Does anyone know the size (diameter) of the Svea 123 (Old Style) cleaning needle ("pricker")? I can see that it's part number 510 in the Sievert catalog but don't know how to convert that to an Optimus part number so that I can (hopefully) get one. Thanks! Jim
Really? Interesting. Does it matter the size? For example, in talking with Ross and Jeff, my 1955 model Primus 71 needs a 0.33mm cleaning wire whereas my 1963 model nees a 0.22mm wire. I guess a smaller wire would fit in the larger jet, but would it open it up enough?
Standard high E strings on electric and acoustic steel string guitars can vary from .14 gauge to .08 gauge. Possibly even larger than the .14, but I haven't seen one smaller than .08. So, there is a range to be had and it might take a little experimenting. In plain or "unwound" guitar strings, I believe you can find as heavy as a .24 gauge, used as an unwound G string. How many jazz guitar players does it take to change a light bulb? Doesn't matter.... They're all going to fake the changes anyway... :-)
Now, now, this is a "family friendly" forum. So, does "gauge" tranlate to mm? I've heard of people putting strange wear on their jet depending on what they were cleaning it with and how they were cleaning it with (admittedly over a long time). I was hoping to get the proper pricker rather than "just making do" with something.
Well, hopefully I won't ruin a stove jet with a pricker that's a fraction of a mm off spec. Good luck to me.
Jet wear is a fact of life. This is one reason why you can unscrew them. As long as you use clean fuel with your stove you will find you won't need to prick your jet as often. Hows that for family friendly! The Primus 71 and Svea 123 burn coleman fuel which burns cleaner than kerosene. Regards, Jeff
Checked wikipedia- (slow response time eh? ) Thousandths of an inch... the answer is "guitar strings are measured in thousandths of an inch"...
I suppose then it's best to refrain from using the pricker unless truly needed. Or perhaps, if one is not out in the backcountry, simply removing the jet and cleaning it with carb cleaner would prolong the life of the jet?
I'm glad if it helps Jim, I also saw that .26 is one of the highest unwound gauges. I didn't remember seeing one, but have used some of the heaviest and some of the lightest strings. If you have to find other wire which is stiff and heavy, you can also strip the winding off of a wound guitar string and obtain the "core". All of this applies only to brass, nickle or steel wound strings. Nylon or "classical" guitar strings don't usually have a metal core in the "wound" string. Best, Randy
I don't often use a pricker with Coleman gas, but using kero I do. Dirtier stuff, I guess... Removing jets is easy with the 123's, 8R's, 71's etc. BUT. The first cranky kero burner you try this on will have you revueing all of your favorite cuss words! And putting that little B*rstard back in is worse !
I've been using the same jet in my Svea 123 (not R) for more than forty years. I clean the jet every time I light it. I also refill it before every lighting. It's a habit I got into many years ago when a friend allowed his 123 to burn dry. Fortunately that was in the day when when the Mountaineer's Co-op (now REI) would rebuild any stove they sold for, I think, 50% of the cost of a replacement or $5 minimum. Considering a new 123 was $8.95 it was a pretty good deal. The way it worked was You'd hand over your stove at the repair window, wander around the store for half or three quarters of an hour, then take your purchases by the repair window, where they handed your now new stove back to you on the way to the check stand. Yes, they trusted you to pay up without purchase orders or receipts. Anyway, prick the jet every time you light the stove, and never allow it to burn dry. The Stove Gods do not like that. Some 123 Heretics recommend storing your stove dry. We Cognoscenti, on the other hand righteously recommend storing it fully filled. Gerry
Hi, From the ex-British army Optimus 111's that I received from the Optimus 111 bonanza, the label states that the stoves must be emptied 24 hours before returning to stores... Is there something they know that we didn't about storing stoves with fuel or is it just about safety? Cheers, cp
Its the military rules for doing things with POL (Petrols, oils and lubricants) POL has to be stored in special protected areas. You cannot store flammable fluids in an ordinary storage area. Neil
slight tangent: anyone have tip(s) for replacing graphite packing on Svea 123 (old)? I can't seem to get the new one to thread into the stem... I've used a MSR Dragonfly for five years, and am trying to get this old Svea up and running! Thanks! David
A short length of the rope-type graphite packing for valves will work for this - cheap and readily accessible in the plumbing section of the local hardware.
The military generally has rules that are far more stringent than actually needed. My uncle's old Primus 71 has had fuel kept in it for probably 30 years with no detectable harm done to the stove.
