I'm on a gear kick, tuning up my Svea 123 and looking for a windscreen. I've always used it with the Sigg Tourist and don't know if I ever had the original windscreen. But now I want one for more compactness. Calling around, while looking for parts, I'm told Optimus is owned by katadyn now, based here in Minneapolis, who is sending me a cap gasket, packing, needle and tip (orifice, part with tiny hole gas exits from)... for free! How nice of them. It's surging a bit and not burning strong. The wick looks fine. It takes a real hard turn to get the gas to stop completely, and not leak during transport. I'm thinking the needle tip is banged up and needs a real delicate honing or replacement. Buffed up the tank on the buffing wheel. How purdy! Allan
As for the surging and not burning strong, could there be some gunk in the valve? I've had that happen and took a little bit of persistence to clean one of those out thoroughly enough to unlodge some carbon build up. After that, it worked better than ever. On others I've taken the burner apart and applied heat on the valve body and quenched it in cold water. Little by little the gunk comes out. sam
When I get the new packing and needle I'll pull out the valve. I imagine it will mess up the packing but that seems a simple matter. (Like an old faucet, graphite string deal). I ran a pipe cleaner in from the top and nothing is particularly dirty or gunky. I'm worried about the needle valve and seat because it doesn't shut off easily (take a hard turn, else it leaks a small flame and gas later in the pack). They've been closed hard and perhaps deformed the mating parts. I read here you can hone the needle with perhaps 1000 grit emery paper (I have), and I'm getting a new one, but the seat is part of the body casting. Any experience with this one? I'll work ebay to get a windscreen one way or another. There are lots of them.
You might want to go for pure graphite tape for the valve packing. Not sure the graphite string for plumbing use would necessarily have the required heat resistance for a stove application. Has anyone else successfully used graphite string this way? Cheers, Graham.
Nice..i live over by the Vets Hospital in South Mpls.i have a extra one you can have.PM me for a pick up time.
Thanks for all the helpful comments!! It worked well enough camping this weekend. I like it, my trusty friend. Outbid on the windscreen, but I'll find one in time. The Coleman Max cookset at Walmart for $30 is a nice 2 person option. I'm playing with a Brasslite IID alcohol stove, but dang! It's fussy and a learning curve. Nice for a cup of tea on a day hike or ski, but not sure what else. Still trying things with it. I'm looking for a real, low, long simmer flame to slow cook "real food", like rice and beans, grains. It keeps heating up and flaring up. Allan
Keep at it, Allen. The non-R model (ie the earlier no cleaning needle valve one) should simmer, mine do. Now you need a nice set of Globetrotter pots for it.
