Hello, I recently bought a Optimus stove at a local 2nd hand store. After some research I found that it must be a 535 and that there even is a community around old stoves . The stove has a sticker that says Alcohol T-sprit but it smells like the last owner used it with petroleum. I lit the stove,after preheating with ethanol, with the fuel in the tank and it had a nice blue flame. Can a alcohol stove work with kerosene or has it been converted at some point. And does someone know where to get parts if needed, preferably in Norway or Scandinavia. Thanks a lot ! Rein,Sotra, Norway.
This Optimus model can, with burners designed primarily for petroleum (paraffin/kerosene) but easily converted to use alcohol fuel with a jet change (larger jet orifice) or so-called restrictor tube to alter the fuel/air ratio for the relevant fuel. Over to a Norwegian or Scandinavian member to suggest a source for spares. John
Below is a photo of a 535 alcohol burner. If yours looks like this then you should use ethanol. The 535A (alcohol) is primarily used on boats. This is because alcohol is water soluble and any fire can be extinguished with water which is readily available on a boat. Petroleum floats on water and will continue to burn so alcohol is the safer fuel. If your burners look like the ones below then it is meant for kerosene. Ben
I thought not. Rein said the fuel in the tank smells like kerosene and … Not possible with alcohol burners of that type.
Then you definitely have a kerosene/multifuel burner fitted for kerosene, as you say it smells like kerosene - old norwegian kerosene(fyringsparafin) really smells like kerosene. www.fogas.se is the main source of parts in Scandinavia and here is the parts list for 535 http://www.fogas.se/rwdx/files//535os.gif
@presscall Perhaps the alcohol in the tank smells like kerosene or it could be an alcohol labeled stove refitted with kerosene burners. The examples I provided should sort things out. Ben
Hi, thanks to all. Then probably the burners must have been changed out, because I now see it definitely has the kerosene burners. Or the sticker has been added later...But now i know what it is and what fuel to use. I was also thinking of making a box like the swedish military kit.
