Optimus 111 (& 111B) with a twist

Hi! This is my first contribution, though I have been lurking with great interest for some time

Here is my finished Optimus 111 fettle, for your consideration. I know the paint colour will not be to everyones taste, but I am very chuffed with how it turned out. I am especially happy with how the top decal came out (one of my own devising), and the combination of glossy red and brass on the inside. The original brief for the stove was strictly a functional restoration (cleaning, seals, rust removal, hardy engine paint etc.), so it is probably fair to say I got a bit carried away Still, that won't keep me from using it!



The stove started as a late-model 111b (as far as I can tell), with lots of use. This was my first foray into fettling proper, and I learned a lot. In the end I broke one NRV trying to fettle its pip, and stripped the tank lid safety valve hex nut trying to fettle its seal. Probably for the best - I fitted two new parts which at least will be safe and serviceable. Also fitted new pump leather and nipple/cleaning pin/seals. The case was sand blasted, etch-primed and topcoated with ETech engine enamel paint (from a rattle can). The paint will supposedly resist heat, fuel spills and cracking/flaking so seemed a reasonable choice to me. The colour was a bit of a whim. Given how badly the inside bottom of the case had faired when I bought the stove, I thought a bit of sacrificial sheet was a sound investment. I went for brass because by then the madness had firmly set in. Finally I was lucky enough to stumble on an auction for a NOS paraffin/kerosene burner (part 206?). It cost more than the stove in the end, but I prefer paraffin as I have a pair of Vapalux lanterns that also run the stuff, and I suspect NOS burners of any kind don't come up all that often. Fettled the petrol burner anyway, but I doubt I will use it much. Here are some snaps of the 'before' condition.




Thanks for taking a look!

Ken

 

Very nice work. The red and brass look fantastic.

 

@kpsupernut Very Nice and if you like the colour who cares what anyone else thinks. At least you won’t lose it !
Nice work.
I am in Surrey if you need help advice or maybe the odd spare part.
Cheers Nick

 

Ow, wow that turned out very nice! That red has a nice apeal to it.

 

Welcome to CCS
WOW, interesting
I am curious to see your new burner.
Good job.

 

Very very nice restoration indeed well done there, i really do like the paint job on the steel case you have done a fantastic job on it, you have a brilliant stove there

 

Nice one mate!

 

Thanks all, especially for the kind offer @nmp

@JP2 this is the best photo I have of the two burners to hand. The NOS paraffin/kerosene one is fitted (I was testing it) and the fettled original is in the background. I read somewhere here on CCS that the paraffin has two extra vapour tubes compared to the petrol/gasoline variant as paraffin takes more energy to vaporise, which is how I spotted it in the auction listing. The seller wasn't 100% certain which variant it was, so listed both part numbers.

 

It certainly does look good in red and brass.
I've just got my first two optimus 111 stoves which both need a good clean and restore, but I don't know if I can compete with the standard you have set here...
Very well done, just need a flame shot to finish.

 

Beautiful well done you will not lose that in the tall grass

 

Welcome to CCS @kpsupernut
It's cleaned up nicely, congratulations

 

It looks very good. Your "before" photos look a lot like mine did before I repainted mine. But mine was complete (I bought it new 50 years ago) so I did not need to source any parts, other than a replacement tank lid seal.

 

Nicely done, the top logo looks great. I have considered adding another color to raised lettering for a restoration but have yet to do so.

 

The brass plate protecting the lower half of the case is a very pretty alternative to recycling a 440ml aluminium beer can that has been shown a few times on CCS.
Regards
John

 

@kpsupernut wow that is really nice work, love the brass plate, and your top decal

 

@kpsupernut - why should the original colour always be the ideal? I have nothing but affection for the more traditional colours, but I absolutely love the fire engine red against the brass! And with the quality of the top decal and finish, I think this is a very successful cosmetic upgrade.

I suddenly feel like paint shopping...

Well done, and thanks for sharing!

 

Are you a Coke fan?

nice looking stove!

 

Excellent job!
+1 for the red & brass.

 

I like the red.

 

The 'Fire Engine' had its first outing this weekend Whilst the flame isn't discernible in daylight, it perfectly converted paraffin into caffeine