Optimus 8R, old but runs as a charm

Hi there!
I'm new here and hope this thread works out

I was looking for a small portable burner and liked the looks of the Optimus R8. Since a year I have a relatively new 424 and like it a lot but find it a tad heavy for picknicking.

So I bid on some R8's but without success but nobody seemed to want a slightly corroded one so I bought it today for little.

I think this is a rather old one (the previous owner inherited it and it had smelly gasoline inside), but I replaced it with Coleman Fuel and after some sputtering it powered right up.



I think tomorrow I'll give it a long run to remove any remaining gunk.

 

Good find, should run a little better than that. Check for leaks at the fuel cap washer and safety release valve at the top.
Duane

 

Duane is (or course) correct, these run on what pressure they can build from the heat, and pressure loss is a bad thing. With stove running and hot, piss a little soapy water around fill cap.
OR put stove in fridge w fill cap loose,then remove it, tighten cap, and dunk in pot of warm water, look for bubbles.

Congrats on getting a classic. More pictures??

 

Thanks for the response! I fired it up just now to boil some water for tea and indeed see that some small bubbles appear at the soapy water around the bottom of the cap. I hope it will be easy to change the seal.

Here are some fresh pictures.



The gas tank looked like copper on the pics of the local 2nd hand website but it's silver like the CCCP versions on there too.

 

Ah, I found a nice store linked to this site that appears to offer just what I need

 

I have recently found a reliable method to remove the old cap seals - they can be jammed in real tight
the trick is to use a pair of internal circlip pliers - fine tipped needle nose pliers will do


hold the pliers firmly with the points about 7mm apart and with the cap on a solid surface - not the dining table - press the points into the old seal
this might require a fair bit of force if the rubber is really hard
once the tips have a good purchase on the rubber squeeze the jaws together and pull the seal out
works a charm - much better than my old method of using a screwdriver to pick at the rubber

 

Hi Rickybob, thank you for the advice! I will try this method with some needle nose pliers. As soon as the parts are ordered & in that is

 

Hi @Happy Camper. Welcome ro CCS.
You have a good looking Op.8R and a new fuel cap washer should certainly improve the stove performance. The case would benefit from a new paint job but looks structurally sound. You might want to consider electrolysis fo the case to remove the old paint and rust:

https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/enders-disassembly.36641/#post-378547

I think your Op.8R is very similar to this one:

https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/optimus-no-8r-embossed-from-1957-8.38402/

If you compare the stove features that I list, you can perhaps confirm this and help fix an approximate manufacturing date.

Best Regards
Kerophile.

 

Hi Kerophile,
This stove has all the properties you mention for your stove but with the exceptions as indicated by OMC, so:
- Nickel tank
- Embossed 8 with sticker over it stating it's an 8R

It's clearly been around but the rust is superficial. I would not mind electrophoresis and respray as long as I could save/ replace the sticker. It's a different one than the version with the globe.


The purchase date of this 8r is unknown since the former owner passed away. His daughter told me he used to cycle a lot in Scandinavia and Russia and he had this little burner as his companion. It must have seen a lot...

 

Hi @Happy Camper . Thanks for the additional information.

If you read OMC comments in the first link I provided you will see that you are the lucky owner of the first version of the Op.8R produced (in 1957/8). This early version was produced with the Op.8 case with the Adhesive label covering the embossed No.8 and identifying the stove as the new Op 8R model.
Many, if not all of these first Op.8R stoves appear to have been produced with a nickel-plated tank:



Here is a link to another of these first versions of the Op.8R:

https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/optimus-8-8r-transition.11520/

My Op.8R is the second version of the stove, produced slightly later than 1957/8.

Your stove is earlier, and was likely purchased in the late 1950s. It is a real bonus to know the background history of the stove.

Best Regards,
Kerophile.

 

@kerophile,
Thanks for the info! I always like to get something slightly more interesting and definitely seem to have gotten my money's worth here. Beginners luck

In the past I always liked to use this contraption for tea but the Optimus is a more portable alternative

This is a recently made Samovar (wood burning water heater) but I also have vintage ones.

Regards,
Happy Camper

 

Hi, I was admiring the Ibrik you were using on your new Op.8R.

It is easier to collect these than Samovars:

 

That's a lot of Ibriks you have there! I just basically took the first vessel from the window sil that my wife would not care too much about if some sooth ended up on it. This one is a 300 years St. Petersburg celebration pot and indeed was nicely decorated. The wife used it for coffee indeed before switching to an espresso machine. Logically the Espresso is also a (somewhat) collectible instrument that was cheap second hand during the whole dod/pad craze 15 years ago. I heard that the old fashioned coffee is gaining popularity again with the hipsters

There are so many cool things to collect. But honestly I prefer things that run on fuel and have some function. Hence I also own a classic Fiat 500 and also totally get people collecting chainsaws.

In the US there are many that combine a love for stoves and lamps with hunting and wood logging. I wished I had some Great Outdoors out here... but picknicking with a nice stove will do too.

 

@kerophile , interesting your ad above says "8F"?? and must not be self-cleaner (R) as it comes with cleaning needles.

 

Hi @Majicwrench . 1958/59 appears to have been the transition phase and it seems likely that the Op.8 and Op.8R were on sale side-by side for a period.
The F = Fornicklad or nickel-plated.
This catalogue from the 1957/58 period shows the Op.8RF:

https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/optimus-8f-and-the-all-new-8fr.37481/#post-389771

Best Regards,
Kerophile.

 

Wish I could read Swedish. So I have an Optimus 8RF? Then I was misled since the seller said it was an 8R

 

since the nickle plating makes it a rarity you got a bargain

 

Hey, een mede stovie uit de lage landen

Nice stove you have there. Haven't seen a nickel plated 8r before, nice catch. Did you get it from marktplaats?

I always make coffee on my 99. If you like your Optimus 8, you sure want to have an Optimus 99. And top it with a silencer, to please the missus

Regards

 

If you're going to use a ibrik on these stoves, you'll want to build one of these to support it!

https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/upgraded-my-optimus-99.16339/#post-164591

Murph

 

Hi @ajvuik ! Indeed a Low Lands Stovie, Leuk (nice)!

Yes, I indeed bought it via Marktplaats but did not know it was nickel (nor knew that it existed), it looked like copped due to the flash. There is a good amount of stoves on there and little international competition

Could somebody post one picture with the 8R, 99 and 111 for size reference? Being spoiled I might just try to find an embossed 111... let's see how long I am going to stick with that plan

These silencers seem to be hot cookies. I see them going on EBay for substantial sums (in respect to the rest of the stoves).