Optimus No. 45

Thanks Ray, appreciate it.

 

@The Warrior

When you get the stove, take good photos of the stampings. That will help getting a handle on the age of the stove (eg If it says “Radius Ltd” rather than just “Radius”, it will be post 1937).

Tony

Edit: The NRV pip will be either cork or fuel resistant rubber. Use Viton if the pip is hard.

 

The price was quite good. As indicated, use K-1 kerosene.

 

@Tony Press

Will take lots of photos.

I'm still waiting for my NRV tool to come in. Will check it when it gets in.

@Ed Winskill

I thought it was an excellent price. Was very happy to get it for that. This stove thing is fairly new to me, and I really have no idea what most are worth. Some I do, for example the Optimus 8R's, 99's, etc. When I spotted this, it had only been posted for a few minutes. I was Googling frantically trying to get an idea what they usually go for. Had no luck, and didn't want the opportunity to pass me by, so I went for it, haha.

 

Warrior, the Optimus 45 is in many ways the perfect introduction to a classic kerosene stove.

The 1-3/4 pint stoves are highly versatile, serving as both domestic and camp stoves. They are readily transportable, inasmuch as they are of course collapsible, unlike the dedicated domestics.

And, indeed, I carried an Optimus 45, in its tin, in a backpack on a 50-mile hike on the Wonderland Trail at age 15. How was I to know it supposedly wasn't a hiking stove?

The other thing about these 1-3/4 pinters (sometimes called 'discus stoves' because of the tank shape) is that they embody to the greatest degree the ineffable aesthetics of the Swedish brass keroburners: they are the Classic Camp Stove. The overall gleaming beauty of these, taken with the great graphics on the tank (which reach their apotheosis in the Svea 105 and 106--Svea's version of this model), is the pinnacle of the type.

 

Thanks Ed, appreciate the info. 50 miles, wow.

Does anyone have any good ideas for a case/bag, etc, to carry this in? Seen a few homemade boxes.

 

Hi , while your waiting for your NRV tool to arrive soak it with some penetrating oil to help with its removal.

 

My 45 came with biscuit tin and that works fine. Many European army surplus gas mask bags are perfect size for 45 and some additional stuff. I have one Polish and few Finnish versions.

 

Most stoves in this class were K-versions(cardboard box) and the trivet ring usually only came with those so I assume you have a complete stove except the less durable cardboard box and instruction sheet.
Hard boxes or tins were usually local rather than OEM while the dedicated camping stoves used to come in OEM tins but still available in K-version.

 

Outdoor Research has a current sale on the padded Cells.
What size cell would work for the 45?

Ken

 

Already soaking.

I saw somewhere here that a certain size popcorn tin would work.

The ad didn't say anything about a box coming with it. In one of the photos, you can see a box, but it looks like a plain box.

I saw a thread here, where a guy had a padded plastic case. He said he got it from the bay. I looked, but the few places that sold them, were out of that particular size. Also, someone posted a Makita power tool box, that worked quite well.

 

Does anyone know the diameter of the 45's top ring? Trivet ring?

 

@The Warrior My Optimus 45 ring measures 8 3/8" across at the widest point. If your referring to my post on the No 5 stove inside the popcorn tin I can assemble my 45 inside it to check the fit for you if needed.

 

@Cookie , appreciate the info. I work at a candy/popcorn factory. I have access to all the tins I want, haha. Again, thanks for your help.

 

How tall is the 45? Forgot to ask that. Thanks.

 

You can use the advanced search if you are checking past sales off the bay.
Very nice stoves. One of mine is from the '20's.
Duane

 

Thanks for the heads up @hikerduane , appreciate it.

 

What does 'OEM' mean?

 

Original Equipment Manufacturer

 

Outdoor Research Padded Cells