I’ve just bought an Optimus 111c from a local market. It wasn’t super cheap but seemed to be in overall decent condition so thought I’d take the risk. I removed the pump shaft to check the condition of the It’s a lot younger than my other stoves so I’m tempted to move it on but I’d ideally like to get it going first.
I’m so sorry I must have accidentally deleted it! I meant to write that I opened it up to check the condition of the pump leather
As far as I can tell from studying the parts and other posts further it seems like Optimus international may have opted for an inferior fixed pump leather rather than a floating one during this period. This would mean that the leather was simply fixed in place by sandwiching it between two washers. It seems that if I’m correct whoever last worked on the stove may have put one washer that was to big in meaning that it didn’t hold the leather in place. I’ve replaced the washer with a smaller one and it does tentatively seem to be pressuring now. it’s a shame the engineering really doesn’t seem to be up to that standard of older Optimus stoves.