Hi folks, newbie here. I recently inherited an Optimus 111b stove from my grandfather. He was notorious for taking good care of his stuff, and this was no exception. Although it says gasoline on the label, its been running on kerosine. I've taken it on a couple of camp outs and it seemed to work ok. Issues I noticed: Pump wasn't working well. Didn't keep pressure long. Leaky valve when open. I ran around the internet a while, watching you tube vids and doing image searches and such, and decided to collect a few tools and parts to fix it up proper. After taking it apart, I found a few worn bits that needed replacing. The old seal for the fuel tank cap was brittle and came out in pieces. The leather "cup" from the pump plunger was all dried and shriveled. So that got replaced. The lead (or graphite?) seal in the valve was pretty funky looking. Replaced that too. The gasket for the primer cup was worn out. I never did find a proper replacement for that. I ended up for now, with a brass bushing. Cleaned up all the parts as best I could. I have no idea how old the kerosene was in the tank, so I replaced it. I decided to stick with kerosene since it is more stable and less noxious. And it seems to work fine in the stove. The plunger got lubricated with some motor oil (as suggested by folks around the internet). The stove now pumps up and works great. Gives a huge roaring flame all the way down to a tiny candle out of the jet before its shut off. No leaks anywhere. Here's a fast-paced slide show of what all I did:
. Good job. 111s are an exceptionally good stove, and you have it working well. The spirit cup washer is usually lead, but having a brass one is fine. Enjoy your stove. Tony Ps: Just checking one thing: is the full flame bigger than the one in the photo above?
Nice work and very nice first post. Getting a stove from your grandparent is a real treat. I am glad it all work well for you. I'd also like to see some more shots of it burning kerosene. Not using gasoline is a good idea, but you might try it with Coleman fuel as some point -- I think you will be impressed with how clean it burns.
Thanks guys! Yes, the flame gets way bigger than the one I showed in the picture. I got lucky with those rubber/plastic pips in the valves. I've ordered several kinds, and they've all been the wrong size. I've also collected lots of gaskets and seals that are also the wrong size. Seems getting parts for this particular Optimus model is a challenge. I thought about using Colemen fuel. Wasn't sure if it was compatible. I may go ahead and try it.
Excellent 1st post. Nice 111.. Respect to your G'dad . Agree with itchy ... check seals (pump up and drown in water )..and give it a go on colemanapthaboxstore in u.s =stove fuel.... possibly ? with less burner clogging than paraffin/kero ? give it a blast .. see how it goes.try 25/75 50/50 to see a difference .. Nick
The burner on the 111B is designed for white gas (coleman) and I think you will find it really roars once that is in the tank. Your Grandad took good care of that....
G'day RebelRider and welcome, I love the video and the flareups look spectacular but it doesn't seem right to me. I have just finished fettling my first 111B so i'm no expert but mine does not flare up like that and the flame is a nice blue. I run mine on Shellite or coleman fuel. I have read because the burner only has two tubes it does not retain enough heat to vapourise kerosene properly. I believe this is what's causing the flaring and yellow flame in your video. Nice looking stove Martin
Welcome to the forum RebelRider.Mike, Robbo55 is correct. This 111B burner will not fully vaporize kerosene. Actually it doesn't even have 2 burner tubes as one is a dummy tube for directing preheating fuel down to the spirit dish. You'll really like the results when you switch to Coleman fuel. It'll end those yellow flareups and you'll have a clean burning blue flame. Great pictures by the way. Ray
Thanks for the video Mike. That is pretty good for kerosene. Nice to know the 111B (or at least some of them) can handle it in a pinch. As mentioned above, the 111B does not circulate fuel into the burner top to vaporize it (like the 111 and other kero stoves). The top is functionally just a flame plate and heat is radiated and conducted back to the burner base where it vaporizes fuel. Those flares you get when it is opened up are probably due to a little liquid fuel getting past. A lot of us have tried burning kerosene in stoves designed for lighter fuels just to see what happen -- and, big orange flares happen. Looking forward to your next project, after all, you have the parts now.
I appreciate the feedback folks! Next time I'm in town I'll pick up some Coleman fuel and try it out. The flare-ups seem to happen at the higher flow rates. I guess because the liquid is moving past the heat before it can vaporize? This is my first stove that doesn't use propane, so I'm new to all this priming and vaporizing stuff. I'd still love to find a source for the plastic Viton pips that the valves use if anyone knows of any. I bought a 111 kit and only the leather plunger cup fit my stove.
Did you get the kit from The Fettlebox? The only seal in my kit that doesn't fit this later variant is the NRV pip & possibly the SRV pip. I have been investigating the supply of moulded Viton NRV pips but not able to find a viable cost effective source as yet. I can however supply a Viton pip in brass holder as a conversion.
I did get the kit from The Fettlebox. And also the NRV removal tool. I apologize for my over simplified comment. The pump leather, and filler cap seal fit perfect. I didn't get a chance to replace the NRV washer. The original is really stuck in there, and I couldn't figure out how to get it out. Also it seems to work ok, so I decided not to replace it. So yes, the two pips are probably the only things in the kit that I can't use. Still totally worth buying. I understand the difficulty. I haven't found any pips that fit my stove anywhere. Fortunately, the originals seem to be in good shape for now. I'd just like to have replacements on hand. The valve stem seal for the burner, I found on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Valve-stem-packing-5-piece-for-Optimus-Svae-Primus-Stoves Perfect fit!
Many thanks. I do try to produce kits that are as specific as possible rather than generic, fit's 'most' pot-luck type kits. One of those should have been in the kit. Made from high-temp resistant material. If it wasn't let me know & I'll send you one out. Highlighted in picture below. From you video it's got the moulded type. If it ever needs changing the brass adapter with Viton will work well. Let us know how you get on with Coleman Fuel. It's good the stoves been leak tested on kero first as a leak from the NRV with white gas can be spectacular. Unlike the Colemans it doesn't lock out. It will burn much better with Coleman Fuel.
Grandfather would be proud! I think using the Coleman Fuel as the primer as you did there is absolutely fine. I'm not a fan of the stuff but that is one of it's advantages over kero.
Hi Mike, Looks like it's running pretty good on white gas. Welcome to CCS. A couple of tips for you. It's OK to demonstrate the range that you can get out of it but it's probably not a good idea to be reducing the flame down so it's running yellow. A yellow flame means incomplete combustion = soot + carbon monoxide. Soot you could maybe live with, carbon monoxide will kill. Take a look at Tony's recent post https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/optimus-111-ex-antarctic-4th-example.29749/ to see a neat idea for protecting the bottom of the stove when you start to use it in anger. Be careful of the pot or pan sizes that you use on these stoves. The temptation is that because there is plenty of power output to use it with a huge fry pan or to boil 3 or 4 gallons of water at a time. The fuel tank gets very close to the bottom of overhanging fry pans and although there is the shield, if the pan is too big you will get too much heat into the tank with nasty consequences. Enjoy your stove but please stay safe. Best regards John
Glad to hear you have it worked out. In summer here, where I live in North Carolina, we sometimes see a tourist park his Ural with sidecar in the downtown area. It is definitely something that catches your eye. Ken in NC
