Aladdin Paraffin Heater
Here are a few notes on the refurbishment of a 1954 (stamped inside the tank) Aladdinique paraffin heater. I have had it for over 25years and it has been used off and on in emergencies, but it had suffered being left in sheds over it's life. I needed a source of heat for my office during cold afternoons and it was a blt too rusty and scruffy to bring in.
The heater was first stripped down, a very easy process as everything is bolted together, surface rust was removed and pitting filled with Hammerite No 1 Rust Beater, sanded down and then sprayed with grey primer.
Burner Issues
The original burner was an Aladdin 201 (printed on end of the wick adjuster knob). I ordered a new 201 wick which did not fit. At some point the wick carrier from a 202/203 burner had been substituted. This meant that the lugs on the 201 wick did not fit the carrier. See Partridge Hadleigh site which states
"The wick carrier P930401 used on 201 & 202 burners is no-longer available. 201 & 202 wicks are still available as a direct replacement. However, if the wick carrier P930401 is damaged (these were considered a weakness), the P920401 can be used in conjuction with the 203 (P929905) wick".
Wish I had taken their advice!
The narrow carrier lugs on the 201/202 wick will not fit the wider wick carrier of the 203 and vice versa
203 = 6mm lug spacing
201/202 = 3mm lug spacing
Identify the wick carrier - this is for a 203 burner - P920401
I got round this problem of ordering the wrong part by removing the lugs from both the old wick (203) and new wick and fitting the 6mm wider lugs into the new wick (201)
The burner simply "twists off" the tank (anticlockwise) but be careful not to use the wick adjuster knob as a lever point. Replaced the "oil retaining ring" in the base of the burner. This is just a large o ring, a standard size BS152 - 31/4" (ID) x 3/32" (o ring thickness) should be fine. I used a silicone o ring but I think the original is NBR (nitrile). lubricate the o ring with a little paraffin or mineral oil before refitting the burner to the tank.
The filler cap takes an o ring seal and a standard size BS024 - 1 1/8" (ID) x 1/16" (o ring thickness) will do the job, this should also do for the fuel gauge but check your particular model. I used a piece of PTFE tape as the "bulls eye" lens popped out on removal of the gauge from the tank and I could not refit into the brass ferrule (best way is to use a thin screwdrive around the periphery of the gauge/tank, don't try to "screw" it out. As a result I had to "glue" the lens back in with oil proof silicone sealant. These gauges are no longer available as a new spare (some later models are)
Great value spares are available for Basecamp
Click on the diagram for a link to the Aladdin Wickky website
The black metal grill and heat deflector was coated in high temp stove paint
Burn in the wick as per the user instruction below
