Hello, a newby here. My name is Kor. First of all what a great forum ! Spending a while looking around an decided to sign up. @ days ago i bought this Primus 100. It was cheap so i was lucky i guess. Now i started to clean it up. Ofcourse i have a few questions. How to make the brass shiny again? How can y find the year of build? This afternoon i will try to light it. Me and my son of 13 like to camp so we want to use it on our next trip ! Thanks in advance.
Hi Kor, Welcome to the forum. Primus stoves do tend to be dated. This can either be a letter code in a circle on the base of the tank, very old ones have a letter code in the Primus Stockholm script on the tank base, while later ones can be marked with a 6 digit code on a fold out foot or on the riser tube. There is a Primus dating chart which can be used to decode the letter codes. Other things that date a stove are changes to the physical features or the name of the manufacturer. I see that your 100 has the indented filler tube, a feature which may help prevent overfilling. I am no expert, but believe this design to have been introduced in the mid 1950's. In 1962 the manufacture of Primus liquid fuel stoves transferred to Optimus and, once stocks of parts were used up, the branding of removable parts (like the burner) changed from "Primus Sweden" to "Optimus Primus". I see yours reads Primus Sweden, so that with the indented filler, suggests a date in the range of 1954 - 1962 (just until something more definite or someone more knowledgeable comes along). I found an article about the Primus 1 and 5 models, re the timing of the indented filler and other features Primus No.1 (optimus no.1) details after 1954 Q & A it is likely to be helpful for other models as well. As for cleaning and polishing, there is a series of articles by kerophile on this subject: Stove restoration. Parts 1 to 4 Since buying a big bag of citric acid I keep finding new uses for it, cleaning tarnished brass, de-rusting steel tools and painted tins without damaging the paint surface, cleaning limescale build ups - I don't know how I ever got by without it! Service parts are available from various sources, including the site sponsor, The Fettle Box. You will find a link to their site on the right side of the home page. Happy fettling Dean
Thanks for your reply Dean. I found the article about citric acid and i found a small bagg in my cupboard for decalcing the coffeemaker. Its pure citric acid. I will give it a try (first the bottom maybe. I found a number on the stove ending on 62, so it must be 1962 then. Thanks for the links. I fired it up this afternoon and it works great. Maybe i will put on the silentburner although the roarer make a nice sound also. As i sead, the forum is a nice place to read around. Great to see how many people are into the old stoves ! Greetings, Kor
Hot water with the citric improves its ability to clean. It is important not to leave the brass soaking for too long, otherwise it will dissolve away the zinc from the surface of the brass alloy and your stove will turn pink (high in copper)). Timing will be dependant on strength of solution and temperature, as well as the amount of tarnish/dirt to be removed. Check it regularly and rinse it all away when you are done. As another poster put it : remove from the acid just before it turns pink! Oh - and we do like to see flame shots of stoves in action - maybe next time you light it. Dean.
I find the roarer burner is best when using outside as you can hear it better. Nice in case of pressure loss or plugged jet. Duane
Yes, when you cannot hear your roarer burner roaring, you know it is time to get your hearing checked!
Brass cleaning (Organic) 1 part wheat flour 1 part fine salt 1 part house vinegar. Mix well and add to the brass. Wrap it all in cling film. Let it stand for half an hour Wash thoroughly with warm water, and poles with Autosol. It is important that the mixture is well distributed throughout, and that the film sits as close to the subject as possible. Inserts examples of before and after cleaning.
Thanks Tom. Nice result. As i look at your picture i see a nice windcatcher, have to look for that. Kor
@Kor Kuiper welcome! Re the year of the build, "Primus Sweden" may be indicator that there is a date code on the bottom? if not members can still narrow a year range (my web time is limited, i'll check back).
I do not know if this fits your primus. Otherwise they can be found many times on Ebay OPTIMUS STOVE BRASS WINDSHIELD FOR 111,111B,HIKER CAMPING STOVE PRIMUS STOVE | eBay a Good luck finding a windshield. Tom
Hi @OMC See above Kor posted: “I found a number on the stove ending on 62, so it must be 1962 then. Thanks for the links” So he has a 1962 Primus No.100 stove! Best Regards, Kerophile.
