Howdy. Please call me pj. Marblecreek (Steve) invited me to join here. Last week I found -- quite by accident -- my first kersosene stove. My only experience with "older" stoves was a two-burner Coleman that had the cylindrical tank with the filler cap on the end. Unfortunately a previous girlfriend decided it was "old" and althougth it worked perfectly (better than our "new" one, she sold it at a garage sale a decade and a half ago. *sigh* Back to now... I was buying a used 7 pound propane tank for my current camping stove. The fellow mentioned he had "an old stove", and I guessed it might be a Svea. He climbed up to his attic and brought it down. The pan ring did indeed say "Svea", and from the quick glimpse, I thought it said Nr. 21. I quizzed Steve about it, he made a guess as to its value, and a few days later I went back and exchanged a small handful of money for the stove. Meantime, Steve quizzed this forum and Kerophile pointed us toward the actual brand -- it's a Svecia, not a Svea, although, as you can see, the pan ring and the pump are both clearly from a Svea. It stopped raining here long enough yesterday I got out the stove and camera to take some pictures. Steve says it is a silent burner and is missing a few parts. Can anyone confirm that KFE might have used Svea pumps, or is this likely a part "that seemed to fit" from another stove? Can anyone suggest a source for the missing bits from the burner, and/or a make and model whose parts would fit? Anything else for the first steps? If I can provide any other pictures to help the cause, let me know. I only see pictures of one other Svecia No 1 in the gallery, and the pictures are of the tank only. With that, here are a dozen dirty pictures of my new stove. (Yes, I will post them to the gallery shortly.)
Done for you... Welcome to the forums, pj (sooner or later, we'd have ended up calling you that anyway!). Nice stove for your first kerosene one. I'm not confident enough about Svecia to be sure, and there's not a lot I can find here, but those external NRVs are early - maybe 1910-20? As Steve has probably said, your stove is missing the inner and outer burner caps and won't work without them (trust me ) In the short term, you will be probably be able to use caps from the same size stove made by another manufacturer. You could try asking for the correct parts in the Trading Post section, although you need to be a subscriber or have 10 posts under your belt to be able do that. In this instance, though, I think it would be OK for Steve to ask on your behalf. If K.F. Erikssons followed the usual convention, the No.1 would have been fitted with a roarer burner - the silent version would be a No.5 - so it may well be that your stove has had a replacement burner fitted at some point. No problem, though, it'll work fine with the silent burner, once the missing parts are replaced. At least you'll be able to talk to your mates while the stove is running, but probably not outside on a breezy day! Hope that helps as far as it goes. No doubt someone who can give you information confidently will be along shortly - George?
Hi pj, Your Svecia 21 is a lovely stove, and quite scarce IMO. It is unlikely that KFE would have used Max Sievert (Svea) parts as a factory fit. However nearly all the manufacurers used compatible parts, as this aided buyers and gave access to the lucrative spares market. As David pointed out the external NRV ( which I consider to be a lot more user friendly that the later ones buried at the base of the pump tube) dates your stove to the 1920s/30s I would estimate. Unfortuately only Primus of the Swedish makers date coded their stoves. It looks to be a straightforward fettle to have this classic stove operating as intended once more. I will send you a PT about the silent caps and any other minor parts you might need. Best Regards, Kerophile.
Nice first kero stove! i have a roarer svecia but it doesn't have the crowns or trademark engraving. and the external nrv is a nice feature also. You don't see alot of this brand around.
Howdy, PJ, Welcome to CCS!! You have started out on the right foot, too, in attaining your very first kero stove, and posting photos of it! Thanks, very much! I agree with what's already been said by our CCS Mates. Your stove is an older one, and very nice, indeed! I'm sure you can get it back into running condition, especially if Kerophile is offering his help. He's a good man, with lots of stove knowledge. Have fun with your wonderful find, and again, good to have you here amongst us!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Okay... so it's time for the two standard questions: How old do you think it is? What do you think it's worth in its present condition?
Hi, Well, the age thing has been dealt with, already, by knowledgeable Gentlemen, who hazarded a good guess. As to it's "worth"...... that is almost impossible to say. If you wish to sell it, then I'd recommend you list it on Ebay, and let the market tell you what it is worth. On any given day, a certain stove might bring big bucks, or next to nothing. Sorry to be so vague, but that's the honest truth of, Sir. So, list away, if that is what you want to do with this stove. You will find most of us to be users of stoves, and we collect them, mostly, to use them. For what it's worth.... Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Ah yes. Age estimates were given. My bad. As for value... of course, anything in this world is worth exactly what someone else is willing to pay for it. What I was willing to pay was slightly more than I was willing to simply lose, throw out the car window, flush down the loo, etc. Slightly more because I ended up with an interesting, tangible object. Less than I paid for my last piano. More than I spent on lunch today.
As Henry would say, your stove is worth up to $1000. But you answered your own question, really:- "As for value... of course, anything in this world is worth exactly what someone else is willing to pay for it." I'd add only 'at that moment in time'...
Hi PJ, I'm a one stove newcomer. I like the finish on your stove and it should be a great performer. You're already making contact with some people that can work wonders on a stove. I have an SVEA 5 that has the similar "feet" and dates back to pre WWII. Jim
Thanks! I looked at your two threads and our stoves appear to be pretty similar -- silent burner types with fixed legs. Yours is very cool. I like the windscreen you made and the clever repair to the pump piston! Obviously, I am missing the burner caps (the thingy with the little holes), but Kerophile is going to fix me up as soon as we figure out if there is anything else I need. Steve (marblecreek) has suggested that I should not make this stove too clean and shiny. It has a lot of character just as it is. And with the pan ring and pump pretty clearly from a different stove, I think this old Svecia has a lot of stories -- someone cannibalized parts off at least one other stove to keep this one working. (*Deep breath* before I launch off on a rant about how we should all be trying to eke as much use out of things as we can rather than just throwing stuff away at the first opportunity to buy something new... I'm sure I would be preaching to the choir on a forum like this.) Anyway, pleasure to meet you. Happy fettling. pj
I fully intended to keep my stove in the original patina but just cleaned up. I started cleaning with citric acid, actually Koolaid, and it kind of started a process of its own. I wound up using a brass polish to get rid of some of the pink color and I now have a much shinier stove than I originally wanted. The wind break is not my idea...I saw it on this forum. The .22 shell fix is my own idea, one born out of frustration. Jim
I also think if I wanted to really clean it up, I'd have to dress up that glob of solder on the filler neck. I'm just going to try to get some of the gunk off the burner assembly and let the rest of it look "well loved".
