Hi Matt, a lovely outfit, beautifully presented. I reckon this was one of the last Radius No.21 stoves produced, as the "shooting star" logo has disappeared and we have the Radius Ltd. and Arabic script dominating the lettering. I believe that no Radius stoves were made post-1963, so that puts a likely date on it. The tin and it's graphics are outstanding. Best Regards, Kerophile
Hi George, I agree with your date assesment. The condition of the stove and it's overall state seemed to tell me it wasn't that old. The tin is in remarkable condition with not one speck of rust and just a tiny scratch here and there. The small meths can is actually useable. The others I've got have tiny rust holes and are for the most part, for show only. Certainly not something you'd find stored in a shed or garage for 50 years. I was initially disappointed to see the logo missing, however the sheer quality of manufacturing of the stove itself made me feel much better! This stove has quite a heft to it, the brass is heavy. Cleaning it up was not too hard. It was dirty, but mostly just wet and oily. The NRV was fine as it was. The leather was serviceable although I need to get some more from Sefa. It would benefit from a new one. I've always wanted a Radius 21, and over here they are very hard to find. This stove came from a seller in Sweden. It looks as though I STILL have to find one with the shooting star to satisfy my stove urges...this just never ends does it? Even without the shooting star logo, I am very pleased with wonderful stove!
Hi Matt a really superb stove you have there and the tin is in pristine condition even the inside of the tin is shiny that realy does set it of many thanks Matt for showing
Matt, The quest for stoves never ends...and you got lucky on that one being in vgood condition. Another good stove in a good home. RON
My pleasure Brian, I just realized I neglected to show the side of the fount and it's engraving. Ron, as long as there are stoves not yet acquired, I think the quest will continue. I always tell my wife there are worse things I could be doing...and her friends tell her the same thing!
Great Radius 21! Its one of my favorite versions without the shooting star. It was manufactured in the 1940s. If the tin is without graphics or traces of them its most likely manufactured during WWII.
@Northern Light I do not at the moment dispute your dates. You have been dating a number of stoves, but you have not given any detail as to how you have come up with the dates. Longer explanations with examples would be helpful.
Based on variations in knurling of the spare lid for the riser tube, the tin without graphics, being a so called "TYPE 3" Ltd, and furthermore not being the first or last variation of the TYPE 3, I came to the conclusion that "It was manufactured in the 1940s. If the tin is without graphics or traces of them its most likely manufactured during WWII." Your Radius 21 stove for example is the second variation in brass of the so called TYPE 3 stove. The first variation is slightly different. E.g. spare lid for the riser tube. See CCS examples. The spirit cans without graphics on them were in use from about 1940 and ceased to be delivered after the war. I have both examples in my collection and they were delivered with nickel plated Radius 21 stoves. One complete set without graphics. One complete set with graphics, plus matching examples of lanterns. I believe it was a war related. It coincides with changes of other Radius products. Tins were delivered to Radius by another Swedish company. I will try to publish the Radius 21 stoves I have. The catalogues are often inaccurate regarding the details.
Very interesting @Northern Light. I know it's a lot of work piecing a timeline together from clues here and there. I appreciate the effort and the time you've taken to explain it. I'll be looking forward to seeing your Radius 21 stoves and your explanation of the differences. Ben
Absolutely. Of course there's always Stejar's work on the Radius 21 to refer to, which I believe Northern Light draws on for the reference to Stejar's designation of a 'Type 3'. John
Thanks for the link to Stejar's treatise @presscall. I'd say Stejar is the grand master of piecing a timeline together from clues here and there. It's a shame Radius didn't stamp a date code on their tanks like Primus did. It sure would have saved Stejar and Northern Lights a ton of work. Ben
@presscall With more data data collected, we can date most of the Radius 21s with a fairly precise year and also know if a stove is complete in original condition. There are more tanklids, windshields etc that are not described in the article. I also think its a good starting point and a great effort by Stejar. It would be great to see more similar posts.
It's hard to collate the evidence from several collectors. It could be argued that getting the evidence from Stove Reference Gallery posts could arrive at the same outcome, but I doubt it. I think hefting a stove in the hand, turning it this way and that, putting it down and looking at it from several angles and dismantling and reassembling it is the way to achieve that measure of knowledge. The 'treatise' posts of that sort have come from someone who has owned an extensive collection of one stove type/model to study and make deductions from, as Bryan (Kaw550Red) did with the Primus 96 and Exeter Yak did with the Svea 123/123R, and they would have to be willing to make the effort and find the time to compile the data and present it. Then again, it's down to the collector what his/her focus for collecting is, if any. I tend not to concentrate on one make/model but take pleasure in seeking out/exploring/fettling/using the immense range of vintage stoves out there. They're not always recognised as 'classics' and although with the Tudorcourt Gas Appliances (and HERE) I teased out just about everything that's known about them I never expected so much as a ripple of interest on CCS. Lot of fun for me and a legitimate addition to the CCS database but an irrelevance to most, which is fine.
@presscall I agree in part with the more common models. There are also some more rare finds and those are harder to replicate. Original documentation with reliable dates is rare as well. I believe with more information, we will have a better picture of the details in the timeline.
