Gap setting tool for oil burner igniter electrodes

A method for setting a spark gap between the free ends of the tips of a pair of electrodes for igniting a fuel discharge from the outlet of a discharge nozzle removably threaded into a seated position in a threaded opening at the end of a fuel supply pipe, each of said tips extending radially from a corresponding elongated electrode body mounted in a fixture means for adjustably fixing said electrode body over ranges of rotational and axial positions and the longitudinal axes of said elongated bodies being radially spaced from the axis of said discharge nozzle outlet, said method comprising:

• axially aligning with said supply pipe opening a gap setting tool comprising a shank having a smooth cylindrical portion at one end and a threaded portion at the other end for engaging said threaded opening of the fuel supply pipe, stop means adjacent the inner end of said threaded portion and extending radially outward for abutting said fuel supply pipe when said nozzle has been removed and said tool is threaded into a seated position in said threaded opening of the fuel supply pipe, a handle connected to said cylindrical portion of the shank, said handle and said shank forming an elongated tool body, and shoulder means adjacent to said one end of the shank, said shoulder means including an annular face facing toward said other end of the shank and extending radially to a diameter substantially greater than the diameter of said smooth cylindrical shank portion, and inner and outer opposing walls concave groove in said annular face for holding the ends of the tips of said electrodes in a seated position relative to each other as said body is rotated about its longitudinal axis with said threaded portion in engagement with the threads of said fuel supply opening, the position of said concave groove relative to said stop means being such that when said tool is in its said seated position said outer groove wall holds said seated tip ends radially against said inner groove wall to set said spark gap at a preselected width and the center of said spark gap at preselected radial and axial distances relative to the center of said fuel outlet when said nozzle has a preselected axial length relative to said end of the fuel supply pipe and is in its said seated position in place of said too, said inner groove wall having a diameter such that said spark gap is set at said preselected width when said tip ends are in said seated position against said inner groove wall;
• rotating said tool relative to said supply pipe opening so as to provide a partial engagement between the threads of said threaded portion of the tool and the threads of said fuel supply pipe opening;
• seating the ends of said tips opposite to one another in said annular groove;
• rotating said tool while said threads are engaged until said stop means abuts said fuel supply pipe to place said tool in its said seated position;
• and,
• causing said fixture means to fix said electrodes axially and rotationally relative to said fuel supply pipe opening while the ends of said tips are seated in said annular groove and said tool is in its said seated position.