Hi. I have a 1959 Primus No. 5 that I use regularly, but would like to add a 1601 windshield to it to help on days such as yesterday, when I was on top of a hill and a brisk breeze played havoc with the coffee making! I'd prefer to find an original of course, but presume there's no source of aftermarket ones for this stove anyway? Any help you can offer would be very much appreciated! Martin
The 1601 will certainly help in priming the stove, and will offer a slight improvement when running, but not a lot. If nobody here can help, they do crop up on ebay. It's not uncommon to find a stove still sporting a home-made version cut from a tin can.... The Primus stove shelters were the period accessories for using such 'domestic' stoves outdoors, but they are quite scare now and pricey when they turn up. The period home-made solution was the old-fashioned biscuit tin. A quick search on this site will bring up plenty of stove shelters and biscuit tin windshields. Great choice of stove and vehicle by the way.
Thanks for the quick reply. To be honest, the priming was the problem and I ended up having to close up the back of the Land Rover before it would get hot enough, which got me thinking more about a windshield. Glad to hear that a home-made fix was deemed acceptable in period though, so perhaps I'll just fashion something from some old tin for now. It was the vehicle that got me into Primus and Tilley stuff in the first place in fact. The picture here shows it back in the early 1960s and although it came with a lot of the stuff that accompanied the owner across Africa, the Primus was long gone. As he bought the Land Rover in 1959 for his journey, I figured it was possible he bought a new Primus at the same time – hence tracking down a 1959 model! Thanks again for the help.
True. If a factory OEM windshield didn't come with my Opti 111T I would have never seen a silent burner windshield. Many people here have cobbled something together from old soup cans or such by drilling some air holes. Should be directions somewhere on the site here. Welcome to ccs @MartinP
Easy enough to fashion a DIY shelter for your stove. Here are a couple I put together. I do have a bad case of 'land Rover lust'
Thanks all for the suggestions. I've just made a box for a Tilley lamp out of some old steel sheet, so reckon I'll think about fashioning something that'll do the trick with the Primus. Would still be nice to add a proper windshield to the collection when one comes along, but something DIY will certainly be a more practical and long-term solution.
Nice Excellent early Series 2 Any chance of a photo of as is now? Perfect accessory for a period Primus stove My little back of the Landrover go-to shelter is simply a classic old shop size biscuit tin with no lid and one side cut out. Easy to spin round even with the stove running in it if the wind changes
Of course. Here you go. It's not changed much and is still running the original engine, gearbox etc. Used daily (but not always with the Primus!).
Fantastic that it still has all that original sign writing in place. Nothing can beat that. The original engine too, did any 1959 production still have the old ioe 2ltr? or are all the then brand new ohv 2.25ltr?
Pretty much just 2 1/4 ltr by then. We rebuilt this engine last year, but it was really the first time it had been properly apart in 65 years and would still happily have taken you from one end of the country to the other!
Beautiful condition, and up on the chalk hills too, my natural habitat. I imagine the Primus used to live in one of those wooden boxes along with other brew-up/cooking kit, which could have doubled as wind shielding (or perhaps the stove was just moved further inside when it was blowy). But given the tendency to leak fuel every time the temperature increases on a daily basis, I'd be surprised if it wasn't kept in its own fuel-proof container...
I did make the mistake of leaving some paraffin in it whilst driving out at the weekend. By the time I arrived, the spirit dish was full of paraffin and there was a healthy coating on the bottom of the big old 1943 ammo box I use to carry all that stuff in. I reminded myself to empty the stove before travelling next time. Talking of wooden boxes, I'd never stopped to consider if the box on the ground in the first photo could have housed the Primus. Looks to be a plausible size...
That's the issue with non-collapsible stoves such as the No.5- being aimed at domestic use, there is no way to seal the tank during storage/transport like the collapsible models. Still, plenty went camping over the years! Just in case I haven't pointed out clearly enough, this is a fantastic contribution to the site, thank you. Insights into period stove use are incredibly valuable to many of us. It also nicely sums up a big part of the appeal of these old stoves for me- they inspire adventure!
I'm already considering adding a 00 (or similar) to the collection for that very reason. Not only that, but it would also be small enough to then fit into my old Austin Seven Special when we take that camping. I've used a 1970s Gaz setup for years without issue and it's very portable, but I do prefer the Primus – as you say, they inspire adventure... just like the old Series II! Thanks again for all the help. Great to be on the forum.
Martin , the 1601 shield wont fit properly under the burner without dropping to the font as the 4 little supports inside the circular outer have a larger internal circumference than the spirit cup , even though it has a spring tension , this causes the wind shield to expose a large area just below the bottom of the burner to be wind affected . so on a windy day you will still have an issue with not being able to make a nice fresh cup of coffee or tea although a small mod would fix that problem on windy days . or you could just make up a folding three sided shield to stop windage . personally i have made one for certain larger stoves in my collection when on a trip to prevent the anguish , but thats just my take on this
Well a chance look on Facebook Marketplace at the weekend turned up a 1601 shield which has just arrived in the post. Seeing as it's a windy day here, I figured I'd give it a go. Is it supposed to sit on the spirit cup as per the attached picture (hence the internal supports)?Although it looks like it would interfere with the pan ring when that's fitted at this height. Regardless, the preheat ritual was completed quickly and even an enthusiastic gust or two failed to cause issue. Worth the £4 I paid I think.
