Ok, so I found one in the local antique store for $15us. How could I pass it up, knowing what I do from the info here on CCS? Thank you everyone. And please pardon the poor quality photo. I don't have a camera and can only lay it up on my scanner to get an image. Its missing the burner plate and regulating key. I did not include the windscreen and cup in the photo. It was coated in a layer of sand when I got it. I suspect that it had been used in a marine environment. Many people around here go camping on the beach. Whatever it was that was adhering the sand to the stove dissolved in methylated ethanol. A following brief bath in vinegar took off most of the rest of the soot. Simichrome polish helped with the rest. Obviously, I'm not done with the polishing, but most of the sand is off. I hope I got all the sand out of the safety cap without having to disassemble it. Put in an order for a burner plate and regulating key. Then, I'll test run it. Anyway, the stove appears to be the pre-cleaning needle type. It obviously was not made to have a cleaning needle in it. I havent attempted to date it. Any suggestions? Finally, I'm not familiar with running these stoves. The online instructions here on CCS says it burns octane and indeed the stove is stamped with "Benzoline, Petrol, Essence, Bensin." At the same time I have read elsewhere on the net reports of people using white gas and even coleman fuel in it with good results. Is it true that those fuels can be used?
Hey HF, Congrats on your first SVEA 123!! Those are great little stoves, and once you get used to working with it, I'm sure you will love it! Check the fuel cap gasket to make sure it's soft and pliable. If it's too hard, you won't get a good seal, and the stove won't work properly. Yes, Coleman fuel is the only fuel you should use in your little SVEA. I prime with a plastic eyedropper, most of the time, or with the mini-pump and it's special fuel cap, in the cold weather. Have fun with it, and again, congrats!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi Heavenly Fiddler Great that you have your first 123 - but I am afraid that there are no photos. If you are having difficulty displaying them, then please send me a PT (Private Topic).
the guys are putting you on the right track.i would make sure the inside of the tank is clean if it was around sand..a bit of Coleman fuel and some square steel nuts swished around in the tank should clear it out.a 123 is a classic,classic and once you get the hang of the pre-heat it should serve all your stove needs----untill you find another brass classic --
Welcome to the slippery slope! The 123 is indeed a fine starting place and a topic for endless debate, pan options, priming methods, R vs non R, the list goes on......all of this will reveal (revile??) itself in due course. I'll limit myself (this time anyway) to just this: loosely-ish wrap the valve stem from bottom to top in a layer of fiberglass wicking then secure with a couple of turns of wire. This will keep the priming fluid in place instead of a small moat of the stuff just begging to be knocked and spilled flaming all over the place. You are sooooo going to love this lil brass beauty.....
Duh, sorry about spacing the photo upload. I'll try to remember to provide that this evening when I get home from work. And that is really great the ol' coleman fuel can be used in it. I wasn't excited about cooking with octane. Really, I can't believe how happy I got over obtaining this thing. And if I never use my old Coleman Peak1 because this thing came in my life, well I won't shed any tears. Thanks y'all.
Once you become familiar with the 123, the next logical step is to find and procure a SIGG Tourist cooker for it. Then you could happily do without any other field cooking system. You ever notice how incorporating the word "system" into the description of any product triples or quadruples the price? Anyway, the 123 and a SIGG cooker is, in my greatly overblown opinion, the acme of field food preparation. Bar None. Good hunting. Gerry
Pic time. Again my apologies for overlooking the photo in the first post. I didn't mean to be a teaser. My Peak1 and I have been down some trails together in all weather. My dad originally got it years ago to use in the Army. I still wouldnt hesitate to use it. It always reliably put out a flame even if it needed to prime for a while in cold weather. My only gripe was with the stamped sheet metal pot support made out of aluminum. I frequently had to disassemble the burner so I could bend it back into shape. Flimsy is the word. The tank and pump, on the other hand, held up well.
Hey, Heavenly Fiddler, Your SVEA looks very nice, indeed. Listen to Uncle Gerry, as he knows of whence he speaks, regarding the combo of SVEA 123 and Sigg Tourist cook set. It's a match made in heaven, and fit for a Heavenly Fiddler, indeed!!! 8) Which Peak 1 do you have? Is it the venerable Model 400 (brown or black)? If so, then I think it's one of the very best of the Peak 1 series. The 550's are nice, too, but not as rugged as the 400's. The 550's are Multifuel stoves, though, whilst the 400 is for Coleman fuel, only. BTW, Sigg used to make a proper cook set for the Coleman Model 400's, and 550's, too!! Got two of 'em, and love them quite a bit. Again, congrats, and have fun! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
I have a 550B and the burner assembly is definitely not rugged by my experience but always put out a good flame. And the tank held nearly enough fuel for me for at least four days.
Hey, HF, The 550 is a great little stove, and as long as you prime it right, and use a good kero generator, it will happily burn that fuel with a clean, blue flame! I keep mine in a padded bag, inside a cook set, and they are both in fairly good condition. The only dents and bumps I've had to endure were put there by myself, when I primed it wrong, had an overflowing flame, and had to kick it into a nearby creek!! 8-[ 8-[ Yep, I was a dumb-arse, no doubt about it!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc P.S. Did you, by chance, score a nice Sigg cook set for your 550B? If not, you might want to consider one. WELL worth the time, trouble, and coin!!
BTW: I do have the original aluminum container for my Peak1. I put a couple thin pieces of foam inside it so the stove won't clank while out on a hike. Should I run across a Sigg cookset, i'll give it some consideration. And, I have only ever burned coleman fuel in it. But I do seem to remember having run white gas in it but Im not sure about that. I've often thought about getting a kero unit for it. But its not a priority. Although, I have often wondered what all fuels I can burn in it as it is. I think I jacked my own thread. Wasn't I talking about my new to me Svea?
I worry a bit about the 550B's flimsy-feeling fuel valve control but on the upside it is light/small and settles down to a blue flame very fast. Like a couple of seconds.
One thing not everyone knows about the Svea 123/Sigg combination is that it generates so little CO that it's safe to use in a confined space. No other lightweight system can say that. The pot bottom is far enough above the flame that there's no flame impingement, so no CO generation. H.F. The 123 you have is the NON-R style requiring a hand held cleaning needle. My 123 bought new in 1969 is the non-r type. My lighting protocol is: Ensure tank is full to the bottom of the fill neck and the fill cap is snug before each light-up. Prick the orifice before each light up. Prime by warming the tank in the hands or by dribbling some fuel into the priming moat. Light the prime. When the prime is nearly out, open the fuel valve. Remove the key from the fuel valve. Trust me, you'll leave the key in one time only. Thus the term "Svea Thumb". Do. Not. Ever. Let. The. Stove. Burn. Dry. NEVER! Cook your meal and shut off the stove. Two accessories you'll find useful are a stove board, mine's a 1/4" plywood octagon 10" across and a Siggadaptor-Nordic Type 2 Thugulator. The S-N T2T allows the use of almost any pot and many frying pans with the Sigg/123 kit. The stove board keeps the kit upright and in camp even on packed snow. All those names on the Svea's tank are "white gas" also known as Coleman Fuel. Some other names for the same fluid are: Camp Fuel, Blazo, White Fuel and Petroleum Naptha. Do NOT use automotive fuel. It will burn OK a few times, then all hell breaks loose. I have used my 123 like I said, since 1969. It works as well now as it did new. Gerry
Greetings, All, I have to put in a plug, here, for Gerry's famous Siggadaptor-Nordic Type 2 Thugulator!! This is an inexpensive item that should be standard equipment with every Sigg Tourist cook set! Master Thuggy makes them, himself, in some dark, dank corner of his cell, and it's a fine job he does, indeed!! 8) Now, don't tell anybody about this, 'cause it's supposed to be a secret.... But, order one today, and you will be very happy you did so!! I got one of Thuggy's neat devices, and find it works perfectly with any and all of my Sigg Tourist cook sets! There you have it: an unsolicited testimonial, given freely and honestly, for a product that is made by one of our Mates, costs very little, and which works a treat! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
I agree with Doc !00%. They may have gone up in cost since Thuggy's last ad campaign. I'm glad I got mine before the economy turned bad. Cheers, Manny
