Greetings, All, On Shagratork's suggestion, I'm re-posting the stuff I shared in HikerDuane's thread about his own Opti hand warmer. I finally figured out how to use the scan function on our printers, and hope the instructions come out better than my actual photo did, which I posted in Duane's original thread. So, here goes: My Optimus Hand Warmer came to be, brand new, with instructions, from my dear friend, Shirlene, at A&H Packstoves, many years ago. I've never used it, and dug it out to add as information in Duane's thread about his own versions of this neat little pocket heater. Here's mine: And the instructions: The wooden knob at the top of this hand warmer, regulates the heat, and also snuffs out the flame when you wish to turn it off. I've never used mine, but Duane reported that he fired his up at 12:30 on one day, and had it finally go out sometime between 5AM and 6AM the next morning! That is putting out some heat, and for a nice long burn, too! As you can see in the instructions, Optimus warned against using what they called "Ronsonol" lighter fluid, and recommended trying other brands, and also fuels for catalytic heaters, which I am assuming means like the good old Coleman Catalytic heater, which burns Coleman fuel. I hope this is of some help to those who are seeking information about this neat little pocket heater. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc (to whom Sweet Bride just asked, "Is that an Optimus Hand Warmer in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me"!!!)
Thanks, Doc! The ability to throttle the heat output is a big step up from the old Jon-e warmers, only had one setting, full out, balls to the wall HOT! I've no doubt of Duane's comment on the burn time on the Optimus warmers, my big Jon-e would run for better than 12 hours on one fill. the little ones, about an 8-hour shift, not like anyone with a brain let theirs run dry! The other difference was the Jon-e warmers had a hole for lighting one's cigarette, rather a non-issue these days. What are the dimentions on the Optimus heater? The Jon-e "G.I." heater I have here is 3" by 4", that was the big one, IIRC, the smaller was an inch shorter in both dimentions, but used the same sized heater head. Murph
Hey, Murph, Sorry, I should have listed that info, as well as the instructions and photos. These little guys are about 4" tall, not counting the wooden knob, and 2 3/4" wide, and the fit in the little red bag is fairly snug. If mine runs as long as HikerDuane's did, I'll be a very Happy Chappy, as Richard likes to say!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi Doc, I never knew Optimus made a pocket hand warmer. I like the quality and design on the Optimus hand warmer, with it's heat control. I have a Zippo hand warmer which I love, but it does not have a heat control like the Optimus. And my Zippo is a lot more slimmer than the Optimus, but I am sure there are two sizes and I have the smaller size, here below are a couple of pics of it.
Hi, Brian, It's always good to hear from you, my friend! Thanks for sharing your little Zippo hand warmer. Looks like it would do the job, and all in a very compact package. Do you put it into a small cloth sack, or just slip it into your pocket as it is? Thanks, again, for sharing your neat little heater, and as always, God Bless you and yours! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi Doc you are welcome, i have only used it a few times but it is very effective. I do use a cloth bag it comes with, i am sorry I forgot to take a pic of the bag, in the second pic the bottom left hand corner, you can just see a little bit of the black cloth bag.
Hi Doc Thanks for posting your hand warmer in Paraffinalia. You seem to have got the hang of your scanner because the image of the instructions is perfectly clear to read. Many thanks again.
Evening, Trevor, You are welcome, my friend, and thank you, very much, for suggesting I do this. I don't know if I have the hang of the scanner, completely, but it's promising. Up until now, our new computers have not allowed us to scan with our Canon printers, which was VERY disappointing. However, between SB and I, we thought of another way to try it, and it seems to work even better than the way we used to. So, I'll try more stuff, as I have boxes, literally, of paperwork, and photos that might be of interest to other Stovies. Thanks, again, for dropping the suggestion. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi Doc, appreciate the instructions. Thought I knew how to work this gadget, but never knew about the "Pilot Setting" very cool. 8)
Hi, Guys, You are most welcome for the instructions! I'm just glad we finally figured out how to scan again on our computer/printer combos. Rick, I haven't tried my own little Opti pocket warmer, but if I "were" going to put cologne in it, to sweeten the aroma, as it were, I'd probably use the custom-made English Leather type cologne that I have been using since about 1962! SB loves it, and so do I. But, years ago, the company was sold, and immediately, the formula for making EL was cheapened to the point that the cologne was almost not worth purchasing! GRRRRR!!! Lo and behold, I mentioned to one of our long-time customers, who is also a friend, that I really missed the original English Leather cologne, as it was made from 1949 until sometime in the mid-'70's, and she, being a perfumer by trade, said, "Well, my father, and a friend of his, were the two guys that came up with the original formula in 1949"! She said she would check with her Dad and see if he would make me some oil so I could make my own English Leather Type cologne, and after quite a few years, it finally came to pass!! I'm as happy as a sweet-smelling pig in poo!!! 8) But, to tell the truth, I'd probably just use the heater as is, as the aroma of either Coleman fuel, or something similar, is "sweet" enough for me!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc (not one to give up on a good cologne, just because it ain't easy to get anymore!!) 8)
I came across my Optimus mini hand warmer and instructions in an old duck hunting vest. I haven't duck hunted in years, but I tested the hand warmer earlier and it works great. I think I got this handwarmer sometime in the late 70's or early 80's. I'll probably use it for steelhead fishing this winter. The instructions are a little different from the one that Doc Mark posted more than 5 years ago.
