Hello All - I just bought my first Svea Optimus 123. Loving it so far! I do have a question: After some use I find the tank gets very hot - almost too hot to touch. I'm supposing this is normal, but figured I better check with people who know this classic little stove better than I. Thanks!
very hot.keep the key off while using or it too will get very hot and you won't be able to shut it down.
What size pot are you using? The stove is designed to absorb heat so will get hot as this is what pressurises it. Bigger pots can reflect too much heat though. If a wet finger sizzles when touching the tank its too hot
Hi Strathy, welcome to the forum. This type of stove was designed for outdoor use. Don't use it indoors (even in an open garage) as it will overheat. But as Doug and Geeves have already said, the tanks are supposed to get hot - there is no pump so the stove is self-pressurised by the hot tank. We've all burnt our fingers on hot keys! Great little stoves that you can pass on to your grandchildren. Of course, you do realise that you have started on the slippery slope to stove collecting? You're already referring to it as your "first". Next you'll ponder - "Hm... I wonder what the Primus 71/Optimus 80/Radius 42 is like?". No hope for you I'm afraid. We are all now looking forward to pics of it running - taking flame shots is a definite symptom of you being afflicted by stove pox. Regards, Terry
If you have bought an old one then you should probably replace the filler cap seal, especially if it is hard and plasticky instead of soft and rubbery. If you have bought a new one then congratulations on making a great choice. If you run it on white gas and avoid auto fuel wherever possible then it will last pretty much forever. A few tankfuls of auto fuel in a pinch wont kill it but it does crud up the vaporizer over time.
Strathy, Ignore what everyone says about the key. You have to burn your thumb once to properly learn never to leave it in In fact it's a mark of membership to the club. When you meet a fellow cogniscenti they will recognise the burn scars on your thumb and immediately be able to assess if it was a SVEA 123 (and which vintage), Primus 71, Optimus 80, Radius 42 etc you cut your teeth on. And of course I'm talking rubbish - safety first at all times. Welcome, Graham.
Thanks everyone. While I'm not new to camp stoves, this is my first Svea and my first non-mechanical pressurized. Mine is new (didn't think of looking for a vintage one, but now I see them everywhere ... lol), so I'm looking forward to passing it onto my kids years from now. .... yes, the key gets hot too. On the plus side, the burn is a neat geometric design. @geeves - I was using it without a pot - just getting used to how it operated. @Trojandog - I'll definitely get some shots of it working - maybe a night shot or two. Ooooo ... ahhhhh. lol.
All this talk of hot keys and burnt thumbs. Personally, I usually leave the key on the stove, both with the Svea and the Optimus 8R. I find fitting the key back on to a running stove while crouching over a steaming pot, often in the dark, is just too cumbersome. Yes it gets pretty warm but I have never branded my thumb.
Hi Strathy, when i bought my fist Svea 123 a wise and knowledgeable stove enthusiast from the USA gave me the advice that if you cant touch the lower portion of the tank with your finger for a second or two its too hot add a little cold water to the priming cup or top of the tank to cool things down. I use plastic pipette to be honest its the same one that i use to prime the stove i think i have only needed to cool a tank 1 or 2 times and strangely only when i am simmering things. this advice was also contained in a climbing magazine from the 1970s that did a review on the Svea 123 i think someone here posted it i think the magazine was climber i will try and find it later Another tip a piece of stove rope fits nicely in to the priming well on the Svea and the primus 71 this absorbs the priming meths or fuel and stops it spilling when you put the wind screen on this means you heat the burner and not the tank a much better use of the meths and a good way NOT to over heating the stove. i don't remove it i have wired it in place a bit of water on it wont bother it if you want to cool the stove down it actually helps again holding the water in place and has evaporated long before you prime again one more hint dont run out of fuel or you will burn / scorch the wick inside the vaporizer tube and this badly effects the performance of the stove if you want a bit of stove rope pipette or spare wick send me a pm and i will post it to you i had to buy a meter and it will last me for ever congratulations on a great stove regards Blaze
So there is a ritual before we can be considered a true Svea 123 owner? Sort of like Kwai Chang Caine on the Kung Fu TV show
Im guessing Im not a true 123 owner despite buying my 123r brand new 30 years ago. Not sure about the advice on not useing indoors. Mine has seen extensive work inside tramping huts
"one more hint dont run out of fuel or you will burn / scorch the wick inside the vaporizer tube and this badly effects the performance of the stove" Thanks for this advice. Running dry is something that I could see happening pretty easily. Is the wick easily replaced? Are there videos or instructions on how to do this? I saw that there is a repair kit available - so I assume that a bit of prep (some instructions) and a kit would be all I would need if I did run it dry and needed to be repaired in the field
This is a good link on replacing a wick: Link It is for an Optimus 8R but the principle is the same. I use unravelled cotton string or string from a mop head. Just make sure sure that it is cotton not polycotton. Remember that the bottom of a 123 tank curves inwards so the wick needs to be long enough to reach the deepest point (edge).
Hi Blaze again you can replace the wick easily and you can run dry quite a few times before you get problems the wick hardens and falls to bits or burns at the top. the 123r is not quite as easy to service as 123 due to the built in jet cleaner. you wont need to replace the wick for a long time years if not decades!! unless you use the stove very hard. you will know when the stove loses performance its time for a service. this is the time for a new filler cap gasket wick and a gland seal / packing and a good clean out inside the tank and burner nipple etc an hour or to and the stove is as good as new. as for field repairs i carry a spare cap seal.to replace the wick you unscrew the burner from the tank (with a good fitting spanner you dont want to damage the base nut) remove the wick buy pulling it down push in the new wick. when you reassemble the burner and tank use a small amount of spark plug anti seize paste this makes the burner easier to remove next time and ensures a good gas tight seal. also note the position of the tap so that it lines up with the hole in the wind screen.i make replacement wicks all the time and i dont think twice about replacing them base camp show an exploded view of the 123r and a parts list. the svea juwel primus white gas stoves are all very similar and extreamly simple and very reliable regards Blaze
My 123r is on its 2nd cap after the safety failed and 3rd washer Its been run dry more times than I have fingers and toes but still on original wick. It is showing signs of a dodgy wick in that hand warming the tank barely releases enough fuel to prime (this works fine on my radius 42 and primus 71) and takes longer than it used to to hit full steam but then its still goes as good as it ever did. The priming doesnt matter As I normaly prime with meths from a eye dropper bottle
Question: Does the Svea 123r have a base nut? I have a older model but as I look at photos of the newer version it looks like it has no base nut.How do you remove the burner on these? Thanks
