Optimus 111C Burner Repair

[@normansumner1542]

This is a mighty find job of fixing the burner. I have seen some of the Cobra burners with cracks in the lower body of the burner. I suppose this would be fixed with a silverbraze. Again very good job of fixing this Cobra burner. It is good to know someone out there knows how to fix these stove and also does such a professional job. You make it look easy.

[@ear2198]

Great video. Used your technique to repair my cracked Optimus 11 Explorer burner. Used 2 mm Meltolit 5% phosphorous-copper brazing rods with Meltolit 770 flux paste and a mapp torch. Worked like a charm. The joint is a bit on the thick side, but it looks good and will hold a lifetime. I think your approach with 1.5mm rods will make a prettier joint, though. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@BernieDawgCinema]

@Ear 21 You are welcome. And, yes, using wire sized brazing filler that contains silver means you get a more professional joint and don't need high temperature MAPP gas. Propane, or even an old blow torch fueled with kerosene or gasoline will provide more than enough heat when using silver-bearing wire-sized brazing filler. BD

[@woods_roamer]

Great content. I’m a new at this. Can someone describe what’s wrong with this burner? I don’t see any gap or separation that need brazing. I have same or similar one and gives round mushroom shape red flame.

[@BernieDawgCinema]

@woods roamer Sorry you don't understand. The first still photo in the video shows the pressured fuel seeping through the micropores/microcracks at the base of the burner spigot tube. These 111C "cobra" burners suffer commonly from these leaks as they were built poorly in Eastern Europe. Client sent me the burner for repair. I show how I repair these in the video. If you have a similar burner with a "round mushroom shape red flame" then you have a burner problem, or, much more likely, a user technique/fuel problem. Your burner should never have a red flame. It should look like the repaired burner in the video with a beautiful blue flame. For help with that, email [e-mail] BD

[@MrJose1223]

i have a ? for you, ,is there any way to make your own leather cups for the stove

[@BernieDawgCinema]

You could get some leather of the right thickness/stiffness and make some cup molds. Cut the leather into circles with the right sized hole in the middle, soak 'em in water and mold 'em into the cup mold; let 'em dry, then trim the leading edges square with a sharp knife or razor blade. I've done that - just for funzies to try it out. It works. They come out nice. But, since online sources for leather pump cups generally can get you leather pump cups at less than $2.00 USD each - international shipping included in that price, and since these vintage 111C stoves sell for low three figures these days on eBay... it doesn't make sense to me to be spending my time making cups at those kind of prices. Maybe you see it differently. Good luck on your efforts if you decide to give it a go. BD

[@naifalfehaid5205]

My friend, I need to contact you. I have a Radius 43 stove in a crack in the fuel tank. I hope you can help me

[@BernieDawgCinema]

@naifalfehaid5205 Just write an email to the address I publish below this video in the video description box. Include some photos of the stove and its issues. Easy-peasy. 👍 BD

[@LowLumens]

Can it be Harris safety silv 56 or does it have to be 50?

[@BernieDawgCinema]

@Low Lumens Yes. 56 is fine, too. Costs a bit more because of the extra silver. But, that extra silver will improve flow-out generally speaking. Good luck and tell us how it goes! BD

[@LowLumens]

@@BernieDawgCinema ok thank you. I have about 1/2 pound of that left so now I don’t have to buy anything. I have an Optimus 111c that I think has the exact issue as yours did. I’m thinking to try my luck???

[@BernieDawgCinema]

@ Low Lumens Uh-oh. Okay. Not sure what to say here. 😬 I don’t know you or your skill level. I hear you have half a roll of Harris 56 silver braze wire filler. I could maybe guess you’ve used the first half of the roll to practice and do repairs (successfully?) on brass/bronze or brass/bronze alloys? Or, not? But, I wouldn’t recommend trying to repair a burner without lots of pre-practice and skill development. If you screw it up, you seriously damage the value of your 111C stove or even destroy the burner (made of unobtanium) beyond repair. (These stoves sell on eBay for $200USD to over $600USD each depending on condition/packaging/etc.) I don’t know what’s wrong with your burner, or what symptoms you are seeing from the burner that lead you to assume you need to braze a repair. So, it’s really not possible for me to give an answer whether you should “try your luck”. If you’ve practiced and are skilled, little “luck” should be needed. I repair these for people in exchange for small amounts of money, (clearly I should think from this video of a client burner repair), if maybe you were asking after that? For more help diagnosing your burners needs or for arranging to have me repair it for you, just drop me a email to this address: [e-mail] 👍 BD

[@LowLumens]

@@BernieDawgCinema I agree. I’m not good enough to tray that. My stove runs well but has a leak somewhere on the burner. If I pump the tank I start to see fuel on the base of the burner cap

[@BernieDawgCinema]

@Low Lumens Okay. Well, as I said before... For more help diagnosing your burners needs or for arranging to have me repair it for you, just drop me a email to this address: [e-mail] 👍 BD

[@Thereal111t]

Does the 111c have a steel tank?

[@BernieDawgCinema]

The three 111Cs that I own have steel tanks. I've worked on another 4-5 client 111Cs over the years. Those had steel tanks, too. I can't say that *all* Optimus 111Cs were manufactured with steel tanks, but all 111Cs I have seen have had steel tanks. So, for me, the evidence seems to point in that direction.

[@kmarquez101]

What kind or model of that burner very low noise where can i get 1. Thank you.

[@BernieDawgCinema]

The Optimus 111C and its functionally similar brother, the Optimus 111T, have not been manufactured for some time (20+ years). You can find used stoves of both varieties for sale most of the time on eBay. The 111T is more common. Either stove tends to fetch high prices at auction - be prepared. But, they are both great stoves. Good luck.

[@tabcreedence6553]

Nice looking repair. Have a question for you regarding burner repair with brazing. I brazed some little 1" curved snippets of stainless hose clamp over a blown out spot(s) in a couple of Viking bake tubes and drilled new holes into the repaired area, (Replacement burner tubes are $100+ each), it looks fine but I noticed the repaired spot glows prominently when the burner is burning, do you think this repair might hold up for a long time? I used bronze flux coated rods. Thanks for fielding an odd question.

[@BernieDawgCinema]

I am not familiar with Viking stove/ranges. I looked it up on KZbin and see what I think might be what you are talking about right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqibYZR5rNGAeJYm51s Here's what I can contribute. Stainless steel doesn't conduct heat well, and it tends to glow at lower temperatures than steel or brass with no ill effects. So, I would guess that's what is happening. The stainless snippet in your repair gets hot and glows. Will it hold up a long time? Don't know. But, I'd think you should maybe look at a thicker gauge stainless sheet to make the repair than what comes on a hose clamp. Hope that helps. Seems kinda weird that these tubes on mucho expensive stove/ranges fail like that - design flaw? Good luck and thanks for watching.

[@tabcreedence6553]

Hi, that is precisely what happened to mine. I was also a bit surprised that they burned out in this manner but also noticed that the thickness of the burners was no greater than any other bake burner that I have handled, so it would seem the only difference is the price. The ignitors are very beefy which may contribute to the wear of that spot over time. Thanks for your input on this.

[@terrymurphy8117]

anyway to put that burner in a 8R thanks

[@BernieDawgCinema]

Sure. If you've got the burner and an 8R, I can redrill the 8R tank mount and silver braze in a lathe-turned brass fitting that matches to the 111C burner fuel feed pipe. Instant Ranger 10. [e-mail]

[@He3HauKa_]

Отлично!

[@osvaldoguerra6666]

Muito bom

[@BernieDawgCinema]

@Osvaldo Guerra Muito obrigado! BD