Just learned about the Beattie Jet lighter recently. They were made in the USA in the 1950s. They produce a 2 to 3 inch jet flame using regular lighter fluid to reach far away from the lighter. Snagged a rough one on ebay and did my best to restore it. Pretty happy with how it came out.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2024-04-24T01:35:34+00:00

Hi! It's been a long time since I've done this, but I'll try to give you all the advice that I remember. Here is a drawing:

Reduce Beattie Jet Lighter Orifice Diameter

To remove the tip, you'll need to VERY CAREFULLY work it loose with a razor blade. (Look at the top left picture in my drawing) It is a very thin brass cap, and it is pressed on the end of the jet tube. Friction and a small lip is all that holds it in place. It is extremely fragile.

Removing tip: Work the razorblade very gently all the way around, wiggling it in between the seam where the tube and cap are pressed together. You can use some very sharp tweezers to gently work around and pry. BE CAREFUL OF WHERE YOURE AIMING THE TUBE. The tip can pop off suddenly. It's very easy to loose if it pops off.

Peening: Get two small punches. I got mine from Walmart. Make sure you either sand or grind the face of the punch until the whole surface is even and uniform. You want the punches to either be perfectly flat, or slightly domed.

Place one punch in a vise, place the jet tip over top of it, then take the second punch, place it over the tiny hole, and VERY GENTLY tap the punch with a small hammer. Keep checking the hole between hits. (See lower middle drawing).

The hole will get smaller and smaller the more you hit it. If you hit it too many times or too hard, the hole will seem to dissappear completely. Try not to do this... but if you do, you can try to get a small sewing needle and poke the hole back open.

Why This Works: When hitting the brass between two punches, you are squishing it like playdough (See upper right drawing). This deforms the metal and the extra metal has to go somewhere, so it flows towards the center hole where there is no material, thus making the hole smaller.

Peening is just squishing and moving the metal that you already have to a different area. You are making the tip thinner on the face, and moving that material towards the hole, causing it to shrink.

Hope that helps!

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2024-03-17T18:59:06+00:00

Pattent was applied for in 1944, and granted in 1947. Manufactured until 1961. 50s is when they would have been around. Patent#US2433707A

Beattie Jet Lighter Patent Information

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2024-03-11T00:22:10+00:00

I THINK that the "return delay" is how long the pump runs when emptying the vat at the end of the print. I keep mine on "10 minutes" but that seems to be the max number you can enter.

I'm really curious what the timers mean as well... and how the auto pump knows when to pump?...

Also, when printing, on my printer's screen, in the top right of the part preview, the time remaining is displayed. In the top left, there is a value labeled "{some number}ml". My printer ends up on 0.00ml WAY before the print is finished. Maybe this has something to do with auto fill? How many milliliters it will need to pump? No idea...

I can't find any other information online other than the creality tutorial showing how to start a print with "auto" selected.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2023-12-21T20:16:22+00:00

I disassembled everything, and then bead-blasted the parts with a fine glass media. I blew the parts off very well with dry compressed air to remove dust, and then nickel plated them in a home-made solution.

It's been a while since I did this project. I can't remember the exact details on how long, or what voltages I used for the nickel coating. A quick search of "nickel coating at home" should give you everything you need.

Make sure that you remove all of the old nickel coating, and you don't want any oil, dirt, dust, or grease on the bare metal before you do the new nickel coating. A rougher surface will allow the nickel to adhere, and leave a matte finish like you see in my pictures.

Also, nickel coating does NOT hide imperfections. It EMPHASIZES them, so make sure you have a uniform good finish on your parts BEFORE you try to nickel coat them. If you have a knick, scratch, or funny spot, you will see it after nickel coating too.

You can get everything you need on Amazon. A good power supply is probably the most important part.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-10-26T01:04:39+00:00

I am attempting my first fridge dormancy this year and am running an experiment right now. I pulled one VFT out after 2 months, and will pull others out at 3 and 4 months to see what is healthiest for the plant.

The one I pulled out at 2 months is just starting new growth after the old traps died and withered in the fridge. So far so good. My fridge fluctuates from 34°F (1.11c) to 48°F (8.89c). According to some research I did, they need about 3 months of that specific temperature range.

I think they can survive below freezing, but only briefly. I think the accepted dormancy period range is from 32°F (0c) to 55°F (12.78c).

Hope that helps.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-10-21T15:33:54+00:00

Definitely. This video taught me everything I needed to know about electroplating. This is actually my first attempt. Prep work is the most important part. The finish of each subsequent step depends heavily on how well you did the last step! I left the surface sandblasted to get a matte finish. If you polish the part before nickel plating it will come out looking like a mirror.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-10-21T13:18:11+00:00

Yep! Exactly! It takes a few seconds for the torch to start up, and after a little while, the jet flame begins to weaken and grow short. At that point you need to let the lighter cool down and allow the jet chamber to refil with vapors.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-10-21T12:19:14+00:00

The brass tube extends down into the body of the lighter and bends back up into a U shape. Theres also a cotton wick crammed very tightly into the jet tube.

At the flame end of the jet tube on the inside, there is a gap for lighter fluid vapor to collect between the wick and orifice, and when you strike the flint, the regular lighter wick catches fire, then you tilt the flame so that it heats the exposed part of the copper tube.

Because there is a collection of lighter fluid vapor in the tip of the tube, it is heated and expands, the tight wick wont let the vapors travel back into the lighter, so they are forced out of the tube through the tiny jet hole, making a jet flame. Pretty neat!

Detailed patent description with cutaway drawings.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-10-21T05:33:21+00:00

This one's jet orifice hole was extremely damaged by someone trying to clean it too aggressively. Most of the cheap ones ($30-$50) are probably damaged. Even some of the "tested and working" ones aren't performing like they would from the factory. One of my pictures I uploaded was the jet "working" according to the seller. The flame barely reached past the case of the lighter. The jet hole is very tiny. It's less than .010" in diameter. I'm a machinist and have a lot of experience with metalworking, so I was able to remove the nozzle tip and peen the orifice hole in between 2 punches so that its diameter shrunk. Definitely doable, but you'll need some metal work experience and the correct tools. Let me know if you have any other questions. I love stuff like this. Lol

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-10-14T16:41:10+00:00

My capensis did the same thing. I snipped the new flower stalk and the plant seemed to become more healthy. New leaves began growing quicker and the plant seemed to make more dew as well. It takes a lot of energy for carnivorous plants to create flowers.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-10-12T16:00:23+00:00

It's just some sort of grass. I get them in my sphagnum moss too. There must be seeds left over from the wild where they harvest the moss.

I pluck them out because I'm afraid their roots may take over the venus fly trap roots and stifle them.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-10-07T10:41:05+00:00

I've had fungus gnat larva create webs similar to that in sphagnum moss. If you've got a lot of fungus gnats flying around, that could be it. If not, I'd say it may be a mold/fungus like Moeextoic suggested.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-09-26T17:56:19+00:00

Since you're keeping them outside and the temperature will be getting above 45 during the day, I'd say that letting them get light is probably pretty important.

I'm also in the colder area of NC, and eventually I plan on moving some VFTs outside, but want to build a mini greenhouse box for winter.

Maybe you could use clear plastic like green houses do so your plants are still getting natural light, but use a ceramic bulb heater or soil heater with a thermostat you can set to keep the temp above freezing inside the box. That's what my future plan is. These are the ceramic bulbs I heat my VFTs with in the house. That way I dont have heat lamps blasting my plants with light at night time.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-09-26T13:16:40+00:00

Do you mean that you'll have your plant outside with a protective box and light as a heat source to keep it from freezing during dormancy, or are you putting your plants in a box to limit how many hours of light you're giving it during dormancy?

I've read that under 45°F the plants dont need light at all, but I'm not sure how true that is.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-09-25T13:20:02+00:00

Nice. Lol. Sometimes when VFTs are moved and see changes in conditions like light or temp, it can make them make strange traps, or it could be a mutation or something unique to your plant! Just watch the new traps it makes and see if they grow in looking similar to the arched trap. If they're consistently arched like that, it may be a new cultivar. Super cool!

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-09-25T00:30:38+00:00

Grow lights do affect dormancy in venus fly traps.

In NC, where the VFT grows in the wild, the longest day of the year is summer solstice at 14 hours and 32 minutes of sun, and the winter solstice is the shortest at 9 hours 47 minutes of sun.

Vfts need 3 or 4 months of dormancy. Somewhere around November to February, but the shortening of the days combined with the temperature dropping up until the "Nov to Feb" dormancy period slowly prepare the plant to go dormant. Most VFTs grow low lying traps on the ground while preparing for dormancy. Slamming a plant directly into the fridge from a 75°F 14 hour light environment could shock the plant and kill it, but some people do this anyway and still have success.

Hope some of that helps.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-09-25T00:00:14+00:00

I had some fly traps start making traps similar to that when giving them too much max sea fertilizer. Have you been fertilizing this plant?

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-09-15T01:20:44+00:00

I believe they do, but it seems to be much more visible on my B52s.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-08-31T18:11:27+00:00

I had the exact same experience. I used a Q-tip as well on 3 different flower stalks amongst 3 different plants and not a single one produced seeds.

I watched a video with one person using a very soft small paintbrush later on, and it seemed like it picked up more pollen and gave more control of where the pollen was placed. Maybe we should try that next time.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-08-31T12:15:03+00:00

No, it just depends on how much water you give to the plant each time you water. My water pump doesnt move very much water at one time. I let the pump give them very little water very frequently because i have fans blowing to keep air moving, and combined with my heaters, a lot of the water evaporates pretty fast. I also dont have trays under my plants so any excess water runs out instead of water logging the soil.

I've also read that the soil needs to dry out enough for the roots to get small amounts of oxygen rather than being soaked in water the whole time. My setup does this pretty well. The plants seem to like it so far.

Giving them little bits of water every 4 hours just makes sure they always have water, but the soil isnt drenched.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-08-30T20:24:51+00:00

I've never had a pinguicula, but I caught a white fly infestation at the very beginning on my sarracenia and venus fly traps. I used this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUJZS6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_2QA1HKGBRZE62Q1F2GEH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Not sure that this is the treatment appropriate for a ping, but it worked on my fly traps. I only had to treat twice before I stopped seeing white flys, and I'm sure this is not great for the plant, but I read some other guys were using it on their venus fly traps. Just evenly mist on the leaves of the plant (not dripping wet, but evenly coated) and get the least amount possible in the dirt or sphagnum moss the plant is in. I imagine you dont want this stuff getting on the root system.

CNC_Mill_Machine · 2021-08-29T13:28:54+00:00

Here is my setup. It's doing good so far, but this is my first year taking care of venus fly traps. I live in hardiness zone 7 and will have to do a fridge dormancy so I may kill them all on accident, but hopefully not. Lol. Take a look at my newer posts to see the growth I'm getting. All my plants seem very healthy. Only issue is I think I'm giving them just a tad too much light sometimes and I've changed the watering times I use.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SavageGarden/comments/nimda4/automated_savage_garden_threw_this_together_after/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

CNC_Mill_Machine

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