Svea 123 advice needed

[presterjohn]

I was (I think) lucky enough to find an old design Svea 123 at my local boot sale this weekend for £18.00. It is seems to work perfectly and just needs a clean. It was sadly missing the pricker and cup handle though. I have had a look online and can't find a handle for love nor money and will probably end up liberating a canteen spoon (because they are thin and bendy) and fabricating one myself. I have been told that the pricker needs to be a specific size though and to not think of using a pin as a substitute. Is this true? If so Svea prickers seem to be non existent thanks to the pesky upgrade they made 40 years ago that gives modern Svea's an inbuilt cleaner.

Finally what do you owners of these cookers use as your cooking pot? I don't know weather to go for a Tatonka style mug with butterfly handles or perhaps a 10cm Billy?

Any and all comments are as usual welcome.

 

[rik_uk3]

They fit like a glove into some biscuit tins, pop into Wilkinsons/Poundstretcher/Ikea and you'll get a stainless steel one like this for a couple of quid. Make great cooking pots





Keep an eye out for old camping gaz Globetrotter stoves, the pan set also fit the 123.

Phone Mike at www.base-camp.co.uk and he'll sell you new prickers.

Great stove, have fun with it.

 

[Limaed]

They fit well in the Zebra but without the dish, I'm not sure whether thats the 10cm or 12 cm though. You can also use the Alpkit Ti Mug but it's pretty expensive. I use the small Mors Pot from Four Dogs and the Alpkit Mug.

IMO get a mug and billy for a very neat nesting set for one person.

 

[presterjohn]

They fit well in the Zebra but without the dish, I'm not sure whether thats the 10cm or 12 cm though. You can also use the Alpkit Ti Mug but it's pretty expensive. I use the small Mors Pot from Four Dogs and the Alpkit Mug.

IMO get a mug and billy for a very neat nesting set for one person.

That does sound like a winning combination.

 

[nickliv]

Isn't the pricker actually inside the jet assembly on these?

As mentioned above, try base-camp.co.uk for spares.

 

[rik_uk3]

On the new stoves the jet cleaner is built in but not on the older ones. If the spindle slopes down its an older stove. That said burning clean fuel means very very little need to clean the jet.

The four pint pot off the 'bulldog' billy sets are also good and leaves enough room for a brew kit. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NESTING-B...amping_CookingSupplies_ET&hash=item255202148d sort of thing.

 

[bilmo-p5]

GSI Glacier mug is a good replacement for the original.

 

[Nonsuch]

When you get it going (I am assuming here that you are not a SVEA123 expert), they can be tricky little blighters. A few tips:
- Get some stove rope and tie a small piece around the neck of the burner where the priming recess is. Makes priming much easier.
- If yours is a reluctant burner, or a pulser, the internal wick may not be in good shape - access it and make sure it is soft and a bit unravelled
- If yours still doesn't burn well, and my old one does but my new one doesn't, treat yourself to the Optimus mini-pump, which will have it roaring like a 111 in no time. I think Base Camp also have the mini-pump.
- If you can score a Sigg Tourist Cookset to go with it, then you will have a superb set up

HTH

 

[presterjohn]

On the new stoves the jet cleaner is built in but not on the older ones. If the spindle slopes down its an older stove. That said burning clean fuel means very very little need to clean the jet.

The four pint pot off the 'bulldog' billy sets are also good and leaves enough room for a brew kit. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NESTING-B...amping_CookingSupplies_ET&hash=item255202148d sort of thing.

Sadly for my Svea I am a brute and will be using petrol only rather than Coleman fuel hence the potential need for a pricker. Interestingly enough the first time I played with the Svea turning the key caused some of the remaining liquid from its previous owner to bubble over and fill the priming depression. This lit very easily and after waiting barely a minute the burner was lit and withing a minute or so of that I had a good burn going and it was making the jet engine noise I had read was normal. It really is a cracking little stove.

I have a set of Bulldog billy cans some place. I may have given the little pan to my boy so it may need to be discretely removed from him for sizing purposes.

 

[presterjohn]

GSI Glacier mug is a good replacement for the original.

I like the look of one of those but they are pretty expensive. I wonder if the Tatonka version would fit?

 

[bilmo-p5]

The Tatonka would be a 'suck it and see' job as apparently they've started making them slightly smaller.

 

[nickliv]

Get some panel wipe. It's much cheaper than Coleman fuel yet so much better for the stove than petrol.

Think I paid about a tenner on eBay for a 5 litre tin.

 

[rik_uk3]

Sadly for my Svea I am a brute and will be using petrol only rather than Coleman fuel hence the potential need for a pricker. Interestingly enough the first time I played with the Svea turning the key caused some of the remaining liquid from its previous owner to bubble over and fill the priming depression. This lit very easily and after waiting barely a minute the burner was lit and withing a minute or so of that I had a good burn going and it was making the jet engine noise I had read was normal. It really is a cracking little stove.

I have a set of Bulldog billy cans some place. I may have given the little pan to my boy so it may need to be discretely removed from him for sizing purposes.

You clearly have no respect for your stove, no offence but petrol

Best pack it separate from pots of any kind, the smell of petrol will really linger.

 

[David Morningstar]

My 123R just slipped neatly into my Zebra 10cm. I have a new stove /pot combo!

 

[rik_uk3]

When you get it going (I am assuming here that you are not a SVEA123 expert), they can be tricky little blighters. A few tips:
- Get some stove rope and tie a small piece around the neck of the burner where the priming recess is. Makes priming much easier.
- If yours is a reluctant burner, or a pulser, the internal wick may not be in good shape - access it and make sure it is soft and a bit unravelled
- If yours still doesn't burn well, and my old one does but my new one doesn't, treat yourself to the Optimus mini-pump, which will have it roaring like a 111 in no time. I think Base Camp also have the mini-pump.
- If you can score a Sigg Tourist Cookset to go with it, then you will have a superb set up

HTH

No need for the pump (and new filler cap needed to use it) in UK temps, double prime or a bit of glass fibre round the stem does the job in winter.

+1 for the Sigg set, a match of stove and pan at the perfect level

 

[presterjohn]

You clearly have no respect for your stove, no offence but petrol

Best pack it separate from pots of any kind, the smell of petrol will really linger.

It's more about budget than respect to be honest. Having said that on the old boxes I have seen for these it does say for use with White gas and then in brackets petrol so apart from the need to cook in a well ventilated area and the potential of eventually gumming up the generator I am hoping it should not cause to many problems. Especially as it will no doubt only get used 5 - 10 times per year.

 

[rik_uk3]

Buy a can of panel wipe, plenty on ebay, burns clean.

 

[jimfbte]

Here are two URLs regarding SVEA 123 needles and what to use as substitutes from a forum on stoves.
They use guitar strings and music wires, and provide information on the size and diameter.

http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/showtopic.php?tid/29151/

http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/showtopic.php?tid/26958/

Hope it helps.

Jim FBtE

 

[presterjohn]

Buy a can of panel wipe, plenty on ebay, burns clean.

The postage rules that out. I may well take a gander around the car repair places though and see how cheaply I can get a couple of liters for though.

 

[presterjohn]

Here are two URLs regarding SVEA 123 needles and what to use as substitutes from a forum on stoves.
They use guitar strings and music wires, and provide information on the size and diameter.

http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/showtopic.php?tid/29151/

http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/showtopic.php?tid/26958/

Hope it helps.

Jim FBtE

What a star you are. An 'E' guitar string apparently fits the bill.