First of all, Hello. I'm new to Optimus stoves and this site. I bought a 111 at a yard sale and probably paid more than i should have. Cosmetically it's in good condition. I tried to fire her up but i'm having no luck. I'm using kerosene and priming with alcohol. The kerosene is dripping down underneath the burner and creating large flames. I can't get the burner to sustain a nice flame. Is it me or a fault in the stove? It's a 111 model for kerosene, Gas or Alcohol. And I'm pretty sure i'm using the correct jet. I'll provide pictures if needed. Thanks and hope to hear from some of you so i can get this thing fired up and join the club.
Welcome to CCS! If you have the right jet, clean fuel, a good fuel cap with good gasket, then the prime might not be long enough. I would fill the priming dish full of denatured alcohol and light it again. It also depends on the 111 you bought. If you bought the 111B, that only uses white gas and would be very difficult to prime with kerosene in the fuel tank. You can make sure you have a 111 by noticing that the burner has four tubes that rise up to the top of the burner. The white gas version only has two and contribute nothing to vaporizing the fuel and only works with white gas or Coleman fuel. If you bought the 111T, you'll definitely want to make sure you have the correct jet since these came with one for kerosene and white gas and the other jet was for alcohol, which is bigger and would spew more fuel and produce yellow flames. The 111T is the silent burner with inner and outer caps, where the outer cap has many flame jet holes to spread the flames out for a silent burn. If you have a broken burner or bad burner connection, that might also explain why fuel is underneath the burner. Hopefully, this is not the case. Maybe a picture or two would help. sam
thanks for the reply. hope these help. I'm using rubbing alcohol for priming. could that be an issue?
Looks like the 111T, you have there. I would try priming again. Rubbing alcohol will burn with a lot of soot and make your burner black since it's only partially alcohol, like a lot of it is water. I'm not sure if it will get hot enough. Denatured alcohol will burn a lot cleaner and blue. If you can't buy denatured, try the yellow bottle of Heet, if you can find it. That will prime your 111 stove quite easily. I've used that quite a bit. You probably got a great deal on that 111(T). See if that will work for you. Make sure to turn the knob clockwise to close it and then to open turn the knob counter-clockwise. If you turn this one all the way to the left, the cleaning needle will clean the jet and block it. It looks ready to be fired. You'll also want to check the fuel cap gasket for hardness. If it is hard and brittle, it will be difficult to get a seal, which will be required for this stove to build pressure. Also, the pump has a seal in what is called the NRV (non return valve) at the bottom of the pump tube. You'll need a special tool to replace it. If the NRV is not working, you'll get a pump handle that rises up after you've pressurized the tank or spillage of fuel coming out the pump tube. You've got a nice one there! sam
Great thanks, i'll try the denatured alcohol. no wonder i was getting so much soot. I paid $100 for the stove it was more like an estate sale. the guy wanted $150. I assume that's probably the going rate. I'll report back after trying your suggestions.
$100 is a lot, but still less than the going rate. I'm not sure I've seen one in that good a condition for that price in a long while. You won't be disappointed in the performance of that hummer. If you have the other jet, then you'll be able to do triple fuels - Kerosene, white gas on one jet and Alcohol with the other jet, plus air restrictor. You'll need the restrictor to make alcohol burn in that stove, but, hey, Kerosene it what it is made for! Best of luck to you, sam
Hi, donv, What you have is the original version of the 111T, and it's a dandy! It came with an extra jet for Meths (alcohol), plus a special restrictor for use with the Meths, and a Multifuel jet. Make sure the proper jet is installed. You can find the exact instructions for your stove here at CCS, in the Reference section under "Instructions". Prime it well with Methylated Spirits, which is a marine-grade alcohol, and you should be right up town! Great stove, and hey you didn't pay too much, as the most recent going rate has been higher. Nice condition, too, so well done! Keep your eyes open for a future announcement of CASG8, which is the California Stove Gathering #8. We just held #7 out in Joshua Tree National Park, and that's not too far from where you live! Bring your 111T, and we'll show you some in's and out's of that model stove. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Start the stove with low pressure, only a couple of pumps. If you hit the burner with lots of fuel at high pressure some of it could come out as a liquid before it can vaporize. Because you have a silent burner you have to wait for the priming alcohol to burn out before you send fuel to the burner. If you hear any roaring or growling noises, this is underburn and you have to shut the fuel off immediately and relight it. If you are still having problems, put a video up on YouTube of the whole process. It doesnt matter if it looks crappy, it will help us diagnose the problem.
thanks all, Doc, that sounds fun. I was just in Joshua Tree last week. I go about 3 times a year for camping and stargazing. yes the stove came with 3 Jets, 1 for alcohol, original instructions, another restrictor and a second fuel tank cap.
That's a better than average deal if one is comparing prices to that auction site. For kerosene, make sure you are using the jet with the smallest hole. 91% rubbing alcohol will work for priming, it is a little dirty. Fill the priming up nearly full and, as already mentioned, it is easiest to let that burn out completely and then light the stove. Report back, we will be interested in what happens.
Hey, All, I'd stick with pure Methylated Spirits for priming, and also if you decide to burn Meths in your 111T. Why not use the good, clean stuff, and have little to no sooting??!! Just a thought.... Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
You did good with that purchase. The 111T was the first Stove I ever purchased. And guess what? After 7 years it still gets the most use. Burns so clean on Kerosene that my wife doesn't mind me using it indoors. They're simple stoves to work on. When I bought mine I made a check list. Tank lid gasket - check. NRV - Check. Graphite packing - check. jet - check. There's more to look for but mine seemed well looked after. Fired right up and I never had a problem with it with what seems like at least a thousand uses if not more.
While I don't recommend isopropanol for priming, if that is all one has, there is no reason not to use it. A little soot does not damage anything (well it does cause cancer, but so does nearly everything, especially in California).
A question about the denatured alcohol. what small container can I store it in that will fit in the case of the stove? It will melt plastic if i'm not mistaken. I want to keep a nice compact kit.
Hi, donv, You must use a plastic that is not effected by the Meths. You can buy them online, or just experiment yourself, and see what works best for you. I've never had Meths be a problem in a plastic container. Good luck, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Dony. Go to your local army surplus store and ask for LSA (Lubricant Small Arms) bottles. They are chemical resistant and a perfect fit for going inside a 8R or 111. I get two to three primes on my 111T depending on how liberal I am with it. Double that for my 111Bs.
Of course there are those little plastic bottles that are designed to hold alcoholic beverages, like the ones they serve on airlines. Enough priming fuel for a weekend. I've used them for years and they work fine. The small ones will fit inside most of the box type stoves. I take the lables off and write POISON, STOVE FUEL on the sides. You can't cure stupid, but you can advise anyone else a bit smarter.
thanks Ulysses, i see you're from manasquan. I'm born and raised in Toms River. My Father is from Belmar. Now to business. So i gave it another go tonight and i'm still having issues with the stove. Once i get the burner going i'm getting nothing but big yellow flames. I took some video. I can upload to youtube then post the link
