This is my first post on this site. I restore old caravans as one of my other hobbies and found this Companion stove while searching for a replacement for a caravan which had been built in the late 1930's. The van is a time capsule unused since 1962 but unfortunately the cooker is missing. I was looking for a 2 burner model but couldn't pass this one up. The attached photos are of the stove `as found' unrestored. It has never been used and still has the factory packing for the tray and the factory `Trial burned and tested' ticket on the burner. Now to find a period lantern ) Koala
G,,day and welcome mate . another Aussie . nice find , unused , lovely . the NRV pip and the cap seal will most likely need replacing . and soak the pump cup in oil if its dry , will not hurt to do it anyway . I have a single and a double , far from new . cheers kerry
not off hand , what do you need ??? I make my own cap seals , wad punch from Viton . you can use nitrile . same for the NRV pip pump leathers see member services ad , I and others have an ad there kerry
I believe most of the bits are just Optimus/Primus in a locally assembled package. Identical stoves were sold under several Australian brands. Companion still exists but now only does propane based gas stoves
Hi, Your Companion range looks to be very similar to the Svea 153: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/8959 Best Regards, Kerophile.
Hi Kerry Still not sure whether I will use the stove or just display it..........I am leaning towards using it. Either way I should replace the cap seal, NRV and plunger leather cup. Also need a jet prickers and jet tool I guess. Let me know what you can supply. I'm guessing some modern Coleman stuff would fit and I see that some UK based suppliers have some kits. Koala
Hi Kerophile Yes my stove does look very similar to the SVEA. I note that mine has a galvanised chassis, all other Companions that I have seen have a black chassis but I am not sure whether someone has painted over them or not. It is interesting that the SVEA is galvanised as well. Gave my tank and tray a light polish to remove some oxidisation and it came up beautifully. The burner on mine has `Companion Pattern' stamped on the top cap.
G,,day. I can only help you with the pump cup. sheet Viton or Nitrile and the right size wad punches and you can make your own cheers kerry
For parts in Oz see the Links on this site. TW Sands is in Melbourne, and your nearest is Associated Kerosene Products in Braidwood. Fr. Laurence
Firstly a wonderful find, and in pristine condition. Good luck getting it going, it shouldn't be too difficult. Interesting about the galvanizing and the issue of the sibling Svea model sometimes being black and sometimes galvanized. I believe yours to be near enough the equivalent model to the SVEA 152; silent burner and tank on left side. The Svea Model 150 was a roarer burner with tank on left side. The silent burner is 152 and the regulated burner was 154. In the Gallery the SVEA 53 I think is actually a SVEA 153 with a bolt obscuring the '1'. I think this is just the righthanded version of the 152 which is also pictured in the gallery. There is also a 155 and I am not certain about this variation. The observation made about the minor parts being slightly different to the Svea units is valid, and some Companion '152s' had a round air release screw, like on some of their blowlamps, though I see yours has the flattened type. What is the writing on it? Is it Svea or Companion? Also in relation to the comment about missing trays (in your Gallery post), I think that is quite correct, and in some cases with them being lost. Similar other brands, e.g., Eezy-Fyre the tray was made of steel and might have rusted away. However is your tray made of aluminium/aluminum? Good luck. Iain Sedgman
Hi Iain, thank you for your comments. My stove has Companion on the air release, the tank and on top of the burner. The drip tray is aluminum and quite lightweight which makes it easy to damage. This and the fact that there is nothing to hold they tray in position may explain why most trays go missing. Gave the brass a light polish and it came up beautifully.......love that brass. Koala
Morning, Koala, Well done on scoring that lovely Companion!! I have a Handi Stovette, which is made up of right and left versions of your stove (and/or the SVEA model), and it's a wonderful stove. Albert White, from Queensland, used to have lots of spare parts available, but he's rather dropped off the radar in the last few years, and my emails to him go unanswered. So, I don't know if he's still around, or not. Handi Albert, as he is known here at CCS, had bought the Handi Stove Company, and for a long while, helped those in need of spares for those, and other stoves. I am sure you will enjoy your Companion stove, as I do my big brassie from that company, which I got from Albert, many years ago, in a multi-trade. Have fun, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
It would indeed be great to hear from Albert, or get an update, especially since we have so many antipodean members now. Which thought also puts me in mind of Peter Watchorn. When I think of Peter, I hear the distant notes of a harpsichord, over the quiet hiss of a brass stove in a cabin along an Oz estuary.....
My replacement parts for the Companion arrived today and after fitting them I discovered the likely reason why this stove had never been used. Having fitted a new pump washer and NRV I was able to add fuel and give it a pump only to discover a growing pool of kero under the tank. A inspection reveals that the solder joint where the tube for the burner goes into the tank appears to never been completed correctly at the factory. Leaks at this joint had prevented the tank from pressurising. A clean, heat and some solder and finally this stove was able to be lit for the first time. There was only solder about one third around the joint but now all is good and I can use the stove if I wish. Koala
Ed, Albert is still around... I bought a globe on eBay a few months ago and when it arrived it had a card which showed it was from Albert... Koala, Let me know if you get stuck finding any bits for that stove (which, of course, should be used!). Between all of the Aussies you'll end up getting that thing roaring. But... you won't be able to stop there. You'll be wandering past a junk shop and another stove will be there calling "pick me... pick me...". I'm afraid it's probably too late to resist, now that you've gone this far... In that case you will need a regular supply of seals etc for the different stoves you'll end up accumulating in your shed. May I suggest a visit to The Fettle Box (link on this site) who provide an excellent range of products at good prices; quick service and postage to Australia is pretty good. Cheers Tony
Thanks Tony All is good and the stove works well. I did buy a kit from The Fettle Box but I ordered the wrong kit so the filler cap seal doesn't fit. No big problem and I have ordered the correct one. Can still use the stove as the filler is only leaking a little. Funny you mention buying other stoves, I did miss out on a double burner Companion which was on ebay Koala
Found little accessory to go with my Companion. This little stove has surprised me with how quickly it can boil water.
Sorry mate, the attachment shows as an error page. Can you please fix it, as I'm dyin' to see what you found!!! Best regards, Mike.
Sorry about that, made a beginners mistake and attached a file which was too large. Couldn't figure out how to edit the original one though. Koala
