Just purchased one on the bay. Not really sure what they go for, but it seemed like a decent price. Hopefully I didn't get taken for a ride, haha. No case, and not a wind guard that I can see. Needs a good cleaning. Here's some photos I got from the site:
They are a great little stove. Note that the travel cap, used to seal the tank when the stove is dismantled (shown in second photo) screws onto the pump knob when the stove is assembled. It’s nice that you got the pricker and spanner as well. Cheers Tony
Thanks Tony. I was trying to find a price somewhere to see what the value was, but didn't find anything. That did lead me here, and I read about the travel cap. Thanks for the heads up though, appreciate it. Did these come with a wind screen? I see some have, and some don't. Didn't know if different years had them or not.
Optimus 45 is very fine stove! Congratulations for a good find! Stove looks to be in quite good condition. Marks/corrosion on tank are very easy to clear. Wind screen is easy to make f.ex. from a piece of brass tube. Here is my 45 with regulated burner and brass tube wind screen: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/optimus-45-silensio-r.29170/ @Tony Press has made nice wind screen to his Heinze Geniol stove from SS food stacker: Homemade Windshield for Heinze Geniol
A windshield was an option for many of these Primus-type stoves. They come in different styles and sizes , so if you’re buying one check that it fits. Reproduction windshields appear on the Bay of Evil from time to time (I have a few). You can make a workable windshield from the correct diameter steel can, as well (there’s a few threads on home made windscreens). The alternative is to use a 9 or 10-plate aluminium external windscreen bought cheep from China on the bay. That corrosion can be cleaned up adequately, but the brass will probably be scarred. There's a post of mine here re a Coleman “discus” stove that was badly corroded. Cheers Tony
Thanks for the links and the good info. So many helpful people around these parts. By the way, I caught that a few minutes after it was listed with a buy it now price of $45, plus 14.90 shipping. Don't think I got hurt any for $59.90 shipped.
Thanks Tony. Seemed a good price. Not to sound overly dumb, but do these have a control spindle to adjust the flame, or is it done by some other means?
That's very fair price! 45 has normal roarer burner and no control spindle. For my 45 I fitted regulated burner just to test how it works with regulated burner. Flame control with roarer burner is done by adjusting pressure in tank. More pumps(=pressure) makes bigger flame and by releasing air from air relief screw flame gets smaller. Simple, but it works well!
Control spindle? It’s not a regulated burner. It’s kerosene with pressure regulated by the release screw on the filler cap. Tony Edit: Crossed with @Afterburner
Cool beans man, thanks. Also, these are kerosene only? EDIT: I can see you already answered my question, thanks.
I watched a youTube video, and the guy on there said these usually run anywhere from $35, to $299. The video was from eight years ago, so I would say I got a decent deal.
Yes, kerosene only. The pressure release mechanism (and the NRV) make gasoline extremely dangerous. Tony
One more question...is the kerosene you get from the pump at the local gas station good enough, or should it be filtered, etc? Sorry, this will be my first kerosene stove.
If you want to get the bluest flame possible use a good quality kerosene such as Kleenstrip K-1 from the Home Depot or Lowes. Pump kero will work but often times you can get a bit of yellow in the flame which is similar to the symptoms of an enlarged jet. A gallon of good kero, although more expensive, is a more refined product and lasts a long while in these stoves.
