As a somewhat recent addition to the throng of stove enthusiasts, I have one very nice 111B But I still use my vintage '70 Svea 123 most often. Scott
Morning, Scorched Pot, Great name, by the way!! 8) Welcome to the ranks of the "stove afflicted"!! With your 111B and your SVEA 123, you actually have all the bases covered!! There is little you can't do, with just those two stoves. Well, you might want a nice silent burner stove so you can actually cook in the house, if you wanted to, without going deaf!! But, other than that, you've got it covered, in TWO stoves!!! Pretty cool, Lad!! 8) Are there any stoves on your "most wanted" list, and if so, which ones do you favor, and why? Do you backpack? Canoe camp? Car camp? What's your pleasure for using your stoves outdoors? Again, welcome to CCS! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
Hi! I have read this forum and get a lot of good advices about 111. I`ve got a Hiker too, but I?m not sure which version it is? I only know that it isn?t C or B. Sticker in the box says only: Optimus 111 for kerosene. There is four tubes in the burner and top of cap read Optimus. Windshied is also missing but I made a new one by myself. I have repaint the case. Here is a photo of my favourit stove! Hannu from Finland
Hello, Payer, Welcome to the CCS forums!! Your 111 looks to be the earliest version of the 111T. I have one, too, and they are outstanding stoves!! Did you get the Meths jet and restrictor with yours, too? If not, then you will want to do so, and can check with Basecamp, one of our Sponsors, for them. Having those makes your stove a triple fuel stove: Paraffin, Coleman fuel, and Meths!! Congratulations on having one of the best of the best! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
I bought the stove in a fleamarket and there was no Meths jet or restrictor. Basecamp is familiar allready and I have found a couple of spares to my stove there. Is it possible and safety to use Coleman fuel or another white gas without any restrictor on this old 111T? Kerosene jet is a suitabe for white gas I guess?
Hi, Payer, Yes, you can very safely and easily use Coleman fuel without the restrictor. It's only with Meths that you need the restrictor, and the change of jets. Have fun with it, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
Update for my 111 ownership list. 1 X 111 paraffin 1 X 111T and a 111B minus the case and burner, these went to a needy stove brother, I kept the rest for spares. Spudz
Hi Spudz And very kind of you, at that ! Current listing is 3 111's which work and all the parts for a 111B which just need the remedial work on the case. Cheers
Hello, I have two 111's. Both are multifuel, silent burner. One is like new, in fact it is new, old stock from eBay. The other is rough, and needs work to restore, but works, sort of. It looks like it belonged to an outfitter and had lots of use. Cheers, Warren
Hey, Warren, Welcome to CCS! Sounds like you've got two great stoves in your 111T's. They are a favorite of mine, and I trust them, completely. Have you used yours with all three fuels? How about a photo of yours, when you can post one? Again, welcome, and we'll look forward to hearing of any stove adventures, camp out's, backpacking trips, or any other adventure that you've had where you can play with your stoves! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
Payer - I have the same model as yours. It only had the M jet when it arrived and would burn both kero and Coleman fuel but ran better on kero. I ordered the repair kit and it included an alcohol jet and restrictor and also came with a petrol restrictor. The stove ran great with the alcohol jet and restrictor. Running the stove on Coleman with the M jet and no restrictor in place and adjusting the flame to the lowest simmer flame caused the stove to be very succeptable to backfire and under burn. The slightest puff of air would cause a pop and the flame would begin to underburn. Also with the flame in this same minimum simmer setting if the stove were bumped or jarred the burner cap would move and the same thing would happen, backfire and underburn. To solve this problem I experimented with the petrol restrictor. The one that came with my parts kit was chrome and had two holes in the bottom. This restrictor solved the backfire problem on low simmer but the flame was not very robust at full burn. I drilled two additional holes in the restrictor and got a better flame at full burn but the backfireing at simmer returned. Next I tried the petrol restrictor with only one hole additional drilled in it (three holes total). That worked about perfectly. Eliminated the tendency to backfire at simmer and gave a good full burn in the wide open setting. To fix the loose burner head dome I ran a small diameter steel wire up under the skirt of the burner head and over the burner dome and twisted the wire.
Two 111 stoves. 111B and 111 Hiker I started with a 111B (with the embossed ID on the lid) - a gift from a good friend who found it at a yard sale Then I picked up a 111 Hiker from eBay, just to see what the "silent burner" was all about. I'm pleased with them both, and though I'm enthralled by the silent blue ring of flame, the 111B lights with one round of priming. It seems simpler and more reliable. Enjoying the ride so far, Griz
Greetings Doc Mark, Thanks for the email. I will get around to photographing my stoves one of these days. Some are in storage somewhere in the basement. I actually have a small, modest collection that includes: A Coleman model 530, with "A 47" stamped on it. I traded for this shortly after WW II and used it backpacking as a teenager. I also own two Svea 123's, two Optimus Hiker's, the two Optimus 111's I mentioned and a Coleman Feather, and another old Coleman single burner, I don't recall the model number of it at the moment. And maybe some others that are lurking around in the basement. I did not intend to become a collector, just bought stoves to use while camping. As stated I am a retired engineer but still very busy. I own and operate a small cattle ranch here in SW Missouri. We have what is called a cow/calf operation and raise Limosin beef calves to the age of six months and then sell them at the local stock yard. Cows have a way of taking up all your time. I enjoy the Classic Camp Stoves site and have learned a great deal from reading the forums. The information contained in the Fettling Forum is priceless. Best Wishes to All, Warren (turtlewmc)
Good Morning, Warren, Thanks for the reply! WOW, it's outstanding that you're involved with a cattle ranching operation! You are right, cows CAN take up most of your time, as can horses, and any livestock. Back in high school, one of my Summer jobs was washing out the double-decker trailers that hauled cattle! Man, that was a dirty job! I was endlessly amazed at how high a cow can shite!! They slung that stuff just about everywhere in those trailers, even on the ceiling!!! But, hey, I got $10 per tailer, and I though I was a rich, if somewhat filthy, man! 8) One other comment on cows: I was also amazed at how often cows can get into mischief, and can wander into just about any place that you do NOT want them to be!!! If there's an open gate, or a hole in the fence, cows WILL find it and escape!!! Danged "Bovine Houdini's" is what they are!!! Sounds like you do have yourself a nice little "collection" going. Now, you may not consider yourself a true collector, but I think you fit that title, nicely. We all started out the same as you, and it's really just a matter of how far you wish to take it. If you have 6 neat stoves, in which you find pleasure, and you like to use them, and fettle them, then you ARE a collector! I find it interesting and rather wonderful that stoves can be so enticing to so many different kinds of people, all over the world!! Very cool! Thanks, again, for your post, and we'll look forward to more, as the mode strikes you. If you have any stories, or adventures, from when you first got involved with stoves, we love reading that kind of stuff, too! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc Mark
Evening all Just joined the forum today so very new here. Just over a week ago I was given a Optimus 111b in really nice condition fired up first time but on closer inspection needed a new needle and jet which i purchased from a uk supplier also whilst on the net researching parts supplied I came across a Optimus 111 for sale on ebay at just £27.00 in really good condition although further inspection revealed it required a new needle and jet and also a regulator. Both have been repaired and working as they should . So very pleased with the quality and function of both stoves . The 111B takes more to get going on parrafin than the 111 although i understand the 111B is designed to run white petrol as well as parrafin and the 111 only parafin. When I get chance to purchase some Coleman fuel i will try it and do a comparison. Look forward to further input from you knowledgeable guys on these stoves Cheers Stu.
@Stuart Richardson If your 111B is correct it is meant to run on Coleman fuel (B = Benzine). A picture of the burner (how many tubes) would help. The 111T (T = triple) is the "multi-fuel" model (Coleman fuel; kerosene; alcohol). Great stoves, the 111s. I prefer to use kerosene because of the standard NRV that these stoves have. Cheers Tony
I 'think' I have: 2x 111 1x 111b 2x 111T It's quite possible I have more but I really dont know what I have at the moment lol.
I have 3 of them and am looking for a 111 kero burner. OK yes there are some available, but I'm looking for one that doesn't break the bank. 1. 111T 1. 111C 1. 111b Cheers, Norman
Besides my 8R, 123, Phoebus 6 & 725s and a Whisperlite or two I have a 111B who's previous owner used it a lot (but took good care of it). Will take it on my next BWCA trip this summer. Tom
