Optimus 91 - Purple Flame

Discussion in 'Optimus No:91' started by Simes, May 31, 2019.

  1. Simes

    Simes R.I.P.

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    With thanks to @Wim for his table at Newark for today's photo shoot.

    IMG_20190531_151631.jpg

    IMG_20190531_151912.jpg

    IMG_20190531_151942.jpg

    IMG_20190531_152104.jpg

    For some reason the frying pan seems to be tarnished, why I have no idea as nothing else has been used.
     
  2. SveaSizzler

    SveaSizzler United States Subscriber

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    Nice set.
    Is the alco burner a Trangia, or Svea-made copy? And is it the ~9 cm Swedish military or the 7.5cm civilian type?

    A few years ago Esbit contracted with a Chinese plant to produce a near-identical copy of the smaller Trangia. It only differed in having alternating larger-and-smaller feed holes, where the original had uniform hole diameters. [And no big ''T'' embossed on the bottom.] The German firm's plan backfired. When the Esbit production run ended, the Chinese continued to pump out the Trangia copies in ever-cheaper iterations. Now the market's flooded with them. When I ordered the Esbit alco burner, I thought it was German-made.

    The only unfired stove I have is a Chinese copy of the Trangia-Primus 25/27 gassie, and the only reason it's still unfired is that I have no Trangia pot set -- yet.
    Actually I also have a crossbrace over/stove set of [Chinese] stainless steel as yet unfired. It's much like the [Japanese] Evernew titanium cross that fits the 7.5cm burners nicely. I got it so I could file/grind off a little metal on the inside diameter and have it fit over the military Svea burner. Once it fits it will no longer be unfired.

    I appreciate a collector's preference to save unfired stoves for posterity. But personally, if I can't play with it now, it's just not fun.
     
  3. Afterburner

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    @Simes Maybe original owner had two of those kits for family travel, but from this set they only needed to use frying pan in another 91 they had.

    @SveaSizzler If I remember correctly in my 91 burner is Optimus. Although who knows which company had made it...
     
  4. Simes

    Simes R.I.P.

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    @SveaSizzler, @Afterburner.

    As I am currently stranded in Newark waiting for the van doctor to do his stuff I'll see if I can have a closer look.

    The was a seller on the Bay when I first joined CCS who had a rather large quantity and was selling them off. Don't remeber how much they were but I bought one because they were cheap, never intended as a user. Just sat on a shelf ever since.

    As I say I don't actually remember using it even as a test fire, but I've slept several times since then. :)
     
  5. Lennart F

    Lennart F Sweden Subscriber

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    You can easily see the "burner seat" in the windshield has the smaller 7.5cm hole as it should be in all civilian versions later than 77A(that had "military size civilian style" burner in most cases).
    In that era civilian Optimus the burner would normally be Optimus branded but maybe produced by another factory.
     
  6. Lennart F

    Lennart F Sweden Subscriber

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    Ps. I like to have a "new" or "nearly new" example beside a usie or battered one:)
     
  7. Retro Camper

    Retro Camper Subscriber

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  8. Lennart F

    Lennart F Sweden Subscriber

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    That seem to be latest version of 91 - without any unnecessary markings on the parts.
     
  9. Simes

    Simes R.I.P.

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    I see I have a couple of unanswered questions, and as I have some free.time this weekend will do my best to look again. It's been on the 'round tuit'list for too long.
     
  10. Simes

    Simes R.I.P.

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    I see I have a couple of unanswered questions, and as I have some free.time this weekend will do my best to look again. It's been on the 'round tuit'list for too long.
     
  11. Tantra

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    Red clothes bag is need for 91 Tor
     
  12. ally

    ally Subscriber

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    Anyone had one of these apart, I purchased one which I suspect was filled with paraffin and will need its packing replaced

    :)
     
  13. SveaSizzler

    SveaSizzler United States Subscriber

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    @ally You could try to wash out the wick with detergent and hot water, followed by several flushes of water. Then a few alcohol flushes. Let it dry out completely in the sun. If it's permanently contaminated by paraffin [kerosene], then replace the burner with a new Trangia if the fit's the same.
    The burners don't come apart. [Unless you want to go to the trouble of desoldering the burner, removing and replacing the wick, and soldering it all back together. It may be crimped rather than soldered.]

    The late Hiram Cook cut a cross section out of a Trangia burner. The collar holds a cotton wick. Check out his videos on You Tube.
     
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2021
  14. ally

    ally Subscriber

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    thanks sizzler, I'll give it a go

    :)
     
  15. Lennart F

    Lennart F Sweden Subscriber

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    I bought a Trangia burner that had been filled with old "fyringsparafin"(norwegian kerosene for heaters) for a long time - I started with emptying it upside down, then wash trough by shaking with some ethanol inside, then small fillings allowed to burn out in the driveway(stinky business with some spitting) I think 4-5 times before it burned nearly clean - I had to replace the badly swollen O-ring.