Years ago, I found an Optimus 45 which was complete and I spent some time cleaning and polishing it for display. I recently ran across it in a box of stuff in the garage and now would like to get it running. I ordered a gasket set and now all I need is a manual. I read that a manual is available on this site, but can't locate it... any help would be appreciated...
HERE you go! These are generic optimus instruction but still relevant. There are no rebuild manuals as such, but have a look in the fettling masterclass section for ideas, Your Op45 is a variation on the "standard" theme, have a browse of the topics there. Don't forget to take lots of photos and keep us appraised of your progress. Will be great to see another one up and running again. Alec.
Welcome to CCS. Try this. Not sure if you have to be a subscriber for instructions. https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/1960-optimus-general-instructions.26508 What did you use to polish it?
Welcome to CCS. Here are some generic operating instructions: http://www.base-camp.co.uk/instructions 3.htm Best Regards, Kerophile.
Thanks guys for the replies and the info... There is a pic of my Optimus 45 on the site below, it was a total rusted, smoky mess when I got it, but I like to bring old things back from the dead... I had a small collection of 6 or 7 stoves, but got rid of a few several years ago. I kept my two favorites: the Optimus #45 and a Coleman B46... Pictures are on my website - look for "Camp Stoves" on the index bar and click on it... https://open1234.wixsite.com/carolinaphonosociety
@Curt A The second stove on your website is a Coleman 530. The 'B46' means that it was manufactured in the second half of 1946.
Thanks for the info on the Coleman... Does the Optimus only burn kerosene or can it burn white gas like the Coleman?
Definitely only kero in the Optimus 45! Burning white gas or unleaded is potentially extremely dangerous and actually life threatening! A guy died last year due to an exploding stove!
I keep reading of people using Coleman fuel in Optimus stoves... is this safe? Also, the question arose about how I cleaned and polished my Optimus. I used jewelers rouge on a buffing wheel, powered by an old washing machine electric motor and polished all the parts that were easily disassembled. I love restoring old rusty things, so it fit right into my normal procedure of disassembly, rust removal and polishing. One thing to be careful of when using a buffing wheel is to hold the item at the bottom of the wheel with the rotation toward you, otherwise things can get a little dicey with flying pieces of metal. I use gloves and vice grips to hold the parts while buffing, as the parts can be hard to find if they get away from you, not to mention dangerous when flying at full speed...
An Optimus 45 is a kerosene only stove, whatever you 'keep reading". What are these readings? Coleman fuel will of course burn in an Optimus 45. The problem is that naptha/petrol is far more volatile than kero. When you are ready to extinguish the stove, it will be hot. Air screw release will yield hot petrol fumes, which can ignite before the flame dies. This is why keroburners don't usually have shutoff valves, because they aren't needed, while petrol burners do, because they are. Moreover, the check valve/nonreturn valve design in a petrolburner is more robust than in a kerosene stove, for the same reason: the much greater volatility of the fuel should there be a leak. Burn the fuel the stove was designed for. You could use Coleman without incident, and then could have a bad incident indeed. Why even try to do it? Of course, there are Optimus stoves that are petrol/Coleman burners. But that's what they are. Your specific question appears to be about your Optimus 45. There are dozens of stove types.
Plenty of Optimus stoves are designed to burn petrol/white gas. The Optimus 8R burns petrol beautifully - and safely. Is this what you meant?
Curt Heed Ed’s advice. It is important for your and others’ safety to understand the fuel your stove was designed for. There are some Optimus stoves that were designed to use gasoline (therefore Coleman fuel), for example the No. 8R. There’s lots of information here to show what fuel stoves run on. Have fun with your 45. Cheers Tony Edit: crossed with @Marc
As said, Coleman Fuel and Optimus Stoves ... It depends on the stove. Polishing. A product that contains ammonia, like Brasso, can lead to cracks in the brass, that are not good with pressure vessels like stoves. There are other products that are alright for that. I do not polish.
Thanks guys... apparently the article I read (elsewhere on the internet, not here) referred to burning Coleman fuel in an Optimus that was designed to burn it. Is there a good grade of kerosene that burns clean, no smoke or soot? Is lamp oil for kerosene lamps the same thing? Sorry for all the questions, but I would rather ask first, before ending up with a problem... I wasn't sure whether Coleman fuel was actually gasoline or something different...
