A nickel-plated Radius No. 42 stove. Unsure of her date of manufacture. She has the Radius shooting star logo and no 'Ltd' anywhere so that would put per pre-1938. The winged fuel cap on the underside of her tank is also indicative of an early model 42. She came with 1 Radius-labelled pricker, the green-painted colorful tin case but no instructions or any of the burner accessory (lamp/torch). MADE IN SWEDEN embossed on her burner plate. Standard all-metal fuel control key/multitool. MADE IN SWEDEN stamped into her handle, hole for jet removal/replacement and the spanner/wrench to tighten the fuel control nut. Unmarked otherside MADE IN SWEDEN stamped burner bell. An interesting, nice cosmetic touch on these stoves (versus equivalent Primus/Optimus/Svea/etc) is that everything is nickel plated, including the fuel control valve stem and chain. The only non-nickeled parts visible are the bell, jet and plate. MADE IN SWEDEN and RADIUS No. 42 stamping on top of tank. RADIUS Shooting star logo and the trademark GENUINE ONLY WHEN PROVIDED WITH THE NAME "RADIUS" in 6 languages down the side of her tank. RADIUS-labelled pricker Winged fuel-cap on the bottom of her fuel tank. In my opinion this is a drawback: it increases the chance of dirt getting into the fuel tank during filling; you cannot verify the fuel level due to the proximity of the wick to the opening blocking the view; two handed refuelling - you have to hold the stove upside during filling (too tippy if resting on burner head); some spilled fuel can remain in grooves on bottom of stove if overfilled or using no funnel; difficult to empty stove fully for storage; etc. Continued...
Continued... The wicks are held in place by a metal stem just below (or above, depending on your perspective) the fuel cap. Winged fuel cap with rubber gasket MADE IN SWEDEN on one wing of the fuel cap. RADIUS on the other The tin, like the stove, was in used condition but no dings, just some paint loss, scrapes and discoloration. These tins were very flimsy and under-strength, and the paint used very sensitive to any heat, as so many have shown. Top with FOR CAMPING and the star/stove logo. Opening the case displays the two attachment holder affixed inside front but no writing (instructions) commonly found in other 42 tins. Stove neatly nests inside the case, the pricker is held in place between side of case and heat shield. Stove ran wonderfully loud and powerful, they are very quick to light and burn very hot. I don't think she had been used much, no yellow at all in her flame and she's in great condition. The two thin-wire pot support appear to be mis-aligned, judging by the little riser in the lower set - will reseat accordingly. Besides the weakness of their cases and limited pot support the Radius 42's are a quality stove, good performers that run very hot and loud. Not thrumming, rhythmic loud like a Svea 123, but just LOUD! As a result, you should remove the key when in operation - and like other models of this type they do not perform that well at lower heat settings. They have a very small fuel capacity, maybe 2/3rds that of a Primus 71 for comparison purposes (but I have not measured the volumes), and sit lower than a 71. This particular one does not have any SRV so the owner must be aware of the risk of damage/over-pressurization of the tank when running on high. It's diminished fuel tank capacity may help in this regard (limited run time before needed to refill), but the fact other iterations of the 42 have SRVs should tell you something... I don't know if it's just my version, but I've tried putting this 42 model in other 42 cases, those with SRV-enabled fuel caps on top of their tanks. It won't fit - the winged fuel cap/nickel plated Radius 42 is slightly wider (18.6 cm) compared to non-winged caps ones I have (18.55 cm). If others that have both models can check and report back please do.
Oops, I meant 8.55 cm (top-set SRV-enabled caps) and 8.6 cm (winged caps on bottom) diameter fuel tanks. Yawn, time for bed...
Smashing little Radius you've got there, SMolson! I've the same here in plain brass, less tin and valve key, found that a Primus 71 works as well, and after your comments on the sorry bread tin that passes as a case, I'll wager we can both understand why our mates in the UK get a Army Nr.7 stove case, and put the original box on the shelf! Mine won't put out the heat yours does, I'll think the lack of case would be the reason, but I have excellent flame control on this one, can walk it down to a low simmer with no problem at all. The design is sound, but they could have made the prime pimple a bit deeper, the stove almost needs a double prime to get off the ground to full burn, IMO. Fueling it with the bottom fill is right easy, if you think about it. I take a Ronsonol bottle, and stuff the spout in and squeeze. When it's full, let go, and the excess fuel goes back in the bottle, nothing spilled on the ground or otherwise. Only thing to really go wrong is the wick, and as made, you can change one in all of 30 seconds and back cooking, and even faster if you make another wire carrier for the wick, pull out one, and insert a fresh one. Radius knew they had some serious competition, so they made the blowtorch and lamp attachments to make the 42 a all purpose tool, and not just a cook stove, and did one bang-up job of it as well! Murph
Hey, SMolson, That little Radius is stunningly lovely, my friend!! Works a treat, too! What a great find, and many thanks for sharing it here!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi - Thanks Doc, she is a real charmer that's for sure. I just wish I could date her more accurately, she comes from a 2nd hand store ($35) so I have no idea of her history. Hi Murph, thanks for the info - does the Army Nr. 7 case support the shorter (compared to 71) Radius 42 or are they just being used for 71/80 case replacements? The Radius 42 do not fit inside the Primus 71 cases, the top of their burner plate sits ~1 cm below the top of the 71's case's heat shield. Army Nr. 7 cases steel? I don't have one... Very interesting with your experience priming/lighting the 42. I've found them (42's) quicker to prime/light versus the 71's. Everything else being equal (jet cleaned/fuel volume/same temp/no wind/inside their cases/etc) the 71's can take 3 primes for me before they start up (room temp), but the 42's start with a single prime. The priming time is likely influenced by fuel volume (the more the easier to prime), but even with a full tank the Primus 71's can require 2 primes. I find the 71's finicky to start, and I figured it was the shorter vapo tube/smaller fuel tank in the 42's that made the difference. But that's just my own experience across the 71's (4) and 42's (3) I've used - and I'm not a power user on any of them. For simmering I always compare other stoves min/max range with my favorite camping simmerers: Exponent 550B-725, Primus 41s, Optimus Hiker T. Probably not a fair test, but that's just where I'm coming from. The method you use for filling sounds very good and efficient. I use the nesting fuel spout from Nalgene plastic fuel containers or a small funnel if with a SIGG type metal container. For those pouring the fuel directly into the natural 'convex' curve of the tank's bottom to refill the stove it can catch debris and carry it directly into the tank. There is no high rim to catch this stuff like there is by design on those with fuel cap on top of their fuel tank. A quick wipe of the bottom of the stove prior to any filling should be enough to remove any baddies from entering the tank whenever the fuel cap is unscrewed, but that is not required for any top-placed fuel caps of most other stoves. I really like the Radius stoves, their design teams did a great job differentiating them from their competitors, both cosmetically and functionally. I don't have those other add-ons, must be quite rare to find them!
Hi SMolson. I have just checked my three Radius 42 and they all fit in an Army No7 case. The version with the SRV fits with a couple of mm to spare. The version without the SRV and with the shooting star logo on top of the tank fits snuggly. When comparing base against base, the one with the SRV is a couple of mm narrower. Unfortunately, I don't have the plated version - another one to look out for . Thanks for a great post. I'm currently working my way through the 42s in the gallery to try and work out how many versions there are. Terry
Thanks for the info Terry, so it does appear the fuel tanks (measured from the base rim of the fuel tank) are of a different sizes then between versions (SRV-ed and non-SRVed). I'd be very interested in hearing your conclusions/findings comparing your Radius models. Hopefully more people will post their models so we have a bigger pool of them to compare. I'll be sure to upload the others I have in the coming months.
Mine is the same as SMolson has, base diameter as well, only thing is mine is plain brass, NO shooting star markings anywhere. Any way to contact canmec direct as to purchasing one of these cases, or will I have to roll my own here? Murph
Canmec - nick@canmec.co.uk He lists No7 cases on Ebay one at a time on a Buy-it-Now style listing. The trouble is, if someone buys one it can take him a week to re-list. If you want more than one (as I did) send him an email. He can be a bit slow to respond sometimes. You can find his Ebay listings by doing an advanced search for items listed by 'Canmec'. If you select a listing his contact details are at the bottom of the page. Terry
Thanks - I don't think I'll be using her much though. Without the SRV or even a safety pin on her fount, when you consider how much heat she outputs there's an increased risk of damage (over-pressurization). I wonder how many succumbed to this fate, perhaps another reason why you don't see many of them around. And I don't know if this one is nickel or chrome - is there an way(s) to tell the difference to the untrained eye? Thanks for the link with the cases. It still looks like the burner sits a little below the heat shield, and not above it like it would for a 71. That to me would be a risk - deflecting heat down into the tank area and the shield would be absorbing much of the flame if using a 42. But with the angle it's still hard to tell (at least on my PC).
Hi Trojandog, thanks again for the link. Murph sent me a posting by Presscall that shows an Army No. 7 case front-on to help identify the differences. The heights are clearly seen in perspective to the others and it's a great fit. Presscall's is also the older type with the wider base than the later 42's, like mine, so if his fits then mine should as well. Although I won't be using the nickel-plated one very much, I've acquired a couple more winged-fuel cap Radius 42's, these with the SRV on top of the tank (brass). Both their cases are in rough shape (including an orange one) so I could use the Army No.7 for one of them.
Coupling a Radius 42 (winged fuel cap, no SRV) with the Army No. 7 case (new - many thanks Dave!). Great fit for all 3 model 42s tested: 1) winged fuel cap under fount, no SRV (model with widest size fuel tank) 2) winged fuel cap under fount, with SRV on top of fount 3) standard knobby top-hat SRV'ed fuel cap. Army No. 7's case (right) much heavier and solid versus the flimsy tin of the 42's original case (shown on the left). Strong steel construction, vented on the backside with 3 slits, otherwise sides are seamless solid plates providing rigidity and durability. Case painted and has hinged top and front side plate. Perfect size for the 42 as noted in previous posts. 4 heavy duty solid steel riveted pot supports. Sufficient diameter of center hole in pot rest plate not to impede/deflect the flame downward onto fuel tank (for a non SRV'ed stove running on Coleman Fuel this is a key consideration/concern). Stove's bell a shade below top rim. The case will also fit the Primus 70 and older model (1930's) Optimus 80. Not 71's, Svea 123, which are either too tall and/or high-volume fuel tank won't sit flat or even fit inside the case. I wouldn't recommend using them with the 70. Due to the fixed riser plate at base of the case, to remove (or fit) any stove it has to be tipped at 45 degrees then dropped back down (bell goes up through the plate hole before slipping back). If one can't blow out the 70 (no regulator) removing it will be tricky and dangerous. Better off throwing the entire setup in the lake/river/swamp/fluffy snow pile as an instant-off (and bonus case cleaning) maneuver. These cases commonly show up on ebay UK and at the time of this writing average 10 GBP new. They are designed to support the British Army No. 7 stove (cross between a Svea 123 and a Radius 42). Edit: Although I have yet to fire the stove in the case or use it in the field, I have faith in trusty(?) British design and engineering...
The Army No.7 is a hybrid of Svea 123R topworks on an Optimus 80 tank. Have a look here. The taller 71s and 80s also work ok in the army case. The top of the bell pokes up thru' the hole but is still below the top of the potrests.
Thanks for the clarification Ian. Sorry if I confused anyone, my intent was to describe the No. 7 in that she 'looked like a cross between', not that it was designed from those 2 mentioned.
