What the ... !!! I was thinking when I took a Calor-Dex Picnic Stove out of its box, alongside a Primus 71 here. Spot which is the Calor-Dex? Here's the box, with a spare (full) gas container The box is quite something, with a leather suitcase-style carrying strap Metal clasps are undone on either side of the detachable top and the top is removed to reveal the stove within Me being me, I start to dismantle the stove, by unscrewing the burner disc ... ... then a riser to reveal the jet nipple A distinctive logo on the control knob Reassembling the stove, I light it up ... ... and set a kettle to boil, along with another on the Primus 71 The flames I'm just playing now, re-orientating the control knob spindle to see whether the stove could be used in its case, though the case lid couldn't close over it ... ... and the knob binds on the case (as a previous user would appear to have tolerated, judging by the abrasion marks), so I'd say it wasn't too well thought out The spare gas bottle fitting has a protective screw cap ... ... revealing a distinctive self-sealing fitting A bonus, instructions (and a schematic and list of spares on the reverse) came with the stove Backpacking stove? Hmmm. John
You're right about that Alan. What a dead-end dinosaur of a design eh? The Primus heated the same amount of water (but in a smaller kettle) in less time. I haven't weighed the Calor-Dex ensemble, but even the gas in a cylinder is approaching half a kilogramme, so all the additional metalwork adds up to a lot. Dating it, I Googled Calor-Dex and to my surprise found a USA eBay auction for a copy of a May 1957 UK 'Motor Sport' magazine (I might just bid for it, come to think) in which was listed a test of the very stove. Imagine, all those delectable 1957 sports cars and open-topped tourers, homing in on a meet at Silverstone, Oulton Park or Aintree, and a cravat-wearing toff hauling the Calor-Dex out of the boot (trunk) of his MG to brew up in the paddock. John
Oh, I think you absolutely need that magazine, John - no doubt about it at all. IMO, the report will go nicely with the stove...
more of that "modern"--"see it's not kero" gear. from the the looks of the welded seam on the gaz "ball" it looks like making a decent,safe gaz cart had some years to go yet.
I buy a stove with the instructions and take 24 hours to get around to reading them! I read this about the Calor-Dex stove:- "Replace stove in the case with the four projections on the burner tray resting in the slots on the top of the case, ensuring the regulating control valve knob faces an opening in the side of the case." Remember I'd expressed dismay at the hopeless prospect of using the stove in the case and provided photographs Having read the instructions now, I saw this was the right way to do it Snag is, that adds another inch to the height, which tops out a little over 12 inches tall (300 millimetres) A couple more vital statistics for this gigantic gassie: Weight of stove alone 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) Weight of case alone , also 3.5 pounds (1.6kg) John
Hi John, If I recall correctly, the stove is just one variant. I've got one of these somewhere and I'm pretty sure that with the documentation I've got there were a whole bunch of other calor gas "attachments" that could be connected to the tank. I'll see if I can dig out the documentation if I can find where I've stored the stove (not an everyday user or a display model ). The tanks were refillable at the time - don't know if it could still be done although I'd guess it was probably by exchange rather than refill on demand. However, mine came with what I guestimated (actually a straight wild guess) about a third of a tank. As I didn't want it hanging around the house with gas still in it I used the stove to contribute to garage heating duties and found whatever fuel was in there lasted for several hours (probably well in excess of ten hours, but I wasn't measuring). So whilst not powerful a filling would certainly last a a long time. Not sure now why I bought mine - I think I was attracted by the very WWII bomblike shape. Cheers, Graham.
The documentation would be interesting to see if it's not too much trouble, Graham. Yes, it's an unloved and unlovely classic right enough. Did I say classic then? Eye of the beholder and all that, but I couldn't see it attracting many fans. Bomb-like indeed. John
Well, I put in the winning bid (sole bid if I remember rightly) and though a photo of the stove wasn't featured, the following write-up did. Incidentally, Dex Industries was a subsidiary company of Calor set up solely to market the stoves and accessory appliances fuelled by that unique gas bottle. ‘Dexagas’ Portable Picnic Stove Fond of eating out of doors? Then here’s an attractive little portable picnic stove that packs away neatly in your car. The ‘Dexagas’ stove runs on butane gas – does away with the trouble of carrying paraffin or other liquid fuels. Simple to use, you just take off the lid, turn on the gas and apply a match. The effect is immediate and the stove burns very silently. (Ideal for the poverty-stricken British tourist making tea in the hotel bedroom!) The strong steel case, measuring 12 in. by 5in., protects the cylinder and burner and there are extra fitments such as blowlamp and soldering-iron attachments if required. The flame is not as hot as that of a Primus or similar unit but it takes less time to start and is cleaner to use. The Dexagas stove costs 75s. complete. Gas refill 3s. 10d., extra cylinder 35s. If you want more information or names of nearest stockists, drop a line to the makers, Dex Industries Ltd., Edwin Road, Twickenham. "... attractive little portable picnic stove that packs away neatly in your car" ??? Maybe if the car's like this, which featured on the same page as the stove text ... A kettle on the running board? Looks like it ... Probably had no room left in the boot (trunk) because of the Calor-Dex taking up all the space. John
Update. Those gas bottles pictured with the stove must have been of a late production pattern, marked 'Calor'. Here are the orginal pattern I was fortunate that I had a full (late pattern) bottle of gas to get the stove fired up ... ... but imagine my surprise when one of the two sixty-year-old bottles still contained gas John
