Which 111 have I got?

hi all
there are always people asking what kind of 111 is mine?
the usual response is to ask them to post some pics or describe it and take a guess, so i thought this might make things easier
check your burner with the pics

111 Paraffin/kero
roarer burner 4 tubes below the burner plate




111b petrol/gasoline
this is an early version but it is much the same as later ones
roarer burner 2 tubes below the burner plate {no i'm not going to clean this one up






111t triple fuel petrol/paraffin/meths
silent burner with 4 tubes below the top of the burner




111c multifuel petrol/paraffin/meths and according to Optimus diesel
silent burner with two tubes below the burner head




there are also a few others out there though they are thin on the ground.

111 alcohol


the 111c arctic




and the 111/7
silent burner with 4 tubes that without looking hard would easily be mistaken for the much later 111T
arabic writing under the burner skirt and also says Optimus Sweden [no lugs on top of the burner to hold the caps]
if your stove has a silent burner with slotted tank cap and cookie cutter type control spindle in an embossed case then you might well have the 111/7








i hope this is of some use

atb Bill

btw the alcohol and 111c arctic aren't mine i used these from the ref gal for the 111c arctic and Gary {primeus]is the owner of the alkie

 

Bill, thanks, have always wondered about the variants in the 111's now its clear to me.
Ron

 

Great work Bill

Cheers!
Jeff

 

I have a 111(thanks PMT) and a spare 111B burner. If I package them together along with a spanner, does that mean that I've got a "dual fuel" stove?

AR

 

Hi Bill, You have produced a really good and informative post. Hopefully it will help answer the regular query "What model of Op.111 do I have?"
Best Regards,
Kerophile.

 

hi all
i have been meaning to do this for a while as i bet every one of us has asked the same question in the past at some stage,
i know i did and only a couple of years ago too now look at me i can't move for them

atb Bill

 

I know that I was confused about the differences between a two(2) tube vs four(4) tube burner. After hanging around reading enough posts it finally clicked. Now I can tell a glance of a flame pattern which model is in operation. I did not realize the particulars about properly vaporizing your fuel of choice(FOC). White gas(Coleman Fuel) requires far less heat to vaporize and uses the two tube design. What I don't know is if these tube simply convect the heat from the burner plate or if the fuel circulates through its tubes like the four tube kerosene version.

AR

 

hi Andy
conventional wisdom is that the 111b supports are just to hold the flame plate in place and transfer the heat down to vaporise the petrol. one of the tubes is not even solid/connected as it lets the meths flow into the cup

i said conventional wisdom as the 111b burner i pictured above predates this and both tubes are fully connected to the base of the burner
i'm going to take the burner off and using a syringe see how much fuel it takes to fill the burner until it runs out of the jet and then repeat it with the newer 111b,and compare the capacity,
then i will know if the tubes on this one are indeed part of the fuel line/vaporisation or just dummies like on the newer ones

the 111b burner in the pic has come from my latest 111 and i have never seen another 111b like it,
i think it must of been one of the first types made as the whole stove is different to newer ones
i will get around to posting it in the ref gal soon as it should also be mentioned in the 111 timeline thread as well as it throws a spanner in the works of some of the assumptions made
the 111b must of been made VERY shortly after the introduction of the 111

 

Looks to be a very helpful post Bill! I am off to rest before driving my life away again later today, but will read it in more detail later.

 

Possibly tri-fuel. Kero and Coleman for the 111, and Coleman and unleaded for the 111B.

 

The 111C Arctic is a odd critter as the Norwegian and Swedish Military used the standard 111 Kero for years without and pre-heating problems ? maybe needed a silent burner due to the noise level ?
Cliff

 

On the cleaning side of these burners, I wonder if you used steel wool to get into the elbows and deep corners of the burner.

Ron

 

hi Ron
i used an ultrasonic cleaner filled with 50/50 white vinegar and water and gave it a few cycles
i also used a syringe and a bit of aquarium air pipe to suck the liquid right through and to remove any air to make sure that it was pickling inside the burner properly
then after most had just come off i went for it with detergent and a brass bristled brush
the only one of the burners in the pics that i have cleaned is the 111 kero the 111t is nos and the 111c is too i think though there is a bit of discolouration so maybe factory tested

 

Bill, ultrasonic cleaner? Oh wow, have seen some small ones but not enough to fit a burner (only jewelry). These machines tend to be on the expensive side me thinks. Anyway, most of my stoves are users, well once in a while as I do have to cycle their usage as I have accumulated a few. The last one (from you) still needs field testing. Only tested it in the kitchen and posted it on YouTube. Now that one will not require ultrasonic cleaning me thinks.

Thanks for the tip.

Ron

 

Ron
i got mine free off a mate he bought it to clean up some guitar parts
he needed his three 111's sorting out that he bought from Jackie on the 111t bonanza and brought it over i used it to get his cleaned up and he said keep it as he never used it, not one to look a gift horse i gratefully accepted it

it's not a mega expensive one but it does the trick

 

Well, in your case you got lucky and yes if its free why not! Hope I get that lucky at least in the thrift section although I doubt someone would donate an industrial sonic cleaner Looks like it does a good job mate. No wonder your stoves are almost errrr spotless?

Arrrrrgh...waiting for the mail to come before heading off for CASG4. Need the mount for my toolbox otherwise it would be sliding in the trucks behind.



Ron

 

During the Years there have been some 111s. We where issued 88s for self cooking, there was always a Roarer in the Cantine Box, with equipment for cooking, frying and serving for 12. It was followed by the Triple 188 neve used wth spirit. Then we got the Mecano 111 the Loke, hard to operate in the dark and lot of parts to lose in the whte. Ranger where much easier. As the Stores where spread I bout a pair of new 111 Rorers for 13$ together. Later came the one with the Italien silent burner. But all mine has been used in the Bush or Snow.
As for spiritburners we had the enlisteds Cook pan and lid with Windshield and Burner and spirit bottle, the non rattling contaption was a kitchen towel and complete with can opner, 3 piece silver and our 3 dl Kåsa (driking cup) we where young and armed with hunger for all old canned food. With rank among men followed the Svea 77. As comissionde we had to give them up. So in the Outdoor store we bought a Tranigia and a Kåsa (some of us in Wood as Lappland souvenirs), borroved a Spoon to add to the Sheet Knife (Could also have been one from the Land of 8 Seansons). Can Opner and Curve Needle we all had in our small Coins folder.
I soon went over to the CH orignal META 50.
I prefere the roarers, and in a dug out snow shelf with excrelent Wind protection it is almost silent 2 m away. The 4 mm Plywood tray/cutbord and stove bottom prevents it to disapere in the withe.
Handy too are the Radius 34 with silent Burners. Just check that your fuel Bottle don´t leak. We always packed stove and fuel in an outside pocket on our big BackPacks in a study plastic bag. So that our warm garment and sleeping bag did not have to smell kersosine too much.