The Coleman Model 523 saw decades of service beginning in WWII as a cook stove and as an autoclave to sterilize medical and dental implements. It has twin roarer burners with primer cups and stainless steel wind screens. A wrench was secured on the inside of a post and under the top burner plate two steel capsules held sets of spare generators, valve packing and cleaning needles. In the center of the bracket between the two instruction plates is a very light strike of the Coleman logo, followed by Model 523. The pot supports, which also stabilize the stove, fold in to make a rather compact package.
Hey Don, great stove. I just got one and am very pleased after getting it running real well. You took great pictures and they show a part I am very interested in. The parts bag that came with mine contained the wrench. However there is no where on the stove to mount it. You took good shots of your wrench on the leg of the stove. That hole is on my stove leg but contains nothing. I am assuming that the curved steel piece is holding the wrench under pressure but what is at the other end? Is it just jammed against the top of the stove behind the leg? If so I may try to find a flexible piece of steel to fabricate what I see on your stove. A second query is, What do you think the little movable pick is for.? I can't see using it as a pricker but what the hell do I know. Thanks
Paul.... shame the tool spring holder was not attached. The upper part of the tool is inserted unto a frame cut on the upper frame. There are two of these cuts on the upper frame in opposite locations. Only one is utilized. I believe the pick is for cleaning the vaporizer (same as 520 stoves) once removed. Someone here may enlighten us further to it's use, but that has been my opinion. Enjoy your 523. Mine is a hoot...! Cheers
I'm in an auction and the only things I can find wrong with it are the following: I couldn't open the fuel cap and both prickers wouldn't move. Are there parts still available for this? If I win it is a 1944.
A little pendantry here. The correct name for the stove is Stove, M1942 two-burner. During the war they were made to a government specification by Coleman and AGM. Coleman internally called it a 523, so that name only applies to stove made by Coleman, like the one posted by DonS. THe burners are the same as the M1941 (Coleman 520) and parts are fairly easy to come by. Fun stoves. Early stove had all steel cases, fairly quickly changed to an aluminum case with stainless steel lid. Both could be used as cook pans. The stove issued to medical units had the lid embossed with the Medical Department logo, those issued to vehicle crews were plain.
