I recently acquired a very nice Primus 51, datecode AV (1956) The tank is a beautiful patina, but quite dirty. What is a good way to clean this stove without losing its history? Thanks in advance for your help. Kind regards from Holland
First I would wash with a soft sponge (absolutely not abrasive) and some dish soap… then dry it. If there are some green spots I would then treat the surface with a soft cloth and some wd40. I would then wash again with soap to remove the oily feel. Probably the stove will then look a little opaque, at that point some drops of car paint polish cream (without ammonia) will return a shiny patina… without removing it. Nicola
Naptha does a pretty excellent job of cleaning the skunge off brass without harming any desired patina. Kerosene may well too. Most everyone will maybe want to polish up their favorite brass objet d’ art burner, as freshly polished brass is stunning, but usually once or twice is enough to kill the urge semi-permanently. Brass tarnishes somewhat rapidly but a warm glow can be achieved with time. Food scraps and spills are corrosive over time, I like to keep the stove clean and give it a rubdown periodically with a soft cloth. Maybe a Genie will grant me those wishes yet!
The infamous 'wasbenzine' will do nicely to clean your stoves. 'Dreft' will work for the milder stains and dirt.
Its going to sound stupid but I used BBQ lighter fluid to clean a Radius that has great patina. I put the stove into the fuel and submerged it in a tub. I pumped it and rinsed the whole tank out and a surprising amount of crap came out of the tank. After when the fuel is really dirty I just use it in small batches to light my fire pit outside or camp fires at camp. It does nothing to the patina but soaking it gets of old burnt on carbon in my experience
when it comes to cleaning only 2 methods are worth the effort or cost: ultrasonic bath and dry ice CO2 blasting! I tried about everything inbetween. I consider I lost my time after trying the methods above mentioned! Cheers!
Clean it with naphta and a brush, soap if there is food on it, a cloth doesn't get into the nook and crannies. If it looks bad I'll dunk it in oxalic acic or vinegar or polish it mechanically or both. To restore an old look I put it in a plasticbag with 2 or 3 smashed hardboiled egg 24 hours(egg sends out H2S that darkens brass) and then leave it. It will get even warmer colour the next year but now more even. Sometimes I derust and paint the steel with a ½ matte grillpaint.
