I filled up the stove, primed it up, and lit’er up. It works like a champ, no rebuild required🙂 I boiled up the little pot of water for tea. It took about 8 minutes to get to a full rolling boil. That is at 38F outside and no lid. Look at that beautiful red of the brewed Rooibos Tea😋
@KA9FFJ On occasion, I use Everclear in my alcohol burner (for my pipe cleaning retort) when I'm out of denatured or 90+% Isopropyl. I always use Everclear in the retort, so the Everclear is always handy when I am cleaning pipes.
Testing another rebuilt stove today. It is an Optimus 8R. Going to have a “Spot-of-Tea”, “English Breakfast” blend from a Montana tea company. Working like a champ.
@RockyMountainBriar Decided to try something I haven't done in years. I had some leftover Dr Pepper from our family Christmas gathering. Yep, I almost filled an oversized mug and added a thin slice of fresh orange. Put it in the microwave for 1 minute, and presently enjoying it along with a pipe. Not for everybody, but it's hitting the spot for me... By the way, I know it's not a hobby, but thought I'd throw it in there along with your tea...
I finally shelled out the extra bucks for the Diplomatico Exclusiva. It’s better IMHO than the Planas, which is better than the Mantuano. But hey, I’m no rum commensewer….
I brought another old stove home. This will take a little work. No, I’m not starting this one in the house. It’s kerosene powered. I got it because I wanted to have one of these stoves with a “silent burner”. This is what I would call a medium to large stove. I think these were used more for cooking inside the house “back in the day”. It is an Optimus No. 45. I need to polish it up and check the seals and fuel jet.
I’ve cleaned the gank out of the fuel tank and installed a new fuel cap seal. I straightened the burner slightly, must have been dropped, anyway it was tweaked a bit. I also wire brushed the wrench, jet tool, and the three pot stands, then cold blued them to give them a bit of rust protection. It’s working beautifully, but I think I will install a new leather pump cup. It pumps, but occasionally misses a pressure stroke. Now that it’s working, I’ll spiff up the brass a bit, not a full on polish, just brighten it up a bit, and work over the slightly corroded spots a bit more.
Soooo…..I finally drug my camping cook box out of the garage to get the model numbers of my old stoves. I was correct, the one that was my fathers is a SVEA 121 KEROSENE ONLY stove😳. I’ve been using the more volatile and dangerous White Gas in it for years😳. I probably dodged a bullet (read dead or horribly disfigured) a few times😳. The other, smaller, stove is an Optimus 96 KEROSENE ONLY stove😳. Yep, I only ran it with White Gas too (I think I only used it once or twice though)😳. some pics.
My Cook Box/Chuck Wagon🙂.
Yes, I take the Coleman fuel out of the box and set it away from the cooking/fire area when I am cooking. The empty right corner of the box usually has my ubiquitous Red Coleman 200A Single Mantle lantern in that spot. The strap hinge lifts up, you put the lantern in, remove the knurled nut that holds the top of the lantern on, position the (slightly enlarged) hole in the hinge over the lantern top bolt, then screw the nut down to hold it all in. I have never had a fired mantle disintegrate while traveling with the lantern stored this way….even over gravel roads…..and I don’t drive slowly😬. I have always been meaning to attach legs to the box like multi-part tent poles, or the button lock adjustable kind. I just haven’t made the time…..I made the box back in 1990…..I may procrastinate🤔. I either set it on a little folding camp table or my pickup tailgate. I have the two Optimus stoves (in the red tins), and there is a Coleman 502 (Which is actually a White Gas stove) in the cardboard box. 🤔I guess I will have to swap out one of the Coleman fuel cans and get a gallon can of Kerosene now. There are extra lantern mantles and some matches in a little cubby by the lantern “hole”, which you can’t see in the pics. That’s the Optimus No. 45 stove that I’m working on, set up on top
The SVEA 121, the stove that was my dads. It was used for cooking on a caboose (sadly, no more cabooses)😢. I found an old Doan’s Pills tin to hold matches. It was in my dad’s tackle box with fish hooks or split-shot in it before I repurposed it….again🙂. The hose clamps go around the pot stands to steady them up a bit if needed. The little tin bottle has the denatured alcohol priming fluid in it.
I polished up the Optimus 45 today. It’s a bit less grungy😉 Sadly, I tried to get it to run with fresh 1-K Kerosene and failed. I’m wondering if some gunk in the tank or carbon in the burner clogged it up partly since I was turning the stove every which way while polishing it😖 I didn’t have time to remove the jet and clean the burner.
I filled the little Optimus with fresh 1-K kerosene and got it lit and running ok. Bad news, there is a leak at the fill neck. The stove works on pressure, so I’ll have to reflow the solder to fix it. Here it is next to the big ol’ No.45
@RockyMountainBriar I forgot to tell you. Since it's common knowledge that I know you well enough to call you friend, NASA contacted me wanting to know if I knew anything about rocket engine ignitions taking place somewhere in Colorado. They were getting readings to that affect on their sensitive equipment. I told them not to worry. You were just using white gas instead of kerosene. They are, however, keeping an eye out for a possible launch in your area if the readings persist. 😏
@KA9FFJ Good thing you steered them towards Colorado. I’m no where near there, I’m about 600 miles north👍🏻 Although, I guess I’m closer to Colorado than you🙂
I soaked the burner head on the Optimus No.45 in white vinegar in my ultra-sonic cleaner today. I must have cleared out the problem, because I got it running again.👍🏻. It still has orange tipped flames, but hopefully after a tank of fuel it should clear up. If not, it might need a new jet.
A few of you may remember that I was once a musician and have recorded several CDs under the moniker Ghosts Of Pompeii over the years. But back in the mid 70s' I was the keyboardist in a progressive rock band called Vesuvius. Well now forty years past an Italian label called Black Widow Music is releasing some of our music on vinyl and CD. I was floored when I discovered someone was actually releasing music that had never saw the light of day - other than copies we'd made for our friends and family. The majority of the tunes were demos and not even completely finished. Rough cuts. But the guys at the label somehow got access to some of those bootleg CDs and wanted to do a legit production fit for release. I've got no idea what the finished product will sound like but it will be pretty cool having a vinyl record of the stuff. I was about 24 years old when the music was made - and now that I'm approaching 75 it's finally being release by a legit label.
Not much is a hobby, but since I've been sick I'm spending an inordinate amount of time binge watching complete season TV shows or movie marathons. I've taken the term couch potato to a whole new level.
It’s the time of year here in the North woods when the maple sap starts to run. I’ll be cooking a batch down to syrup soon. Smoking some Cornell and Diehl Autumn Evening. Tastes like maple syrup on warm pancakes.
@MrMustache Once you collect the sap from the tree, what is the next step before it goes on the pancakes. And another question: does the sap taste anything like maple syrup when it's seeping from the tree?
Comments
I boiled up the little pot of water for tea. It took about 8 minutes to get to a full rolling boil. That is at 38F outside and no lid. Look at that beautiful red of the brewed Rooibos Tea😋
Everclear... very clever... 👍🏻
Tasty too😬
On occasion, I use Everclear in my alcohol burner (for my pipe cleaning retort) when I'm out of denatured or 90+% Isopropyl. I always use Everclear in the retort, so the Everclear is always handy when I am cleaning pipes.
Decided to try something I haven't done in years.
I had some leftover Dr Pepper from our family Christmas gathering.
Yep, I almost filled an oversized mug and added a thin slice of fresh orange.
Put it in the microwave for 1 minute, and presently enjoying it along with a pipe.
Not for everybody, but it's hitting the spot for me...
By the way, I know it's not a hobby, but thought I'd throw it in there along with your tea...
Dr. Pepper-Cold/Iced 🤢
I can’t imagine it hot…well…..maybe with a little sump’in, sump’in in it🤔
Rum. The word you’re looking for is rum. It goes good in hot Dr Pepper.
I finally shelled out the extra bucks for the Diplomatico Exclusiva. It’s better IMHO than the Planas, which is better than the Mantuano. But hey, I’m no rum commensewer….
It’s working beautifully, but I think I will install a new leather pump cup. It pumps, but occasionally misses a pressure stroke.
Now that it’s working, I’ll spiff up the brass a bit, not a full on polish, just brighten it up a bit, and work over the slightly corroded spots a bit more.
I anxiously await your final...
So where did you find this one?
The EBay.
I was correct, the one that was my fathers is a SVEA 121 KEROSENE ONLY stove😳. I’ve been using the more volatile and dangerous White Gas in it for years😳. I probably dodged a bullet (read dead or horribly disfigured) a few times😳. The other, smaller, stove is an Optimus 96 KEROSENE ONLY stove😳. Yep, I only ran it with White Gas too (I think I only used it once or twice though)😳.
some pics.
I have the two Optimus stoves (in the red tins), and there is a Coleman 502 (Which is actually a White Gas stove) in the cardboard box. 🤔I guess I will have to swap out one of the Coleman fuel cans and get a gallon can of Kerosene now. There are extra lantern mantles and some matches in a little cubby by the lantern “hole”, which you can’t see in the pics. That’s the Optimus No. 45 stove that I’m working on, set up on top
Sadly, I tried to get it to run with fresh 1-K Kerosene and failed. I’m wondering if some gunk in the tank or carbon in the burner clogged it up partly since I was turning the stove every which way while polishing it😖 I didn’t have time to remove the jet and clean the burner.
I forgot to tell you. Since it's common knowledge that I know you well enough to call you friend, NASA contacted me wanting to know if I knew anything about rocket engine ignitions taking place somewhere in Colorado.
They were getting readings to that affect on their sensitive equipment.
I told them not to worry. You were just using white gas instead of kerosene.
They are, however, keeping an eye out for a possible launch in your area if the readings persist.
😏
Good thing you steered them towards Colorado. I’m no where near there, I’m about 600 miles north👍🏻
Although, I guess I’m closer to Colorado than you🙂
See, NASA equipment isn't that sensitive after all.
I didn't correct them, so no worries on your end...🙂
WOW looks good man. Kind of a cool thing you have going with these things.
Congrats.