My recent post of a SVEA in the Reference Gallery has prompted me to look through both the Reference Gallery and the Reference Library at similar SVEA stoves. From this 'looking' there are obviously two sets of SVEA stoves that are very similar: Series Nos 150 to 155 ( various combinations of single and double burners, roarer and silent, and regulated silent burners). Series Nos 52 to 57 which seems to have the same range of configurations. There are pictures of various examples of these two ranges in the Gallery. The Library shows the 53 to 57 series in pre-WWII brochures and the 150 to 155 series in catalogues from the 1950s. Tony
Thank you Mr Tony Press it's a GREAT topic of discussion imo and I can only hope to further participate as time allows. Some initial points I do want to add: re your ...""Patent Appl. For" on the tank, rather than a stamped model number ... does that help broadly date this stove?" I am sure it does. In a igh371 link below re this vintage stove it is said "the stove probably dates from the 1930s". What will also be interesting and useful info imo is IF eventually we can ALSO determine older 3 pc. tank = models 50-57 "Pat. Appl. for" = 50 -57 (what patent? some members surely wonder, it was NOT the new tank lol) re your series 52-57 my impression was a 50(igh371) & 51 would be included. Thank you igh371 for the huge contributions you make to content (w/your generosity and an apparent nearly endless supply of unique / ancient stoves!!). He notes re these models "there was no example of the roarer equivalent: the 50/51 ... here we go" https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/28545 FYI this is recent post Tony refers to in his open: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/29794 Following bits I strike where I misspoke in that Tony post: many 153s [of these newer? models] do not have such a cross brace. the raising of the silent closer to the pot is better than original the bend in the pipe that raises burner height IS ORIGINAL as seen in igh371 link above. I am sharing a 153 [stove with your] ...cross brace, older lid and older tank (3 piece construction w/2 end caps vs newer 2 piece tank) https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/669 ... yours also looks similar to a 155 otherwise. gotta run thx omc
The Svea 50s and 150s stoves First of all, many thanks to CCS members for the many photos I have used from their posts. As well as in this thread, there have been other discussions in the Stove Reference Gallery about this range of stoves. There have been many useful observations as well as some incorrect or confused observations. One of the main problems when discussing the development of these Svea stoves is the large gap in the printed catalogues we have on CCS. The stoves are shown in catalogues from the 1930s to 1966, but there is a gap between 1937 and 1958 where we have no documents at the moment. We do have examples in the SRG but dating is difficult for stoves that were manufactured in those gap years. I would like to try and summarise what has already been said and to add my own research. I will draw together the information shown in the 'Catalogues & Parts' forum and supplement it with information (and misinformation) from the Svea Stove Reference Gallery. First of all, tables showing whether the stove is right or left handed, roarer, silent or regulated silent. There are other models, such as the Svea 158 which is a military version of the 154 in a strong metal case. Frames The earlier 50s series stoves (early 1930s) had this frame. The later 50s series and 150s series had a revised frame. The revised frame had manufacturing and user advantages. It did not have the complexity and expense of having two bolts securing it to the fuel tank. It had one easily accessible wing-nut underneath the burner and drip tray. The question is, when did the 50s series adopt the revised frame? This is where the lack of documentation lets us down. It shows that some of the 50 series of stoves had the earlier frame. The catalogues also show that all the 150s range of stoves had the revised frame. BUT, the examples in the SRG show that some of the later 50s series stoves also had the revised frame. This 'back-to-back' Svea 52/53 clearly shows the later frame here. The Drip Tray On the earlier 50s series stoves it was a simple drip tray not secured to the frame but was designed to rest on the base of the frame. I suggest that is why it is often missing from the early examples of this stove range. The later revised frame had the new drip tray fastened to and suspended from the bottom of the burner and so it needed some firmness, hence the strengthening ridges. The Fuel Tank All the 50s series stoves had a one-piece tubular fuel tank with two circular end caps. The 150s series of stoves had a two piece tank. The Filler Cap Air Release / Safety Release Valve The 50s series stoves had a filler cap with a screw air release. The earlier of the 150s series also had a screw air release, although it was different to the 50s series stoves' screw air release. Later 150s stoves had a SRV (Safety Release Valve) built into the filler cap. There are three main types, two with a circular hole and another with a pentagonal hole. I am assuming that the valve with the circular hole is the earlier of the two. This now brings us to the military version of this type of stove, the Svea 158. This is a left sided, regulated silent burner like the 154 but it is housed in a strong metal case and comes with parts to convert it from paraffin to alcohol if desired. The pump knob on the 158 is smaller than usual so that the metal case can be made as small as possible. The SRV on the 158 has a circular hole, but the filler cap is wing-nut shaped to make removal easy. The final type of SRV in the 150s stoves is the more familiar pentagonal shape. The Burners The roarer burner for all 50s and 150s series of stoves is the 811. The silent burner for all 50s and 150s series stoves is the 815. The regulated burner for earlier 50s stoves is the 1715. The regulated burner for later 50s stoves and the 150s stoves is the 1915. I do not know when the changeover happened from the 1715 burner to the 1915 burner and the CCS documents are confusing. The 1715 burner is listed in a 1934 catalogue an a 1937 catalogue, but the 1915 burner is listed in another 1934 catalogue. The 1715 burner is definitely listed in a promotion to dealers in 1934. This seems to show that one or more catalogues may be dated incorrectly. Box Labels These can not be relied upon. There is more than one example of a box label that correctly names the 150s stove but the label diagram is incorrect. The following shows a Svea 154 stove. The box label correctly identifies the stove number, but the label drawing shows a 54 stove with the earlier frame and one piece fuel tank. Incorrect SRG Labelling Based on all the above, this stove must be a 52 and not a 152. This stove has a non-Svea burner in the first photos but can not have been a 153. With a Svea burner it must have been a 51, 53, 56 or 57. In the last photos of the thread it has been converted to a Svea 51. This article has been difficult to piece together and I may well have made mistakes. If so, then please put me right. I would also appreciate any further contributions.
Excellent piece Trevor, which I am sure will be of great use in the future . Whilst your post should rightly remain as part of this thread, might I suggest that it should also be a post in it's own right, in the 'Articles' section of the Reference Library. It would be a great pity for such a reference work to become lost in the depths of the Stove Forum. Regards, Terry
Thanks for the kind words. I never intended my post to be a definitive work on the Svea 50s and 150s stoves. I just wanted to add to this thread started by Tony, but the more I refined my thoughts on these stoves, the longer my reply grew. I said that the post was difficult to piece together. This was because of two crucial areas. First of all, the documentation in the Svea section is very small compared to manufacturers such as Primus and Optimus. Also there is a 20 year gap in the documentation of these stoves between 1937 and 1958. Not only that, but the largest catalogue which is from 1934 has information which seems to contradict information contained in other publications. I am trying to sort that out. The second problem area is the photos of these types of stove in the Stove Reference Gallery. It has now been acknowledged that when photographing a stove, the photos should show as much detail of the stove as possible. All engravings and/or printed text and graphics should be photoed. The filler cap, pump knob, tank, burner, top of burner, legs or frame, trivet (if it has one), the underside of the stove, the case, the box labels, any unusual features, etc., all should be photographed. For the above post I had very few photos from which to draw evidence. Early posts have only one or very few photos. Only three of the 17 stoves posted had a good number of photos. At the end of my post I said that I would appreciate any further contributions. If you have any documentation, could you publish it in the reference section or email it to me. If you have one of these stoves, could you photograph it and place the photos in the SRG or email them to me. Many thanks.
Added what I hope is a correctly identified model 155 to gallery in response to above request (https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/svea-model-155-late-50s-early-60s.30377/). Moderate/edit as necessary if attribution is wrong, wouldn't want to add any more confusion to this complex topic!
igh371, that is a perfect addition to the SRG. It certainly is a 155. But some previous owner has screwed the burner to an unusual position. These stoves in a kitchen were often placed near to a wall or a back splash and so the pump handle faced the user and so did the control knob. But of course, when using a single range stove the side opposite the tank could be placed next to the wall and a re-positioning of the control knob might be useful. Your photos clearly show the SRV with the round hole and all the other detail needed for comparison. Many thanks.
Your stoves looks to be a Svea 53. You show clearly that there is a model number of 10215 on the base of the tray. I do not posses a 52 or 53 stove but I think that the number is the part number of the tray. The catalogues on CCS do not mention the drip tray separately, so I can not confirm this. If other members have examples of the 50s series of stoves they could confirm it or shed more light on the subject.
I have a stove similar to the above, nothing at all written on it. The burner is missing the top flame spreader, I fashioned one out of brass as a temporary thing to see if I could get it going. It took some priming but in the end it worked. It was very loud and fierce, lots of flame. Looking at the gallery and the post I can't really identify it other than it may be a military one. It has a tank made of galvanised steel. Cheers Rob
John, I thought it may be but not sure. I picked it up in a junk shop with some other things, a Svea and two blow lamps. It was very cheep but it had me interested as it was different. This was a wile ago. Just got it going and put it on the shelf. A friend of mine has military vechles and we thought it may be good to use in one of them for cupper etc but as it was so hard to prime and fearse we didn't go ahead with it. Cheers Rob
There is a stove on EBay for$19.95 US that could be a Chinese copy of the models 52 or 53 above? Steve
