What first old brass Paraffin stove?

ateallthepies

Native
Aug 11, 2011
1,558
0
hertfordshire
As I love my Paraffin appliances I am thinking of venturing into the world of old brass stoves.

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced nice Brass stove to kick start this venture please?

steve
 

bilmo-p5

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 5, 2010
8,168
10
west yorkshire
Excellent as it most certainly is, the Svea 123 remains a petrol stove.

A Primus No.210 would make a good starter IMO. There's enough of them about to keep the prices sensible and it's an attractive and capable collapsible stove.

I have a few, one of which pictured here...

SeenTheLight1.jpg
 
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British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,893
2,145
Mercia
One of the old Paraffin monitors would be my choice then.

5 - Lit by British Red, on Flickr

That one is New Old Stock (unissued 1956 War Dept)

6 - WD Stamp by British Red, on Flickr

Can't remember what I paid - maybe £30. It lit first time and has worked well ever since :). They seem an "undervalued" brand to me - perhaps because they aren't as famous as Primus etc.
 

decorum

Full Member
May 2, 2007
5,064
12
Warwickshire
Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced nice Brass stove to kick start this venture please?

Packable of vehicle carry?



Versus




British makes seem to (generally) have a lower price tag ~ personally I think this id down to brand faith and if you look on ebay and such sites, listings have a high tendency to mention both Optimus and Primus ... The biggest thing is to bide your time and not pay over the odds; the brass Optimus No. 5 above cost me £10 plus postage :D (and, after a quick pressure test, was put to work less than 10 minutes later ;) . The chromed Primus 96 was a gift ~ so priceless! ;) .
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
28
70
south wales
Brass per £ the Primus No5 takes some beating and are a great stove as are the No210.

This 221 is 80 years old and going strong :)

PRIMUS 221 2 (Large).jpg

This one will heat my shed this winter

PRIMUS HEATER (Large).jpg

Be careful, buying stoves can become addictive, its taken me a couple of years to (almost) stop lol
 

MT606

Nomad
Jan 17, 2013
432
11
North of the southern wall.
have I started you off on this again rik? ;-) I'm in the process of getting mine checked n up and running (got a 42/43 dated crosslac and governor 2 pinters)
I'm after a juwel 33 or USm1941/42 or uk equivalent if anyones got a spare ;-)......

m
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
28
70
south wales
"have I started you off on this again rik? ;-)" lol, no. In fact I've got shot of most of mine but sometimes I'll put in a silly low bid on ebay and it pays off.
 

treadlightly

Full Member
Jan 29, 2007
2,692
3
65
Powys
Presumably running a paraffin stove is cheaper on fuel than using the modern ones with screw on butane/propane cannisters?
 

MarkinLondon

Nomad
May 17, 2013
325
1
Bedfordshire
It's important to note <huge can of worms> that paraffin stoves typically don't have an on/off valve and might not be suitable to lug around in a rucksack. </can of worms>

I have several old brassies, including paraffin lanterns, and have never considered bringing them camping because I'd need to transport them empty and fill them onsite. I'd then need to empty them before coming home. It's important to note that this decision was made intellectually, not from any experience, but my sense is that they would leak.

I do have a couple of collapsable stoves, like my Optimus 96. It requires some assembly, and would permit it to be transported with fuel in it, but it leaks more easily than more modern stoves, and certainly easier than a petrol stove, like my Svea 123 or Optimus 8R. You might also want to consider that a measure of paraffin (a litre, for example) burns for less time than petrol, but only you can decide if carrying the extra fuel is an undo burden.

Look: don't get me wrong; I love brassies. They're a ton of fun, are reliable, and have seen action all over the world for close to a hundred years. But are they worth the trouble to actually use in the woods? For me, the answer is no. I prefer the petrol brassies.

This is really all just my humble opinion. I'm a member on spritburner.com, as are other members here. Those guys take their paraffin stoves everywhere. I encourage you to investigate the topic more fully. Brass stoves are as peculiar as they are fun. The almost always require a bit of fettling before they become utterly reliable, so be prepared for that little project. They are also very addictive.
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
28
70
south wales
A lot of brass paraffin stoves have tank seals so you can transport them safely with fuel in, 96, 210, 45, 121, 221 to name a just a few, plus others like the 111 range have a control spindle. If your seals are good you won't get a leak...this is from experience;)
 

MarkinLondon

Nomad
May 17, 2013
325
1
Bedfordshire
A lot of brass paraffin stoves have tank seals so you can transport them safely with fuel in, 96, 210, 45, 121, 221 to name a just a few, plus others like the 111 range have a control spindle. If your seals are good you won't get a leak...this is from experience;)

Rik: I knew you would have a considered opinion :beerchug:
 

ateallthepies

Native
Aug 11, 2011
1,558
0
hertfordshire
Lots of good info to digest, thanks chaps.

I think to start I just want a stove that runs on Paraffin as I have lots of the stuff and could come in handy one day?. I'm not adverse to a fettle and have experience with lamps so I should be ok.
 

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