I recently had a friend purchase a stove on my behalf which I received in the post today. The burner is a regulated type Primus, I’m guessing from the 1930,s? The tank is steel and has no visible markings. Pump rod, pump tube, and filler cap and even the pot supports are brass. The nicely rounded spirit cup is steel. The feet are also steel and I think an uncommon shape. The NRV has a hexagon shape so the usual Primus tool won’t work I think. Can’t get a good picture of that. Would anyone know what I have on my hands here? Many thanks. Tom
Looks to Belong to the Veritas "Cris Col" brand, single-burner pressure stove, manufactured in Great Britain during the early-to-mid 20th century Company Roots: Christopher Collins Ltd. originally started in the 1890s manufacturing ships' lamps. During World War I, they pivoted heavily into military hardware, producing collapsible signal lanterns and military lighting. The Steel Tank Mystery: During the inter-war period (1920s–1930s) and spiking sharply during World War II, the British government placed severe restrictions on civilian use of brass and copper, as those metals were strictly rationed for manufacturing ammunition shells. [Wartime/Civilian Substitutions: Because of this brass shortage, British manufacturers (including Christopher Collins Ltd., as well as competitors like Monitor and Burmos) substituted heavy-gauge steel for the stove tanks. To protect the raw steel from rapidly rusting when exposed to fuel, water, and outdoor elements, the factories thickly coated the tanks in a signature olive-drab or mid-green enamel paint.
Here is a better shot of the NRV. A socket may do the trick. Not sure if Veritas would have used a Primus burner but could have or it could have been changed. The lack of an aircrew indicates it was designed for a regulated burner though and the Primus one looks the right age. Wartime would make sense for the steel tank. Strange that the pot supports are brass though.
Pot supports may not be original anything that can be removed on the tank may not be original to the tank, possibly they used a filler cap with an air bleed. Hard to tell usually have to go by the tank itself if trying to ID it
Thanks Lennart. That’s about the age I suspected but still not exactly sure on the tank.Quite thick steel. Very heavy. The NRV came out with a 10mm hex socket. Very narrow filler tube, only about half the diameter of a no. 5 or similar. Runs well now whatever it is.
Based on what I've seen about Aussie stoves here on CCS and Aussie products elsewhere - materials and design make me guess a slightly post-WW2 production.
