then raise the wicks to the maximum height,
and they should protrude no more than a half
inch.
10. Around the
bottom edge of the base assembly, which now has wicks
hanging down from it, apply a thin film of Vaseline. This
is a release agent, so you can someday remove the pan and
put in new wicks. Use a Q-Tip to coat the edge of the lip
with Vaseline.
11. Look at the
pan. Notice it has about a half inch lip around the top
edge. It *does not* fit flush with the bottom of the base
assembly, and will leak if not fixed with a gasket. Feel
all the way around the edge of the pan to make sure the
lip is over the pan...if necessary, bend a tight spot out
with pliers.
12. Apply gasket
material full depth and width of the lip of the pan,
going all the way a round without gaps. I use Permatex
"Ultra Black" gasket material. Smooth with your fingers.
Do not clean your fingers on your pants -- the gasket
material is permanent and won't wash out.
BTDT.
13. Locate the
lost 3 bolts and nuts that hold the pan to the base
assembly, then coat them liberally (sorry to use that
word) with vaseline.
14. Line up the
chalk marks (see #4 above), then *carefully* set the base
assembly on the pan. Twist it back and forth a few times,
then clean out the holes with a Q-tip, and make sure the
bolt holes line up properly.
15. Gently push
the base assembly down on the pan, make sure the lip of
the base overlaps the pan all the way around, then insert
the bolts from the top, nuts on the bottom, and tighten
gently. Do not over tighten: no need, as the gasket
material is going to fill up the space.
16. Set it aside
for at least a day to harden. If placed in the sun, it
will harden in a day, probably. Tighten the bolts and
wing nuts snugly, but without bending the metal. When
cured, gently tighten the bolts again.
17. The next day,
find the three Phillips screws lost the previous day, and
put the white, round body of the unit back on the base
unit, fitting it over the wick riser knob first, then
settling it into place. Do not over tighten the sheet
metal screws...they are non load bearing, so they don't
need to be stripped.
18. Now the
burner assembly can be set back down inside the unit
until it rests squarely on the base.
19. Making sure
the brown top assembly doesn't have any burrs on the
lower inside edge, you can set it back over the top of
the white body without making any scratches in the paint
-- and it will be easier to remove forever after (as the
brown top must be removed every time you light the stove,
this is an important step!). Then the burner support ring
can be set in place, and you are all ready to cook,
right? No. Not a chance.
20. Now you can
fill the base with fuel, then let it sit for at least a
half hour for the wicks to become saturated with
kerosene. DO NOT OVERFILL! Use a funnel to pour in the
fuel, and stop pouring when you see fuel at the bottom
edge of the funnel...at least " below the fill hole.
WAIT A HALF HOUR FOR THE WICKS TO BECOME SATURATED WITH
FUEL!
21. Take the
stove outside for the first burn, just in case you made
any mistakes in setting the wick height. Remove the top
and the black burner/combustor unit, light the individual
wicks, replace the burner and top ring. Looking carefully
down inside the burner, you can see if one wick is
burning too high or another too low. Turn off the stove
by lowering the wicks. Remove the burner unit when it is
cool. Adjust by pushing one wick lower and pulling
another higher to get them level (this is when you are
really happy you rounded out the wick tubes!).
22. Relight,
insert the burner unit, and let it burn for at least 5
minutes. At that point the burner unit is heated and the
combustion more efficient, and you will have to lower the
wicks until any yellow flames disappear. Then burn at
least 8 hours. Refill with fuel, then repeat. By then the
combustor unit (which is carbon steel) has the protective
oil burned off and the steel is properly annealed to work
properly. As the burner (combustor) unit becomes broken
in, black paint will flake off. That is normal, so don't
panic.
Note: Setting up
the Butterfly Model 2457 is very similar, except it is a
square stove with 10 wicks. Otherwise, all instructions
are similar.
BACK
Related
links: