Atom Voyages | Atom Stove MKII - kerosene pressure stove

The Atom Kerosene Stove

A full size cooker for the micro-galley

Atom originally came equipped with a two-burner pressurized alcohol stove. Because the fuel was expensive or unavailable in the cruising areas I was bound for, I replaced it with a Primus-type single burner kerosene stove and a custom made gimbaled potholder of my own design. Over the years I've installed updated versions of these stoves on several small cruising boats. We now import these stoves and spare parts and have recently fabricated and installed our Atom stove kits on several more sailboats. Some larger boats also carry them as backups for their primary propane or alcohol stoves. These simple cookers have an advantage over other small boat stoves because they handle full size pots including a 10-inch frying pan or pressure cooker. Baking is done either in a thick-bottomed skillet with cover, a pressure cooker, or in a baking pan inside a heavy aluminum pot covered in aluminum foil.

We have many stoves and a large supply of spare stove parts in stock. Once or twice a year, after I receive several orders, I put together a five or ten sets including the custom-made gimbaled potholder and mounting bracket. Contact us for latest prices and availability.

Alternatively, you might find similar stoves without the marine potholders and brackets available at camping equipment suppliers. The reason we import and sell these is not because they are high profit, but we simply could not source these stoves from a US supplier with all brass parts and the needed spare parts to keep them functioning. What good is a marine stove with brass-plated steel parts and no spares?

Feel free to copy our design and make your own gimbal system (check link at bottom of page) or have a metal fabricating shop make one for you. Although the design is simple and appears easy to fabricate, each stove kit takes about two days to complete in our well-equipped shop, and are then sent out for electro-polishing of the stainless steel compnents. So, they are not cheap to produce. The potholder is 3/16-inch (5mm) stainless steel round bar and the mounting bracket is 3/16-inch X 1 1/2-inch (5mm X 38mm) stainless flat bar. For Atom’s galley layout as pictured below, the stove uses only a single-leg mounting bracket, but a U-shaped mounting bracket is available for center counter installations. Check our Q&A page for further stove details or contact us for additional information.

Atom Kerosene Stove Installation and Operating Instructions
Click here

Click photos to enlarge

This new pressure kerosene stove is similar to the stove we used for 20 years. The gimbaled pot holder bracket has been improved by adding a lead counterweight and gimbal lock.	In this view the stove gimbal is locked for cooking in port by a T-bolt through the upright bracket that threads into a nut welded to the gimbal frame. A U-bracket is used on installations where there is no bulkhead or cabinetry to fit one end of the gimbal into.
The sink is under the cutting board, dishes and cups are in the two shelf lockers to the left of the stove.	Here the gimbal is unlocked and the 12 oz. lead counterweight is swung out to compensate for the weight of the frying pan handle.
Recent version with sliding pan clamps. Atom's removable table for added galley counter space:
In this position the removable table allows access to the locker under the sink containing pots and other utensils.	The removable table adds galley counter space when needed. It attaches to the bulkhead by slotted hinges that release when lifted.
The same table is easily moved to the opposite end of the bunk. It can also be used as a cockpit table.	Here the table is in its stowed position flat against the bulkhead with legs folded.
Other Atom Stove Installations: Atom Stove on a removable counter in an Alberg 35.	Atom Stove aboard a Tartan 27.
Below are three photos of the Atom Stove installed on an Alberg 30. The stove is fit into a locker covered by the companionway drop boards when sailing.

ATOM KEROSENE STOVE
Installation

The Atom Kerosene Stove comes with a stainless steel gimbaled potholder bracket. The combined stove and gimbal assembly is designed to bolt to the galley countertop using a stainless steel U-bracket or, if your galley is so configured, to the sides of your stove locker by either an L-bracket and bulkhead mount plate or two slotted flat bulkhead mount plates. You can have this support bracket made to fit your particular installation after you buy the stove or we can supply the required bracket according to your galley’s requirements. Typically, the stove assembly is mounted by placing the gimbal pins into holes in a simple U-shaped bracket bolted to the countertop. Sketches of brackets are available online.

Stove location may already be fixed by the layout of your existing galley. If possible, it’s desirable to have the stove installed near the companionway and well below a fiberglass, wood or Formica headliner. This is the best area for ventilation and quick access to the cockpit. Having the heat from the stove run up the cabin headliner and directly out the open hatch will be appreciated by the cook on hot days. Also, an occasional flare-up will be less messy if the smoke can rise out the hatch. If the stove is not near the companionway, consider installing a large hatch above the stove in the coach roof. In any case, vinyl or other fabric headliners above the stove should be avoided as they are difficult to clean and a fire hazard. A drip pan of stainless sheet metal can be installed on the countertop under stove, but Formica is flame resistant enough for brief spills of burning fuel. The stove should gimbal side to side, not fore and aft.
If using U-bracket: Install the U-shaped bracket with 5/16-inch stainless steel bolts thru-bolted to the countertop. If making your own bracket, have a piece of stainless steel plate drilled, bent and polished according to the dimensioned sketch on our website. If there is some framing or obstruction under the countertop, use heavy lag screws instead of thru-bolts. There will be some spring in the U-bracket sufficient for you to pull the bracket arms outboard until the gimbal pins snap into the 1/4-inch holes in the ends of the bracket. Cotter ring clips in the ends of the gimbal pins ensure a secure fit. If using any other type bracket, don't mount the support brackets so close together that they bind the gimbal action. Certain installations may require the U-bracket mount on the port or starboard cabin trunk side or a fore and aft cabinet face. This will work, but requires a different gimbal lock mechanism.
If using L-bracket: If one end of the stove is against a cabinet or other vertical surface you can use one upright L-bracket bolted to the countertop and one flat plate with a hole in the center for the gimbal pin to insert in, screwed to the vertical cabinet side or aft end of the coach roof. If there is no metal heat shield on the vertical cabinet side then to prevent scorching, a stand-off block of at least 1-inch thick hardwood should be placed under the flat mounting plate.
If using two slotted flat bulkhead mount plates: If the stove is set down into a locker and you prefer not to use the U-bracket, then two drop-in slotted brackets screwed to the vertical cabinets can be used. In that case, you need to build out the width of the cabinet, possibly with hardwood blocks, to the correct width for the gimbal pins to insert into two slotted flat bulkhead mount plates.

Operating Instructions

Open tank filler cap. Fill tank with kerosene to about ½-inch below top using screened funnel. You can also use 100% Mineral Spirits or Low Odor Mineral Spirits from the hardware store or Jet-A fuel from an airport, which is just clean kerosene.
Replace cap and check that vent next to cap is slightly open by turning vent knob fully clockwise and then backing out one turn.
Clean burner nozzle tip with fine wire pick (provided) before each use.
Check gimbal is unlocked for use at sea by removing the locking bolt that goes through the countertop mounted U-bracket.
Place cooking pot on top of stove with some water in it or whatever you plan to begin cooking with so as not to burn an empty pot. Adjust pan clamps if needed.
Preheat stove by soaking provided preheat wick in a bottle of denatured alcohol. Remove wick from bottle, squeeze wick’s handle to expand and clip wick under the burner above the preheat bowl. Light wick with a long-handled butane lighter. (If wick is not available, the preheat bowl can be filled with alcohol and lit. In a pinch you can preheat with a flammable rum. Preheating with kerosene should be done outside due to excess smoke.)
Once preheat flame has nearly burnt itself out after about 90 seconds, close tank vent by turning vent knob fully clockwise and pump the stove two to three pumps. Immediately light burner with a butane lighter. Leave preheat wick clipped onto burner.
Use additional pumps for higher flame. For lower flame, release some tank pressure by momentarily loosening vent knob.
Swing lead counterweight outboard to compensate for the weight of a frying pan handle when using with unlocked gimbal. Lead weight locks in position with a wing nut.
To shut off stove, loosen tank vent. Do not retighten until next use.

Additional Notes and Troubleshooting:

Take time to familiarize yourself with the following information. Pressure kerosene stoves are not as simple to operate as a propane or electric stove, although depending on your situation, they do have advantages over propane as well as alcohol stoves. To enjoy the advantages of kerosene stoves you need to be proficient in their operation and troubleshooting. This requires a basic understanding of how they work and following a simple methodical operating procedure.

When pumping stove, support the tank from behind with one hand (use a hot pad if tank is hot). At sea when the gimbal is unlocked you may secure smaller pots with the two stainless steel pan clamps provided, but this is seldom necessary unless a heavy sea is running. When cooking ashore or anytime the stove is unsecured, use extreme caution to avoid dumping a hot cooking pot onto yourself.
In order for kerosene to burn without smoke, it must be vaporized by a hot burner. This is initially done by preheating with denatured alcohol. Once the stove is operating, the heat from the burner flame itself keeps the burner hot enough to vaporize the kerosene. To ensure proper preheating, place your pot on top of stove before lighting the preheat wick. This allows heat from wick to reflect back to burner and helps prevent drafts from cooling the burner. It also gets you started cooking with the preheat flame without having to wait for the pressurized flame. If the stove starts to emit black smoke it’s likely the burner was not preheated enough or it was allowed to cool during operation. This can happen by leaving the flame in an extreme low position for a long time or by a wind blowing across the burner. If this happens, release the pressure and allow burner to cool for one minute. Begin again by preheating with alcohol-soaked preheat wick. In any case, whenever a sooty flare-up of the flame occurs, release pressure, let cool, clean nozzle with pick and start over by preheating with alcohol.
There are three basic types of kerosene burners. The burner supplied with the Atom Stove is called a “roarer” because of its relatively loud hissing noise. This sound is useful because its tone and volume lets you know if the flame is on high or low without requiring that you constantly visually monitor it. The second type is the “silent” burner, which although having the questionable advantage of less noise, is less desirable since it has a lower tolerance for wind or drafts and you may not hear it get blown out by a draft of wind. You will appreciate being able to have hatches open and a breeze blowing through when cooking on a hot day. Even the roarer burner cannot take too much direct wind so you may need to set up a temporary windbreak next to the stove at times or partially close a hatch. The third type is the adjustable silent burner that has an adjustment knob on the side of the burner to regulate the flame instead of using the pump and vent knob for regulation. This burner is also wind sensitive and has more parts to maintain with no real advantages over the roarer.
Although the stove can be preheated by squirting alcohol from a plastic wash bottle into the burner’s preheat bowl, it is more safely accomplished using the provided preheat wick. Use a small plastic jar such as peanut butter jar filled with alcohol and dip the wick into it until fully saturated (at least 5 seconds). For safety, always close jar lid before lighting wick. If unable to find clean-burning denatured alcohol, you can use high-proof rum as a substitute. In rum producing countries it may be cheaper and more available than alcohol. Another source of alcohol is shellac thinner from a paint or hardware store.
If flame is low despite pumping several strokes, check that filler cap and vent are closed. Or there could be a plugged nozzle. Release pressure to extinguish flame, use cleaning pick to clean nozzle, then pump stove and relight. If done quickly (within 30 seconds) the burner will remain hot enough that you can relight without preheating. If you wait longer and allow the burner to cool, you must begin again by preheating with alcohol. To avoid a sooty flare-up, when in doubt, shut down and preheat again. It is essential to use clean filtered fuel and clean the nozzle tip occasionally with cleaning pick.
Obviously, another cause of a non-existent flame is an empty tank. Allow stove to cool for two minutes, refill with kerosene and preheat again. When possible, keep tank at least ¼ full. A full tank helps keep the stove from overheating which decreases the life of the leather pump cup, gaskets and burner parts. Fuel level can be checked by a flashlight, or by cutting a narrow slip of paper and dipping it into tank filler hole and noting fuel level mark on the paper. A full tank provides about 5 hours cooking time.
A dried-out leather pump cup can be a source of insufficient flame. After several hours cooking, or anytime you feel less resistance on the pump handle when pumping, remove pump assembly and apply petroleum jelly to leather pump cup. If this does not improve it, replace with a spare leather cup. Grip pump shaft with locking pliers, remove nut, unscrew brass cup assembly with pliers and screwdriver. You can resurrect a dried-out cup by soaking overnight in a cup of vegetable oil with a tapered wood dowel gently spreading open the end of the softened cup. Take care not to crack the leather. Remove dowel, apply petroleum jelly and insert assembly in stove tank. The leather cup will not fail suddenly so you can replace it at a convenient time when you notice it becoming less effective.
Leave tank vent open when not using the stove, otherwise temperature changes will cause some kerosene to spill out burner nozzle tip. If storing the stove out of its gimbaled bracket, empty the kerosene from the tank to prevent it leaking out the nozzle tip.
To change burners, use a wrench to hold burner riser tube from turning while turning burner counterclockwise using another wrench placed on burner just above preheat bowl. Take care to avoid damaging fiber gaskets above and below preheat bowl or replace as necessary. Carrying at least one spare burner is highly recommended.
The stoves are small and inexpensive enough that you should consider carrying an entire spare stove. Then if something breaks you can instantly swap stoves to save the meal and repair the stove when convenient.
The stove can be used to generate temporary heat by placing an upturned clay flowerpot on stovetop. Allow sufficient ventilation for safety and to reduce condensation inside the boat.
An oven can be fashioned by placing a heavy cast aluminum pot with lid on stovetop and placing a baking dish inside on a mini cake-cooling rack to prevent burning the food.
Your stove can be taken ashore for cooking on the beach, provided you have a windbreak of some type and a board to set it on.
You can keep your brass stove tank looking good by polishing with Brasso or hard rubbing with a mixture of vinegar and salt.

Click here for sketches and instructions for the Atom Stove gimbaled potholder.

Links for more info:

Kerosene Fuel Primer All you wanted to know about kerosene.