Paraffin Blow Torch

When you say 'out of the side', do you mean from the holes in the metal 'pipe' or from a joint?

If the latter- a failed seal would be my first port of call, especially if you need a lot of effort to pressurise it. A leak of pressurised fuel will burn rather well.

I would hazard a guess they are perhaps fibre washers or perhaps even some asbestos type (if not asbestos originally) material. Sourcing them may take some ingenuity- perhaps parts intended for gas fires, cookers etc.

I only used one of the old style blow lamps once, many years ago (40 or more) and, as I recall, it did have a lot of 'side flame' as well as the central one when really 'roaring'. As you may know, you need to vapourise the paraffin and before it is ignited, therefore there is a vapourisation system (pipes really) which are heated by the flame. I always assumed the 'side' flames were the 'spill' from this.

Check the jet is clean with a fine wire. You used to be able to buy purpose made "Prickers" on a handle in the correct size for the jet specifically for doing this at regular intervals.

Mike

Pull a wire from a wire brush and make a pricker

Prick? Not you obviously, but are you certain the jet is clear?

Or a strand of wire from a cable.

Bill

Or an old guitar string

Nick

I have a paraffin iron and a couple of heaters, you have to preheat them first. This can be done with a small wad of material soaked in meths place near the exit of the `jet` after about 5 minutes give a few `pumps` and ignite. It sounds like you are pumping out unvapourized paraffin.

The traditional blowlamp has a little well in the top of the cylindrical fuel container just under the jet, you simply fill this up with meths and light it.

As someone else said, it's not clear where your leak is coming from, and/or whether you might have a blocked jet which needs pricking.