Courtesy of Ebayer 8278kieran This stove was recently sold on Ebay, and I thought it to be a good idea to save the images of the auction here as they will be lost and no longer available in a few months. I am led to believe that this stove was made prior to 1911, (I can see no clear letter underneath the word Stockholm) but this idea contradicts the notion of the '96' having been introduced in early 1911. Some parts of the stove have been swapped out and some are missing, so I can only base my assumption on the stampings, pump knob and the feet; these appear to be original. Ross wrote in his thread on the 1911 '96' the following lines: 'I'd queried Bryan about a statement he'd made along the lines that the early airscrews were on the filler caps before moving to the tank & then back to the filler cap around 1921.' The original filler cap has at some point in its life been replaced by a more modern one, which is shown in the pictures. Still no concrete example of a Pre 1911 '96', but the images are relevant to our ongoing investigation on the history of the '96' nevertheless. Frank
Did someone here win this , I did have a bid , but it went for a lot more than I was willing to pay Stu
Hello Folks, I am the current custodian of this stove! It may have been on the pricy side but its the only one I've seen in recent years and it was my birthday so I thought 'Sod It!' and went mad After arriving home it was closely inspected and compared to my two main sources of information and other variants in my collection: Bryan Millars excellent Primus 96 History When I refer to "Versions", this is with reference to Bryan's thread and his notional lineage of the model. The Archivist/Ross' Thread This thread references the early base stampings mentioned below and is also a very useful early resource. What I bought was effectively an early Bun-Foot tank/fount and Pump Assembly with non original accessories/parts attached. The Vapouriser was a Thermidor 2-part one, the burner bell an unmarked later one of difficult-to-determine manufacture (I shall keep comparing pictures/bells but it may be a Falks one) the vapouriser protruding within the bell 1/4". The Filler Cap was of the later Version 6 type and the Reserve Cap the later Version 3 to 5 type. I don't generally do shine-till-you-see-your-face-in-it brass polishing, especially on stoves with character/patina but I thought this merited a general clean/tidy-up to bring out its features. It has had a good life and has been well used. One foot is slightly askew, evidence of a drop or a tap on it at some stage. The brass has worn flat evenly on the bottom of all feet, indicating the drop happened a long time past. The pump tube collar is worn, not excessively though. It bears numerous scratches and dings of 100+ years of moving around.... Looking closely at the bottom stamping, I cannot see evidence of a date letter. I have looked under a magnifying lens and used various light sources. There is a scratch which causes an interesting optical illusion (I thought I saw an "A" in the ebay picture), but it seems to be a red herring. I would tentatively suggest early/pre "A", mainly due to the pump cap and inclusion of A/B on the bottom stamp. Unsure when they ceased the flat pump knob between notionally 1908 and 1911, so at the latest I would like to suggest late 1910/early 1911. Thoughts? Additional evidence? Now then, onto my tidy-up and bringing back to useful service - the build-list... Tank - As original. Pump Assembly - As original (cork NRV pip in excellent condition and functions well. Aged pump cup soaked in 3-in-one oil overnight and massaged in the morning, functioning well!) The rest from my spares box: Vapouriser - Nickel steel tube with brass nut, marked up Primus Sweden, no date stamps on this one. Burner Bell - Standard pre-PTC type, the common one. Flame Plate - The fairly common Primus/sunrise style plate. Spirit Cup - Standard 96 type. Pot Legs - Version 3 to 6 type used. These are an excellent snug fit within the leg sockets, this tends to confirm the shape is the same on earlier ones but they lack the supporting collars. Filler Cap - Version 5 used instead of Version 6 (its a step in the right direction...) Reserve Cap - A modified Optimus type (threads turned out inside to the dimensions of a vapouriser to replicate the V1/V2 hexagonal style), in place of the Version 3 type. Spanner - A typical Primus/Sweden stamped spanner used. Tin - A fairly common red/sunburst Primus tin used to store everything together, originally I expect it would have had no tin, the gold 96L tin or a plain tinned steel tin. In use it functions well, a happy little 96, looking forward I expect to occasional use, vying for position with my other favourites - Radius 20, 1923 96 and Optimus 8R! It also met its relations..... I hope they don't keep me awake at night comparing notes/stories... I am now on the lookout for: The correct Filler Cap (or parts thereof); The correct Pot Legs (or accurate dimensions to manufacture/modify these legs); An early Flame-Plate and 3-Leg Windshield Assembly. Alec.
Rangie that is a wonderful early 96. More than 100 years old and still showing its class! Thank you for the commentary and photographing it in detail for the Gallery.
Hi Alexander, Firstly may I wish you a happy Birthday, just gone. Secondly, great post on this very early No.96. I love the bun feet and powerful flame pattern. Best Regards, George.
Well done you Alec & a belated happy birthday too , i'm glad it went to a good home & it's always nice to get a present you want & not socks Stu .
