It looks spot on. I share your approach of a full strip down and replacement of all parts which can deteriorate, I like to have stoves I can rely on in any circumstances.
@Blackdog I completely agree with you. I wonder when this Svea 106 was made. I would say during the 20´s ?
The evidence arising so far suggests 'The King of Stoves' logo was used in 1937 at the earliest, it could be post war. Stoves of this shape from other manufacturers date to before WW1.
@Blackdog If a washer has survived that long and is still good enough to seal, why would it not continue to seal? I agree if it's asbestos then sure, dispose of it safely and replace, but if not and it works, then why bother?
Just about all burner washers made 'pre-preservation era' are likely to contain asbestos- including any old stock. It's only in recent times that reproductions have been stamped from Novus etc. The risks might be low but personally I like to get rid safely and replace. You're right in that undisturbed, burner washers have a very long lifespan- but a stove that has been out of action for decades then brought out of hibernation will often work well for a short while then develop leaks. I left the burners alone on a couple of stoves in my early days, but with heavy use they let me down so I just replace them as a matter of course. Less of an issue if the stove is going to be fired up once then displayed, or only run occasionally, but I do my daily cooking on my domestics (no mains electricity/gas here) and expect my sports/outdoor stoves to be reliable out in the wild for days on end where failure means cold food/inconvenience! I also remove all burners new to me to inspect and decoke if necessary, which destroys the washers, but that's an aside. Pump leathers are a mixed bag too- often an old dry one can be made supple with oil and massaging, and will work for a while, but right at the wrong moment will then break up in use and can even clog the pump valve. I always give old pump leathers a good savaging (pulling and twisting) before reusing them, very often they look sound but can be torn apart.
Oops, I shouldn't just make up terms on the spot! I wasn't actually around personally, so anybody who was- please correct anything I've got wrong! There have no doubt always been collectors of stoves, even in their heyday. I can certainly remember collections of pressure lamps, blowlamps and stoves exhibited at steam rallies in the mid-90s, and probably had been for the previous decade or more? Ross started this site in 2000, which brought a lot of collectors out of the woodwork, and it has snowballed since then becoming ever more popular (and expensive!) In the earlier days there were fewer collectors and loads of old stock burner washers, ex-military, ex-manufacturers and ex-hardware shop stock which satisfied demand. Not sure when the earliest non-asbestos washers became available- @kerophile had a batch made in 2008 and now of course @Spiritburner sells a top notch washer via The Fettlebox
Other than the phrase 'asbestos substitute' used on CCS, I've never found a trustworthy source detailing exactly what Calmonite was, and what the fibres were, so I remain cautious...
