Hi All A good pal popped round the other day with this for me 8) .... I'm not sure how old it is but trawling through the reference gallery it has pointers in several directions , the dimpled spirit cup according to Bryan is a rarer part, early air release screw & no external NRV , but it has the tighter curved top on the pot supports & later style bent legs at the bottom Hex travel cap Bun feet & original tin Any ideas or info on its age would be appreciated Stu .
Hi Stu, I can't help with the date of the stove, but, it's an early one. Seems like anything with 'Patent' stamped on them are before, at least, 1920. If not, then my mistake. That's the one thing about Optimus stoves is that they didn't stamp anything and so you have to go by how they are marked, stove features like the filler cap, burner, and the knobs and feet. Kerophile put together a list for some Optimus stoves and has proven to be fairly accurate to within a decade? What I really wanted to comment on was how superbly nice the stove is. The polish you've done looks excellent. It's definitely a keeper! sam
:Wow Stu You lucky beggar! Tin as well. Good friend!!!!! I would say F...ing angel!! As to age ....old Congrats Nick
Morning, Stu, WOW!! What a lovely old 00!!! Not only a rare and much sought-after stove, but also, being a gift from a friend, one to be used and cherished for your lifetime!!! Good things come to good people!!! Thanks for sharing your new/old Optimus with us, and hearty congratulations!!! It's grand to have friends, isn't it?!!!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Mark P.S. Stu, please check out this outstanding offering from Bryan, as it may help you date your wonderful old 00. https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/10248
Hello Chaps I just got this Sunflower stove for 99p from the bay of evil ... I posted it here first as i do not have the stove yet , but the similarity to my other early Opti patented 00 is very encouraging The write up states...... "it says vacuum oil company lisboa on it , exigez toujours petrole sunflower , optimus 30 pate. I did find some pic's of the "Vacuum oil company" based in Lisbon , Portugal on Flicker...... But it seems the "Vacuum" ( American oil ) company ran this local outfit which later merged with the Standard oil Co to form Mobil Oil I'm really looking forward to getting this stove & comparing it with the 00 , more pic's to follow when it arrives Stu .
https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/help-identifying-this-svea-model.10531/#post-101389 https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/sunflower.1089/ https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/id-this-stove-please.22637/#post-231159
Hi George Thanks for that info 8) , I bet you have one of these Sunflowers in your collection already Stu.
Hi Stu, I do envy you the Sunflower/Optimus as I don't have one yet......But look at this stove and the comments: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/6218 See in particular: "It is possible that the Vacuum reference refers to the " Vacuum Oil Company", later to become the Socony Vacuum Co. in 1931,a US company which engaged in fuel production and sales. It is now part of Exxon-Mobil: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_Oil_Company If so your stove must be pre-1931." Best Regards, George.
Hi George Yes it is marked up as the "Vacuum oil company" , Lisboa on one side ( Lisbon ) Portugal , & although it's a bun footed 00 it's marked up as an "Optimus 30" on the top , the other side says "exigez toujours petrole sunflower" ( always require/use sunflower oil ) which makes me think is this an optimus 30 after all & not a sunflower stove Confused , but very happy , Stu PS will post pic's in a new thread later
Hi Stu, It was fairly common at one time for fuel suppliers to provide discounted stoves if you agreed to use their fuel. These stoves were typically manufactured by one of the well known brass stove makers but carried the name and logo of the fuel maker (such as STANDARD or VACUUM OIL) I have seen Svea, Optimus and Hipolito manufactured stoves badge-engineered in this way. This tie-up of fuel supplier and stove maker seems to have been fairly common practice in Europe and the UK. Indeed many British stoves carried "Pink Paraffin" and "Esso Blue" transfers well into the 1960s. I think your Vacuum Oil/ Optimus stove is early and probably dates from the 1920's/30s. It is unlikely to be after 1931 when Vacuum Oil became the Socony Vacuum Company.
