Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Looking at your original burner makes me think of a Coleman lantern. The “silver cap” is likely where you would fill the tank with white gas or naphtha. Early Coleman pieces used a separate pump to pressurize the tank. The cap has what looks like a nipple on it where something could engage it. Check the cap and see if it has a check valve in it that would let air go in the tank, but not out. Once the tank is pressurized, the valve at the other end would be opened just enough to let a small amount of fuel through so the burner could be lit and have a flame just big enough to heat the coil. Once the coil is hot enough, it will gasify the fuel and have a nice efficient flame at the burner. At least, this is how I think it should work. Also very similar in operation to a gasoline blowtorch.