I picked this up for $10 in a wee second hand shop in NZ. the guy had 2 stoves, 1 was a trangia style but set into picnic set tin (1950s-1970s I guess) he thought it was broken as it had no wick. I let him know it was actually in working order , then casually asked about this wee beauty. It was completly black, and hadnt been cleaned in decades. He didnt know about stoves, so sold it to me for $10. Wooooo Hooooo. It works perfectly, but has no identifying markings or anything to say what type of stove it is. Do you have any ideas????? Link
Hi Noodle-man. You did good! I believe that you have bought either the Classic Optimus 8R or a clone of this stove. These stoves use either Petrol or Coleman Fuel (or equivalent)...Not Kerosene. Check out this link, which shows both a Russian clone and the Original Optimus 8R in operation: Internal Link If you use the search function on the CCS site you will find many, many entries on the Optimus 8R Best Regards, Kerophile
sweet it does look the same. I was wondering if it was the optimus 99, from catalogues, but yeah, looks like we have a winner. Stoked! Nice to have another option rather than my trusty svea123. Not so good in wind, so will have to sort out a shield etc. good old tin foil for now . thanks
Yes, it looks like an 8R clone of some sort. The metal strap holding the tank appears to have come adrift from the fold-down front of the case:-
Way to go Ramenoholic, I too am addicted to ramenohol. You got a great deal on an Optimus 8R or clone, and just in time to begin training for WOED; Worldwide Optimus Eight Day on, when else? 8-8-8; August 8, 2008. It's the last event of it's kind until 3008, so you won't want to miss the drama, the splendor, the gala gatherings. On WOED, Optimus 8's, variants and clones and the people who love them will compete for cash and prizes and the admiration of all mankind in extravaganzas occurring around the globe. There are only 2 months to go, but It's not too late to organize an 8 festival on your island. You could ask some of the other fellers what they have planned for WOED. Save the deight! L8R, Gary
No, I have it on very good authority that there's to be an Optimus 9 day on 9th September next year... 8) Ross is to be our sole representative, I think...
Quite right David, I completely forgot about 9-9-9, my apologies Ross, I hope you have a great time with that other guy who used to have a 9. Not to denigrate that auspicious occasion, but WOED promises to fill stadiums with masses of cheering Optimus 8 fanatics. In Ireland, the Police have transferred their most hardened officers from the Rugby Hooligan Task Force to a special WOED Rapid Response Team to help keep the peace as passionate 8-ites (as they call themselves, pronounced "Ite-ites in Irish) watch the hardest-fought WOED competitions on pub tellies followed by spirited yelling, punching and vomiting. What's planned in your country? L8R, Gary P.S. Inundated as I have been with WOED correspondence from around the globe, I've forgotten, maybe one of you can remind me, is SVEA 123 day on December Third or January 23rd? P.P.S. My apologies to all you thin-skinned hyper-sensitive poofter Irish hooligans.
Ramenoholic See if the fuel tank cap from your Svea 123 will fit the tank on the new one. If it does, I believe you have scored a nice old 8R.. BTW 8Rs are nice in any condition. Just my not too humble opinion. Nice score. In this picture below (forgive the bold linkup, I hope) you can see a shiny rectangular area on the inside of the little front trap door. That's where your fuel tank mounting bracket was attached. You can fix it up easily. Search CCS as already mentioned. Best regards, Al Gentry EDIT I could be wrong, as I usually am.
It looks like a genuine 8r (or better than your average clone) from what I can see. Some 8Rs only had sticker labels and that could have come off along time ago. Was there a key and chain? if the key/chained looked original that could nail it as the optimus8R/123R chains had a distinctive twisted link. In addition to the cap exchange mentioned above, I believe the burner bell should be interchaingeable with the 123R. But the other thing to note are the hinges -- the Russion clones in particular had two part hinges if I remember right, not the dovetailed ones (or what ever they are called). Nice find.
At what I hope will only be a small risk of a hijack, what is "ramenohol", as it seems one can become addicted to "it". Apologies for the possibility that this is a naiive question. However, I have found that if one does not ask, one does not learn. Regards all, Rob
I would hazard a guess by saying that the member eats a lot of ramen noodles on the hike. Maybe for breakfast, too. Is there any Ramenoholics Anonymous meeting somewhere in the woods?
If that is the case, it is true that "there's no accounting for taste". A trueism that applies to all facets of life far beyond food, and I dare say, what makes this world go round. Regards, Rob
