Greetings, All, Inspired by my good friend, @z1ulike , Ben's excellent thread about his own 1917 Primus 96, which you can see in the link below, I dug out my own 1917 96, and am sharing it here. Thanks, Ben, for lighting my fire on this one!! Well done!! 1917 Primus 96 This very interesting 96 was gifted to me by a very good friend, who used to be a member here at CCS. Things have changed in his life, now, and he has moved on to other things, and seems very happy. I will always think of him, when I see, or use, this neat old Primus! As you will see, the tin is solid, but has some surface rust on, and in it. Should be easy to remove the rust, and clean up the tin. Open 'er up, and here she is! After removing the goodies, you can see that the inside of the time needs attention, too, but not too much. Though dented a bit, the Meths tin looks fairly nice. I never trust these old tins, as I'm sure there is rust contamination inside. But, to be truthful, I've not checked this one. Maybe it will be a surprise, and be usable. And, the stove, itself! Stamped "G" for 1917. I love the deeply stamped wrenches of that time! The tin windshield needs some help in getting it rust-free, but is solid, and should work nicely. The poor little spirit cup is dented and battle-scarred. But, once cleaned up, and given some attention, it should be just fine. Burner bell is in great condition, but dirty, as you might expect in a stove of it's age. The lipstick burner looks to be in fine shape, and passes air very freely, which seems excellent, to me. Nicely stamped, too, and the burner threads are undamaged and in sharp condition! Interestingly enough, the wire mesh within the lipstick burner seems to be unsoiled, at least at first glance. Won't know, for sure, until I get to fettling this Old Timer. Like most others here at CCS, I am greatly enamored by these lovely cast flame spreaders. There's just something very special about them, don't you think?!! I've already decided that this particular stove will not be shined and polished, but only cleaned up a tad, and then waxed, to keep the deep, and to my eyes, lovely patina of it's 103 years in existence! Darn it!! I just noticed that I did not set the flame spreader into all it's slots!!! Oh, well.... too soon old, too late, "attention to detail"!! Sigh.............. I also like the way these Pocket Outfits have a place for everything, and when everything is in it's place, these outfits pack up perfectly!! And, just because it's bothering me greatly that I missed setting the flame spreader on properly, just snapped this one, to show that it, does, indeed, fit nicely into it's proper place! So, there you have it, Gentlemen and Ladies. These are great little kits, and once again, I thank my friend, Ben, for inspiring me to get off my duff, photograph, then post this in the Stove Reference Gallery!! Thanks for checking it out, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Very nice Doc. Mine also has the windscreen which I failed to show. I couldn't really figure how it worked and thought it might not be original to the stove. Apparently it is. Thanks for sharing. Ben P.S. - I need friends like that.
Howdy, Ben, Thanks, very much. Yes, the windscreen is supposed to be there, and was common with many of the Primus and Optimus stoves, in one form, or another. My 1920 "J" marked Primus 96 Pocket Outfit has the same windscreen. I posted my original instructions, but they came out horribly unreadable, sorry to say. One day, I'll repost them. But, as luck has it, here is link which will show you the same proper instructions, and parts placement. In it, I see that I'd gotten my flame spreader, and windscreen in the wrong places in my "G" marked 96. I guess I just left them as they were when the stove came my way. Can't remember. I'll check my "J", and see if it, too, has them in the wrong places. Look here for the info to which I'm referring: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/primus-no-96-1919-96-4-pocket-primus-condrup.294/ Hope that helps, and God Bless! Doc PS - CCS is filled with generous and sharing members, which is a wonderful thing, and one for which I am grateful, and thankful. Hopefully, those kindnesses are repaid in kind, and I tend to think that they are, indeed! PPS - Well, I've just checked, and the fault in swapping places with the flame spreader and windshield, was my own!! I inadvertently swapped them around! Sorry about that!
Hi Doc you have a lovely little 96 there and one of my personal favourites! I love the 96 with the separate air bleed screw. Thanks for sharing
@Aaron1980 , Thank you, very much! This model of 96 is my favorite of the breed, too! I think quite a few of our CCS Mates probably feel the same way. Thanks, again, and God Bless! Doc
@Doc Mark electrolysis is the only way forward with the tin Doc they come up a treat but still look old, then wax it. That ole lady needs some TLC man! One of my favourite outfits. Cheers Nick
I agree with @nmp that electrolysis is the way to go on the tin. Here's mine after a few hours in the tank, also from 1917. I clear coated mine, Never tried waxing.
@Metropolitantrout A nice result with that tin As long as they are not rusted through they are fine and you can decide at what stage you want to stop the process. Even if holed you can at least stop it spreading further like this. I use Briwax furniture polish it’s spirit based and seems to prevent the rust starting up again and can be removed with meths if you want to. Nick
@nmp , @Metropolitantrout , Thanks, Guys, for your excellent suggestions on doing electrolysis on this stoves tin. I've never done that before, but have most of the goodies to setup that system. Can't get TO any of it, right now, but it's here when I have the time to dig for it. There are other tins and cases I would love to use that on, too, so it would behoove me to get to it, one of these days!! Thanks, again, and God Bless! Doc
Loving the outfit Doc! I actually fancy the pre-1925 type feet and the separate air bleed screw in particular. Tidying up the tin and removing the rust shouldn't be too much of a hassle but can be time-consuming! Many thanks for sharing.
Howdy, @Lighthouse , Many thanks for your kind words! I remember when I got my very first Primus Pocket Outfit, gifted by two Marine brothers, from whom I'd bought quite a few stoves over the years. I was in deep love with how the stove and goodies fit so nicely into it's own tin!! That stove was a "J" marked, for 1920, and it still runs like new!! There is just something about the overall quality of the early Primus, Optimus, Radius, and other such stoves, that calls to me, and so many others here at CCS!! Thanks, again, for your comments, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Oh, I remember seeing that stove many years ago - it definitely added to my excitement/appreciation of these early boxed stove sets and they are actually the sets I seek out nowadays.
