Evening, Gents, Today, looking at George's wonderful 1955 Primus Pocket Outfit again, I began thinking about how many 96 stoves I have. So, I went looking as, to me, the Primus Pocket Outfit is rather the ne plus ultra of the 96 family!! I have two of them, one being from 1920, with all the goodies, and the other is from 1959, and has all of it's goodies, as well. I like both of them, but LOVE the earlier one best! There's just "something about it" that grabs me every time I see, or use it! Anyway, today, I counted up the 96's I could find, which includes Primus, Optimus, and one Monitor, and I have eight of them, or at least I can lay hands on eight! (5 Primus, 2 Optimus, and 1 Monitor) I'd love to say I don't "need" any more, and would not buy a nice one, should I happen to find such a thing.... but, I don't like to tell lies!! There's a very good chance that, if I SHOULD happen to find "just one more" little 96 in need of a good home, and the price is right, it may well be adopted right on the spot!! 8) If you don't already own one of these wonderful little gems, do yourself a huge favor, and seeking out. Get it fettled and you will love it, and never regret that you got one, or two, or...... Fun, just to look at my 96 Family today! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Now I know why I havn't been able to get one. Next time you count them there will be 9 but one will be a little smaller than the rest.
Good morning Doc, I have just six of the 96 type, only one Primus, three Monitors, a Thermidor and a Cobra, which is a real budget model possibly by Thermidor. I would think Doc you would add another to your collection, if is something special a variant you have not got, IE a stove older than 1910, or another 96 type from a different manufacturer. I can see why I there day, they were very popular with hikers and motorists, being small collapsible and for the small size has a nice amount of power.
It is all too easy to have too many of these! I have two Radius 20's, two pocket Primus, two standard Primus 96's and five Optimus 96's. Far too many! I much prefer the Optimus 96 and Radius 20 as they have the boss to park the reserve lid. When out with an old Primus 96 I always replace the "dished" reserve lid with a hex one from Optimus as fuel seems to leach out of the Primus ones. However the really early Primus 96's, such as the truly fantastic one of Doug's ...see: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/23700 are the pinnacle of form and function. cheers, Rob
Wow! ...and there was me getting worried that I have two Primus 71 and two Radius 42. I'm obviously only suffering from the early stages of stove pox! Best wishes, Terry
Hi, regarding Rob's comment about getting reserve caps to seal on these No.96 stoves, see this tip: Reserve caps for No.96 and No.100 stove types "Reserve caps" or transport screws which rely on the lead seal are never very satisfactory, and will almost certainly leak if you pressurise or even tilt the tank. This is because reserve caps are seldom fitted with hexagonal tops so you cannot tighten them down on the lead seal as much as you can a burner assembly. For transit of No.96 and No.100 stoves, which also rely on a lead seal, I have used an additional temporary washer of Viton or good quality Nitrile rubber. I place this on top of the lead seal before positioning and tightening the reserve cap. Of course you must remember to remove this temporary washer before using the burner assembly. I use circular rather than ring washers for the purpose. These washers are about 1.6mm ( 1/16 in.) thick. from here: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/4097 Best Regards, Kerophile.
Thank you George I have 2 Primus 96. One in the red box, and one in the sport box. Both from the '50's. Both burn very well after refitting with kits from Fettle Box. Ken
Morning, All, George, yours is an outstanding tip, and I think you very much for sharing it. I'll pop some Nitrile washers in the boxes of those stoves that might benefit from them. Thanks, again, SVEA 121, you are absolutely right. I was remiss in not taking at least one photo and posting it here. So, I'll try to do that today, and (thanks to the reminder from Rob, as I had forgotten that I have one! ), I'll have to find and add my Radius 96-size stove, too!! I'll try to do that later today, whilst down in the Hobbit Hole, trying to make sense of the nonsensical jumble of boxes that it's become! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
No room for me to talk , i think i have over ten of these stoves from various makers some with differing burners from the standard lipstick & a No4 burner to a two pint silent , i need treatment just don't get me started on the 210 size stoves it's embarassing Then there's the lamps etc good lord i'm past redemption Stu , riddled with stove pox & lanternitis
I wish my 96's ran bluer. I did not realize what a 20 looked like or why they sold for so much until I picked one up last Spring. They have a lipstick burner like the 96, no wonder they go for so much. The one I got, a Radius, runs like they should, nice and blue. Duane
