Afternoon… So, I was lucky enough to eyeball this going for £10 on a certain sale app and grabbed it with both hands. Missing its ring at the top (it’s borrowed the one from the very dead Chalwyn) and a windshield but everything else is good. The tin is the red topped UK biscuit tin variety but has been treated to a coat of black gloss… Ho hum! Anyway, some seal changes and new pip and away she went. But… is it a weak point on this size stove that they’re prone to ‘blowing’ under pressure? This and my Burmos 21 need two sets of washers under the spirit cup to prevent this - both have very big pre heat cups. Just wondered…. Seeing as SVEA’s seem to be in vogue I’m more than happy with this and she boils a kettle like a rocket! Any idea of date mind you? Sievert lettering on the pump and no Russian script on the tank… mid 1960s or earlier?
I think mine only has the one washer above the preheat cup. Some designs use two. May have to study some to determine where the seal is being made. Duane
@Automedon Your stove shouldn’t “blow out” (if that’s what you meant by “blowing”) in normal operating conditions, and I’ve never had to use two washers under a spirit dish. Check, without the washers in place, whether the spirit dish is one that requires no washer beneath the spirit cup. This type of dish, when sitting on the riser, will expose the top surface of the riser through the hole in the dish. The seal is then made with only one washer sitting on the top of the dish, and no washer underneath. Cheers Tony
Thanks @Tony Press I’ll try that. I always put one washer above and below just in case as I thought that was best practice. To clarify, the ‘blow’ was vapour appearing from between the riser and spirit cup base and igniting with an orange sooty flame. Watch this space… any idea of date btw? best Chris
Burner washers usually need tightening after their first thermal cycle. All traces of the original burner washers need to be removed- you will find a machined groove in the top rim or the riser and on the hexagon fitting of the burner, designed to bite into the washer and provide a gas-tight seal. These grooves are often clogged with old washer material. Attention to detail here ensures reliability in use. Finally, some burner washers are too large in their outer diameter to fit properly into the underside of the spirit cup- trim them down if this is the case. This should be a nice little powerhouse when it's sorted!
Weirdly enough it came with no burner washers fitted at all - and that included the lead one around the NRV. I did make sure there was no trace of anything and clean as a whistle… in fact I’d venture to say it’s not had that much use in its life full stop. I’ve just boiled a kettle with it and it’s done fine but that blow is just starting up underneath so I’ll dismantle when cool and try again. Also, when in use it makes a very fast Doppler noise for want of a better word - not a solid roar. I’ll prick again and see what happens C
@Automedon The spirit dishes that don’t use an under washer aren’t as common as those that use one above and one below; they don’t have a flat ring under which the lower washer sits. Also, after you’ve fired it the first time, as @Blackdog says, give the burner a slight tighten. Cheers Tony
I’m 99.9% certain this one does - it has the washer shaped recess and the washers fit perfectly - I’m going to assume that that’s the case. Will tighten shortly and report back. As mentioned, I had this issue with the Burmos 21 as well - perhaps I’m tightening too much or not enough! I’m gutted I can’t come to Newark this year as would appreciate a face to face tutorial on a few things and I owe @Blackdog more than a couple of pints for services rendered
As to a date, No expert on these and never had a No.121, so open to correction. But probably mid 1950s into the early 60s. In the 1930s Svea were pushing their 'Campus' range for the outdoor market, and the No.121 doesn't appear in any of the pre-war catalogues. The earliest No.121s seem to have come in lizard skin effect boxed rather than tins, there is a possibility this could have been just before the outbreak of WW2 but probably more likely post-war. Regardless, the import restrictions after the war would have prevented these stoves reaching the UK until they were lifted (date unknown for stove imports, mid-late 1950s?) They are not exactly rare, but certainly far less common than all the post-war British 1-pinters, and the No.210s and No.00s once restrictions were lifted.
As I raised the issue above, and for clarity for anyone reading through this thread, this is an example of a spirit dish that does not take a washer underneath it: From this this thread: KFE Atlas No.1 Cheers Tony
Just to clear this one up … I tried it without the lower washer and now have no hairs on my fingers and knuckles. I’ve ordered a new set of washers etc from @Spiritburner and will try again with a full seal change when that comes. In the meantime here’s a shot of the cup… remember it came with no washers attached - has someone damaged it by trying it like that? C
You can see (hopefully) that the dents aren’t fresh. I do think someone has just tried tightening it up and overdone it at the same time. No tank washer as well btw… all very odd! Hopefully the fettlebox kits for this and the errant 96 will make a difference
Sorry about your fingers… The crease at about 8 O’Clock in your photo looks like a definite culprit. If it were me, and as it’s a stamped Svea part, I would take up the suggestion of @Blackdog and carefully panel beat it back to flat. One additional thing you might do with both your stoves that leak at that point under pressure, is (after all parts are fit for service) to use some copper slip on the threads of the burner as you assemble the stove. As an aside, it was Neil McRae (@mackburner , RIP) who showed me, in 2019, the use of copper slip on stove burners. He’d just fettled a No. 5 size Swedish stove and was using copper slip and no washers. He would have repaired more stoves and lamps than most all here on CCS. I hope you get this irritation settled, @Automedon. Tony
Hi @Tony Press I’ll give the copper slip a go. I do use it but I have to admit hadn’t thought of that there. Watch this space and I agree about the SVEA stamped part … it’s worth saving! The Burmos 21 cup is a shade different - it’s a hex centre that’s designed to sit snug between the riser and the burner - this one is wider as it looks like it’s been forced down at some point. If you’ve ever seen a Veritas 350 spirit cup it’s like that… I suppose that with the tinned collapsible stoves it’s a hazard as with continuous use by the not so careful as us things will eventually break… C
