Hello All, just wanted to introduce myself so that I could thank you all for your collective knowledge and assistance over the last week or so even unbeknownst to you. I was lurking. Sorry for a long first post but I think it's worth it. Seems most people call me Barrett, it's my surname name. Married with children here in NZ, having a second child later in life (now 50 with an 8 year old son as well as a 16 year old daughter) has re energised the long held love of camping, seems only for the men of the family now though lol. So the old camping gear is back in regular service, which consists of equipment from my 20s and 30s. Cooking equipment consists of a couple of modern LPG twin burner suitcase type stoves and a newer single compact thing that runs on disposable canisters. But in the back of my mine I kept thinking about an old liquid fuel cooker that I found at a municipal landfill/dump that the company I worked for managed. I was visiting site one day at the tip face when a car pulled up and unloaded some old gear, some old fishing rods, a electric cooler and a metal case, being a hoarder.... these were quickly loaded into my car and destined for my shed. And there they sat for 20 years. So last week out it came, covered in a couple of mm's of surface rust but looking intact and fairly good inside, twin burners, but what would it run on? How do you get it going? Google soon led me to CCS and started a rather feverish period of discovery and fettling. Warning.... Purists my wish to change channels now..... First up was a clean up to remove the unknown years of surface rust, steel wool wasn't able to get the deep rust off, so out with the angle grinder with wire brush. Took a lot off, but no pin holes, so a quick wipe over with rust converter and she'll be right for now. Inside was better but showed that this old girl had seen many outings. What I could remove was cleaned and anything with a seal was soaked in oil. The pump leather was dry and had split on one side, having not yet read the leather cup making threads and with the inability to stop myself from trying to get this stove running the leather cup was soon being applied with a automotive silicon along the split and soaked in olive oil once dry (I did warn it might not be pretty reading) the pump now pumped and the tank held pressure with no push back on the pump, I had cleaned the SRV but couldn't yet remove the NRV, but was fairly happy that with not push back or fuel in the pump I did have a seal for now. Burners and pipework removed and cleaned with carb cleaner, even the little needles worked as expected when the knobs were turned, reassemble and instructions to family to leave the deck area and watch from a safe distance and we were soon preheating with the wifes nail polish remover as I had no Meths, nail polish remover doesn't burn very clean.... but just before it has burnt away I opened the taps a little, I now know that I hadn't used sufficient amount of preheating and there were droplets of Kero now adding to the preheating cups, yellow smokey flames soon started getting higher than the open lid case and I was a little concerned and about to go into emergency stop mode.... but then there was a sound, a weak hissing sound from first 1 burner and then the second, it grew louder the yellow flames were dying down and soon I had a beautiful gas torch sound coming from both burners, whoa what a roar! The beasty is alive after 20 years stored away in my shed and who knows how long before that? Flames have a bit of yellow without a pot on them, but no soot on pots when cooking, but I will order new jets as well as a service kit for seals etc. Made some new Leather cups for the pump out of an old leather glove and some threaded rod and water pipe as the mold, cut first one a bit short but it works a charm and now have improved spares. As I intend to use this stove I'm not sure whether I will repaint it, I quite like that it shows its age and use, and is now coated with clear coat to protect her, so a full service of parts will probably be as far as I go for now (I'm known to quickly change my mind though) So again, Thank you all! Being from NZ Im sure by now you have worked out which 2 burner stove seems pretty common down here, but I'm pretty chuffed to discover I found a good one, just need it's smaller sibling now I'll try and post pics in a new post, but she has An embossed cover, with Optimus, Made in Sweden and Globe and the number 22 Small round holes for the red/brownish control knobs Straight cup retainers Burners and flame rings stamped Optimus Sweden Straight pot stands Cheers Barrett (now addicted to kero stoves)
Welcome, great job getting it going. Yep, that's the early version, I have all three fuel type 22's. Duane
Welcome --and happy to hear you have acknowledged your addiction! Sounds like a darn good fettle, but I need to complain: don't we get a photo or two? Alex
g'day @Barrett and welcome. What a good introduction and I'm glad you are enjoying the camping again. The stove has cleaned up nicely (with or without paint).
Try and match the original colour if you can and paint. You did well saving this from the tip. If the disposser saw the prices these sell for on trademe nowdays he would probably cry. What part of nz are you in?
Hi Geeves Location depends on the day of the week, week days it is Auckland for work etc for the last 10 years, weekends we return to the location of my 'shed', lifestyle block just south of Whangarei, like the stove I've had it for over 20 years and hope one day to return full time.
Im down the other end of the island. Weekdays in Auckland must be pretty grim but the alternative is a 2 hour commute each way.
Now that is an interesting intro, bravo. Stories of finding stoves in unusual places we do like. But 'finding' a 22 already in your possesion is probably pretty unusual. Good job on getting it back to being functional, any further 'decorating' is up to you.
