This small spirit stove was manufactured by the Midland Lighting Co. of Birmingham. The company was at 7 Corporation Street, Birmingham and manufactured at the 'Sun Lamp Works' in Leopold Street. The 'In Lux Way' motto was Midland's trademark. They made lamps, cooking stoves, heating stoves and kettles. Lamps advertised as 'Thermidor' Belge were manufactured at the The Sun Lamp Works from about 1887. The works closed in 1905 and it appears that they then became lamp dealers instead of makers. This is a small spirit stove - if you ignore the pan supports, it is 82mm diameter and 19mm high (three and a quarter inches dia. and three quarters of an inch high). With the fixed pan supports, it is 55mm high (two and one-eighth inches). The lid which can be used to extinguish the flame, also has a circular lifting flap so that a simmer-flame can be produced. Considering its size, I did not expect a quick boil time, but in fact one pint of water took only 7 and a half minutes to boil. Amazing little stove.
Hi, Trevor, That's a VERY nice little Meths stove!! I, too, have one of those little gems, thanks to the kindness of one of our CCS Mates a few years back, though I've never take the time to make my look like new, as you have so nicely done!! Excellent photos, too, Trevor. Many thanks for sharing your own Two Flame Spirit Stove with us, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Clever arrangement to get the 'two flame' outputs. Perfect for a picnic - then as now Thanks to this source for the photo Source of pic John
Great photo John - thanks for that. Now if only I could get hold of a dinky kettle like that . . . . . .
Trevor, I see small tea kettles like that every once in a while in Second Hand and charity shops around here. The one in the photo seems to be about half a liter / one pint. Some years ago Da Missus was searching for Christmas presents and found a 1/2 liter tea kettle/pot at REI . I went there and got a 2 liter one that's actally useful. Both are EverNew brand stainless with a removable internal mesh basket for tea leaves and were made in Japan. It's been a coon's age since either was actually used for anything but fooling around with. For those who are racially sensitive, I refer to a "Coon's Age" only to mean "A long time." the "Coon" being a Raccoon, (procyon lotor} distantly related to North American Bears and whose habitat comprises nearly all of North and Central America. An exceptionally adaptive critter that normally lives twenty years in the wild, longer in captivity. They thrive in most climates and territories, Preferring running water close by. Their preferred food is crawdads and fresh water bivalves. Any food they can swallow is acceptable. Anything we can eat, they can eat, so they also thrive in cities and around farms. Right here at my house we have quite a few of them. The only reason they don't infest my house is that it is already full of Norwegians and a Pit Bull Terrier. Raccoons are not normally prey to other animals since they can and will fight, can turn 180 degrees in their own skin, have sizeable very sharp canines and long claws. They are very quick and have been known to kill mountain lions and injure black bears seriously enough that the wounds eventually prove fatal through loss of blood and infection. Many humans think raccoons to be "cute" only to have that impression rethought after having bones in hands and arms painfully exposed. Raccoons are "cute" at twenty feet in the sights of a .22 rifle, in a cage or on Tee Vee, not up close and unrestrained. Especially not a sow raccoon with kits, She and her kits are "cute" from inside the car, windows up. Anyway, I'll keep an eye peeled for a wee tea kettle with you in mind. If some drooling mouthbreater introduces Raccoons to GB, he should be well painted with honey and thrown into a pit with four or five hungry boar Raccoons. That would make being tossed into a snake pit or log chipper compare to a nap on a feather bed. Gerry
Hi Thuggy Interesting about the larger kettle you found. My kettle is definitely a small camping kettle with folding handle and is perfect for my solo camping. However, mine also has a removable mesh basket for tea leaves or course-ground coffee beans.
