Folks, I've got a lot of experience with Coleman stuff but I've never worked on a Swedish stove before. I've got what I think is a Svea Companion No 5. When I got it the top parts of the silent burner were missing. I ordered them from eBay but can't figure out how they attach to the stove. I've got a Primus stove where the top of the burner clips on but the burner cap I bought has no clips nor is there anywhere for clips to go into on the burner. Hopefully a picture will help: Are these the correct parts for my stove? How do they attach?
Others are more expert than I, and may well correct me or refine my reply, but here is my understanding of the situation: The inner cap, on the left in your photo, goes on first; it is right-side-up in your photo. The outer cap, on the right in your photo and upside-down, goes on next and covers the works. (Please forgive me if you already know this, and your real question is better answered by...) The caps do not need to clip into place; gravity does most of the work, and the central tube rising from the burner does the rest by keeping them centered. Many people run a strand of thin wire over the top of the entire assembly to prevent the caps from being lost, anchoring the wire through the holes in the burner base, but even that is optional. Whether they are the correct size caps for your stove is another matter, and beyond my experience. Alex
Thanks Alex, I had more or less figured the orientation it was how the cap stayed on the eluded me. I'd seen some pictures with a piece of wire and wondered if it was OEM. Everything SEEMS to be the right size, the inner cap fits tightly over the tube, the outer cap is just slightly oversized to the raised part in the bottom of the burner. Guess I just need to get it on there and try it out. Need to clean the inside of the stove first, suspicious rattles coming from in there...
@Curt Raymond, Yes, I know that situation well. A trick that I only recently learned: drop in a bunch of small ball bearings or BBs and agitate vigorously to knock loose the crud. You can get them out afterward with a magnet (make sure they're magnetic before dropping them in). Then rinse well with sacrificial kero or a volatile solvent of your choice. Rattle, rinse, and repeat --as they say-- until the rinse kero looks clean. Good luck, Alex
@Curt Raymond G'day Curt if the stove is a Companion Svea 5 then it was probably made in Australia. Can we see some better pictures of the stove when you get a chance.
Morning, mates! What works even better than ball bearings for scrubbing the inside of a fount and the like is small nuts, like 6-32 or 4-40 size, or 3 and 4mm for on the other side of the pond. Why? The corners give a better scrubbing action. Murph
@Murph --clever! Of course the corners would be better for scrubbing. Now I need to go buy a jar of mixed nuts. Sort of like having the CCS crowd over... Alex
I know the bb dance well, I've also got a handful of sheet metal screws I toss in on the theory that the sharp points will dislodge crud... More pics:
@Curt Raymond G'day Curt, yes it is an Australian made Companion Stove. These were made in Australia by Companion Heaters Pty Ltd under arrangements with Svea. More detail here https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/companion-heaters-pty-ltd.5/ They are hard to date as there is very little paperwork available but having the Svea in the logo means it was one of the first versions. Later the logo was changed and Svea was removed. The D>D on the base means it was purchased by the Australia Army at some point. They are a well made stove and a good work horse https://classiccampstoves.com/forums/companion.283/
Thanks Martin, thats super cool. This is my first foray into these stoves, I've got a Primus regulated lined up next...
Oh geez, say it ain't so! I've even sold a stove, not just once but twice. Of course I haven't shipped the second one... Actually I'm not a complete newbie: http://youtube.com/lanternlabs
How tight is the outer burner supposed to be to the inner one? Mine is very loose, probably 1/16" gap. The outer cap is literally only held on by gravity. First lightup tonight didn't go well, lots of flames and while the burner occasionally flickered to life mostly it tried to burn under the cap with the attendant roar. I *think* my problem is that the outer cap doesn't make a tight seal but I'm not sure how to do that...
@Curt Raymond The outer cap is held on by gravity (except in some cases where there is a basic slot/clip; or someone ties it on with wire. The outer cap should not be tight against the inner cap. See here: And the outer cap needs to sit evenly on the burner surface. Your photo above gives me the impression that there was insufficient priming of the burner before ignition of (vapourised) kerosene. It looks like there was a bit of wind, so that will take heat from your priming away from the burner. Insuffient priming will also result in underburn. So: 1. Ensure the priming cup is full of alcohol (ethanol; methylated spirits). 2. Shield from wind. 3. Let alcohol burn to empty; close pressure release valve; pump 4 or 5 times. 4. Light vapourised kerosene at the outer burner cap. 5. Slowly pump until desired pressure. Cheers Tony
G'day Curt, These do take far more priming than gasoline stoves. A simple windshield like this, made from a tin will help during priming.
Thanks gents, seems as though I have the right equipment, I'm glad I didn't go to extremes and damage something before I consulted here. I also assumed that could be the problem so I not only primed multiple times I applied heat from a propane torch to the underside of the burner with no real change in behavior. Never the less I will try again. It was chilly outside and very slightly windy. I do have a wind shield I could apply. I've got an Optimus Hiker+ that I've used quite a bit and also a Butterfly stove which is a cheap knockoff of this stove. I've used both on kerosene not to mention I've got a bunch of kerosene lanterns, I do have some experience in this arena. I'll let you know what I discover.
@Curt Raymond Bugger! Check for a leak at the burner to riser joint or any sign of a crack / pinhole in the burner. I wonder if there is a build up of carbon in the burner affecting the heat transfer and mixing. This is an extreme case but it does give good information on cleaning burners. https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/old-roarer-burner-heads.6479/ I had a look at some of your youtube posts, very informative.
