I have been corrupted by the Stove Reference Gallery and by many wonderful posts regarding certain stoves on this site. I see quite a few really great stoves, and every once in a while one jumps out and leaves a huge mental mark, and gets added to my "I Would Really Like A Stove Like That" list. Unfortunately, most of the stoves on that list are not just going to show up at the local thrift store or yard sale, so I must rely on the interwebby thing. I realize that "searching" on eBay or other sites is not necessarily the pinnacle of stove hunting, but I guess you gotta go to the source every once in a while. This is the case with my most recent stove purchase. I had been outbid on a few on eBay, or nicer examples were simply too far out of my price range to consider. I watched for them for about a year or so (on and off), I even placed a wanted ad here in the classifieds, but no luck. Then last week, I was doing my nightly eBay searching, and came across something that caught my eye. I kept looking at the ad, contemplating the "Buy It Now" option, and came to the CCS for some research to find out exactly what the stove was, since I had not seen too many like this for sale. In the end, I could not resist, and did the "Buy It Now". It's a Radius 43B with a silent burner. I am presuming it is a fairly late Radius, from the 50's? Any idea where to look for any kind of date code? The eBay listing stated "Looks to have been fired only once or twice", but after looking at the condition of the burner, I am not sure it was even lit once. There was no darkening of the brass, and I could see no burn residue. I received the very well packaged stove and was very happy with my purchase. I spent a little time checking the rubber gaskets, making sure things looked ok, put a new rubber piece in the NRV, added some Coleman fuel, and fired it up, for what may very have been the first time. Lit very well, burned very nicely, and heated some water pretty quickly. I am super happy with the stove and can not wait to use it "for real" in the future. The screw on retaining ring for the pump has a crack all the way through it, see pic. It is at 3:00 position, right by the letter "N" at the end of Sweden. Since this is not a place for any fuel leaks, I am not overly concerned. Maybe I can find a replacement at some point. There looks to be a place inside the case where there was some kind of paper stuck to it, perhaps instructions? Now for a few questions: -The original "For Benzin" sticker on the side was in very poor condition, so I took a razor blade and carefully removed the remnants. Does anyone reproduce this (or very close approximation) sticker? -I need the wrench for this stove. Does anyone have one? I would even be happy with a tracing of an original and a measurement of the thickness of the steel and I'll make my own. -How on earth do I get the burner caps off the burner? There are two metal "tabs" that hold the caps to the burner, there are no slot in the caps to allow the cap to be removed. Do I just need to compress the cap to fit over the tabs? I really do not want to damage anything if there is a simpler way to do this. Here are some pics, hope you enjoy. If you'd like to see all the pics (so far) and see them a little larger, here is a link you can check out: http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t17/hazetguy/Radius43B/ Let's walk through the arrival, fettling, and lighting, shall we? thanks for looking Jon
Hello Jon, Great find and stove. The burner cap is just compressed on. It takes a little bit of force to get it off. Just grab it with your thumb and index finger and pry it off. It is a good design but takes some getting use to. Cheers, Jeff
Jon, It's beautiful. Really nice pics. I've really enjoyed mine and think it is the nicest in my collection. They really knew how to make a smooth and excellent stove. That 'list' you are talking about will grow larger as time goes on! sam
Hey, Jon, Wonderful Radius, my Friend!! Well done on scoring it, and already getting it up and running. I have a roarer version of your stove, which does have the wrench, and would be happy to trace it for you, and send some detailed photos of it, if that would help. Let me know. Again, great score, and very nice photos, too. Thanks for sharing it, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi Lovely stove and great pictures . Radius made quality stoves. Unfortunately I do not have a 43B (but I have a 43 for Kero) ,but would want one. Regards Jens
Jon, I would not worry about the crack as long as it holds the pump shaft in place. Would there be a place to silbraze it on its side? Then a good polish wil probably shine it close to brass. Ron
Entertaining write-up Jon, and with pics to match! And the first time I realise the sticker, denoting the fuel, is thinner than the glue, which traces are often to be seen but the text awol...I believe Motoshi has (another) nice example that could sport such a label, but they are thin on the ground. Congratulations with this Radius 43, a kerosene version of which made over 860.00 US last summer. A one-off perhaps, but for sure an indicator how high this model fares on many a collector's list! So what's next on yours? Kind regards, Mike
Jon, Beauty of a 43 , I am glad you got it! I think you got a great deal on it considering its condition!
thanks for all the comments. i really like this stove, in so many ways. the size i really nice, the heat it puts out is really good, it's pretty much exactly what i had hoped for. as i mentioned, not sure how much winning a stove on ebay can count as a "score", because i think we all know the adrenaline rush of finding a stove at a yard sale/flea market/antique or thrift store, surpasses the feeling you get when you hit the "enter" button on your keyboard. either way, i am happy as i can be about getting this. i must say that my decision to buy this one was significantly influenced by this great thread which i discovered when researching what a 43B was: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/11420 Jeff/Knight84: thanks for letting me in on the "secret" of how to remove the burner cap. when i get the courage to try it, i will see how it goes. Sam/idahostoveguy: thanks! and as far as the list goes, this site has actually helped me decrease the length of my list. at one point i had a very long list, and over the years i bought numerous stoves that were on it. some really did not fit my style, so they were passed along, and now i find it easy to "eliminate" ones that i don't think will work for me. on the other hand, i am now seeing new ones i did not pay attention to before, so yes, my list has increased over the past few months. Doc Mark: thanks for everything and for you offer. Jens: thanks! i wish you luck in your search for one. Ron/RonPH: the crack, like you mentioned only holds the shaft in place. i looked at it again, and while it is a crack most of the way through the side, at this point i am not concerned about it's stability. i snug it down and the crack does not open, so this will just be one thing i will be careful with if/when the need arises to remove it. Mike/Dutchmike: thanks! i think the sticker is more of a plastic sheet that was glued to the case. the remnants i have could be used to replicate a sticker if someone had the capability to make such a thing. there are 4 languages on the sticker, and not many words to get lost in translation. i could provide measurements of the sticker size and letter size if needed. John/Big BTU: thanks! i know i paid a lot for this, more than i had any stove in the past, but i think it's "rarity" made it worth it to me, and i am rather happy that it is a white gas/Coleman fuel model. i'll post more/better pics and a less verbose description in the Gallery section when i get the chance.
Hello Jon Do you still need measurements of the Radius 43 wrench? Had a good look at mine tonight and cleaned it up. Jeff
Congrats Jon, you've got a pretty nice stove... As you said, CCS corrupted in some way our minds and we all have lists of wanted stoves that need to be reached. My wife or friends doensn't understand why I am willing to pay big cash for a little stove. The one you got is a rare one and it is in an outstanding condition, I really like it!
hey Jeff Doc Mark said he would measure the wrench in his 43 for me. however, i wonder if there are perhaps 2 different wrenches. i looked at an old pic of his 43, and found a pic of a 43B. the key for the 43 looks longer than the one with the 43B. i looked in the 1950 catalog and it gives the same part number, so i don't know what to think. does anyone know for sure? caution! pure speculation follows: maybe the 43B's use a shorter, slightly different wrench because the wrench is not needed to control the burner? here are some pics to consider in this hypothesis: 43B in reference gallery: 43 (silent, kero) in reference gallery:
Yup there are two different wrenches. The early military ones have a wrench that was also the control knob. The later ones had a wrench just for the stuffing box and jet. And a separate control knob. Stoves made for kero came with a spirit cans. The 43b didn't Jeff
The early spindles were square as well. The later spindles are a little different if you take a look at your 43B. Jeff
