Adaptor bayonet to screw gas cartridges

[Sweep]

Am looking to complete my compact adaptor set for maximum fkexibility and economy when touring.

This:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CARTRIDGE-ADAP ... merReviews

Is the sort of thing i think which will allow you to convert those cheap thin cartridges commonly sold for weed killers/blowtorch and plumbing applications to camping stoves with screw mounts.

I am aware that a google will turn up many cheap sources of these, many from china, but i want to ensure that without paying silly money I am buying something safe.

I gather that some for instance "seal" metal on metal with no rubber/plastic washer/o ring and this sounds like a terrible idea.

Has anyone got a recommdnded uk source for these? Clearly I need to be wary of some supposedly UK outfit just repackaging stuff they have shipped in.

Also, is it safe to use these adaptors with those cartridges lying flat as long as the stove has a preheat coil to, supposedly, ensure that no liquid fuel reaches the stove burner, just gas? Or is this an absolute no no and the tall cartridge should always be upright?

I am all for saving money, and have bought some small tbings direct from china, but on such things, including anything electrical, I do not want to compromise safety.

[SA_SA_SA]

You could get a Kovea Brand one:
a big manufacturer who make cartridges for a lot of others to 'brand':

http://www.mercatorgear.com/index.php?option=com_hikashop&ctrl=product&task=show&cid=11&name=kovea-butane-adapter&Itemid=473&category_pathway=

I would avoid the metal only ones like the plague and stick to a big manufacturer like above
(hopefully avoiding fakes). Remember to keep A4 carts in correct orientation to avoid unexpected liquid feed (Above recommends only stoves with pre-heat tubes as used by stoves designed for liquid gas mode. Above web page photos and text answer your other questions I think).

[Warin61]

The lug/notch on the canister says which way is up for the canister to give you gas rather than liquid (notch is up for gas). Some of the adaptors have a fitting to keep the canister in the correct orientation.

Arr .. that is in the link above ... but you have to scroll down to get it.

[crazydave789]

I thought of this while looking for something to enable me to use some camping gaz cans I've got, I got one off ebay along with a refilling nozzle for around a fiver all in.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gas-Refill-Ad ... 2749.l2649

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Outdoor-Burne ... 2749.l2649

first thing I did was to try and refill an empty coleman gas can and it was just like filling a huge soldering iron with no problems, I chucked the empty one in the freezer for a bit to provide a draw and it worked first time. some say you can't refill all the way but I did and it worked fine. the stress on the valve is no different to using it with a stove. i shall now be looking out for empty cans to refill now. at a quarter the price it's worth it as you could load up with butane cans and refill as you go. the refill adaptor also means you can use butane lighter fuel cans at a push available from poundland or newsagents.

what was left in the donor butane can was still enough for a brew.

there's also some cheap tripod adaptors that enable you to use the stove and cans together without feeling that you need to dig a hole for the thin butane cans or a I might get a can base tripod to stabilise things.

[Sweep]

thanks for that Dave.

I was impressed by the detail and english of the instructions from that chinese retailer though must admit that I didn't entirely understand them.

Tempting as it sounds to refill cartridges, and though I've seen a reputable knowledgeable responsible looking guy on youtube do it I think I'll pass - all credit to the retailer for their safety cautions but I'm put off by the advice that if you get things wrong, and I'm pretty sure I would at least once, your stove can spit out liquid fuel.

[andrew_s]

a) Refilling is a garden job (well clear of ignition sources) - don't try it indoors.
b) Many of the cheap aerosol-type canisters are butane only, with no propane, so you won't get good stove performance in coldish weather.
c) The screw-on canisters aren't designed for long-term use, and the valve or screw threads may suffer if you refill them too often.

[crazydave789]

thanks for that Dave.

I was impressed by the detail and english of the instructions from that chinese retailer though must admit that I didn't entirely understand them.

Tempting as it sounds to refill cartridges, and though I've seen a reputable knowledgeable responsible looking guy on youtube do it I think I'll pass - all credit to the retailer for their safety cautions but I'm put off by the advice that if you get things wrong, and I'm pretty sure I would at least once, your stove can spit out liquid fuel.

do a you tube search, it is quite informative and makes perfect sense really when you realise how they fill them in the first place. I can guide you through it but it's not rocket science.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvXnF1Jw43w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSONEG7kXOk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSGAxp5hg8U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3fUJncqTaw

if you have refilled lighters, soldering irons, hair curlers then you would probably be less hesitant as it is not much different apart from you get less gas spurting everywhere, if a valve was going to fail then it would probably have failed with all the screwing on and off on a cycle tour, if it leaked then you would know pretty quickly like a bad bluet seal and you just let it vent off, some you tubers say only fill 3/4 full which is probably not bad advice if you have done it several times.

they also sell kits to fill off larger butane or propane tanks which reminds me of refilling painball guns from giant CO2 tanks laid on their side. perfectly viable but I don't think I'll bother with that one just yet.

the little converter tripods are clever enough and only 4 quid or something daft like that, you screw your micro stove onto the tripod and the cheap gas can just fixes to the side. cheap and clever. or just find an old blowlamp stand that clips onto the cartridge.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222501304322

for andrews points -

butane performance will be a bit naff in colder temperatures but for summer touring ideal (I used the can I filled up a couple of weeks ago and refilled it again when I came back with no drama), so use your posh new can of propane mix in winter then refill the cans with butane for use in summer. just wrap with blue tape so you know the difference, the money you save in summer gas will pay for the winter ones.

the threads on the can are usually made from a harder material than the threads on the stove which are often brass the only worry I would have is a rusty thread so a bit of vaseline or silicone grease might not be a bad idea.

the old Epigas scorpion I had in the army used to use Taymar blowlamp gas which was half the price of the Epigas camp gas (shop mark ups I guess as gas like meths should be a quarter of the price they charge for it) you can still get the tall cans cheaper but there's no way I've seen to transfer from a tall blowlamp can to a stumpy camping one - yet. the joy of the scorpion was it had a decent sized hose so you could put the butane can into your heating water when the pressure was getting low to speed it up a bit.

I'm trying to find a cheap one of these

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9vlFx6caXs&t=4s

[Sweep]

Is that tripod thing safe dave?

A peer at the pics on my tablet seems to show no seal/o ring etc.

I worry that it is one of the surely inadvisable metal on metal seal jobs.

I have seen variants with a stand to hold the tall cartridge the right way up.

Sounds like a good idea to ensure that the cartridge feeds gas but no idea how good they are.

This sort of thing.


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hiking-Campin ... 0005.m1851

Not sure I can see a "proper" seal there either.

[Sweep]

Looks interesting.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fire-Maple-Noz ... W23C6BAK8W

Appears to come from a chinese outfit but fire maple is i think a recognised brand?

[crazydave789]

Looks interesting.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fire-Maple-Noz ... W23C6BAK8W

Appears to come from a chinese outfit but fire maple is i think a recognised brand?

the only difference is the price, delivery time and its made of plastic, there's the worlds biggest market in china with something daft like 6000 shops where all the shops are about ten foot square and only sell one thing. everything is a euro/dollar/pound and you buy it by the the hundred/thousand their markups are tiny.

what annoys me is western companies rebadge the stuff and make a 1000% on them. it seems if they make it themselves you know what you are getting, the problem is when you take something to them to make or copy. There used to be 20,000 electric scooters (mopeds) in a hamburg warehouse because the maker changed the specs to make a bit more money and they no longer passed EU specs. so a little less metal/plastic here and there to save 2p adds up to a decent profit. now they are designing and making their own stuff much of it is a decent quality because they are setting their own specs, prices and margins for a worldwide market.

I just wish we were adding decent duties on those billions of ebay items coming into the country, a simple 10p postal tax would do wonders for the UK economy.

bugger that turned into a mini rant, hey ho.

[crazydave789]

Is that tripod thing safe dave?

A peer at the pics on my tablet seems to show no seal/o ring etc.

I worry that it is one of the surely inadvisable metal on metal seal jobs.

I have seen variants with a stand to hold the tall cartridge the right way up.

Sounds like a good idea to ensure that the cartridge feeds gas but no idea how good they are.

This sort of thing.


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hiking-Campin ... 0005.m1851

Not sure I can see a "proper" seal there either.

if you go to a camping shop and look at the single ring suitcase burners that made the butane cans popular you wont see a seal either as its tucked away inside the locking assembly. for the stove you rely on the seal on the burner head.

you can see the seal on pic three from the way I see it. a simple retained O ring.

I played about with my adaptor, some say leave on the stove, other leave on the can, you can do either and it's fine. if it was dangerous then you tube wouldn't hold back on the subject. 3 quid seems about what should be charged for this sort of thing.

the subject has faded now but for a while they were trying to market natural gas vehicles where you charged your own gas tanks at home just by adding a compressor thingy to the domestic gas line. I had a play with one prototype three wheeler at Bath uni. you had scuba type tanks sat over the engine.

[Sweep]

Can i ask where you got your adaptor dave.

On taking a closer look at that mercator approved uk supplier i see that they give a po box number as their contact and no phone number.

Uk in theory only perhaps

[crazydave789]

Can i ask where you got your adaptor dave.

On taking a closer look at that mercator approved uk supplier i see that they give a po box number as their contact and no phone number.

Uk in theory only perhaps

that first set of ebay links is where I got mine from. there are plenty of chinese sellers who use students and family over here to host their ebay businesses, for the price of them I'd get the refill adaptor as well because you never know when it will come in handy.

I've rarely had any issue with chinese goods or service in the 15 years I've been buying stuff from over there, they rarely get stroppy, send out replacements quickly and answer emails promptly if not very good engrish sometimes.

I'd say I'd lend you mine to try but the postage costs back and forth with royal mail would be more than they cost.

[andrew_s]

Appears to come from a chinese outfit but fire maple is i think a recognised brand?

Fire Maple do sell under their own name, but also make stoves for other more general outdoor companies that don't have the expertise to design their own. I've seen Fire Maple stoves sold by Alpkit, Karrimor, and Blacks, with just branding & cosmetic changes from the Fire Maple version (eg anodizing colours, a part made in titanium rather then steel).

[crazydave789]

must be 20 years ago I fitted three kitchens for the Danish guy behind thew outwell brand, they sourced their tents from vietnam because they got more bang for their buck as dupont built a massive factory there so tents and gear made in vietnam were much better quality than the chinese ones.

since they went on a buying spree picking up second hand western steel works and chemical plants their output and quality has improved no end. decades of reverse engineering western and soviet designs has put them in a strong position. they still lack imagination and would rather you said 'copy this for me and I want 20,000 of them' than 'I want 20,000 widgets capable of doing this'. for good reason western universities are packed with chinese students.