Primus in the USA & other US brass kero stove makers

Ben, Christer, Ross, all,
I'll add some observations that may confuse or complicate things... sorry?
Here is one of the Primus US stoves I have, w/hex fitting on pump, unmarked tank, and I'd guess it's manufacture follows the nicer ones you 3 have. Ross's and Ben's.

I included image of bottom, it's not flat as I previously thought. It has slight convex and I'd guess Ross's & Ben's are the same on bottom. Old rather crude bottom tank seam (earliest Primus aren't all pretty either iirc)
Mine does have PRIMUS and '93 on tank lid but not only does it not have the (US) PRIMUS big and beautifully stamped into the tank. It's a different tank (mine has no integral top dome for air), diameter of mine (mid tank, not base) is 6 1/8". Mine has hex fitting on pump which may place manufacture year not too long after Ben's.

Observations, from the top:
SILENT BURNERs AFIK we've yet to see an original outer cap.
Credit Ross to point out the inner cap unscrews. This is a way to ID this burner and news flash, examples using this US silent burner go beyond Primus US.
MORE on silents... re Primus Sweden Ian tells us 1897 was the first year the 'silent burner' option was offered. I'd guess the US version is copied from Primus (which would help date early Primus US stoves) but maybe not (was US 1st?), I do not know?
Oh so much, still on the burners. Open another tab, if you can, and have a look at Ian's c1895 Swedish Primus 1 I'll point out similarities w/it as well. I've said Swedish Primus dating differs from Primus US but maybe not entirely? more later.
Above I added an early silent (Primus 133 or old style Opti 205) next to the Primus US silent for side by side comparison.
Just FYI where vaporizer tubes attach to base, on Ian's c1895 (link above) and on the Primus US, the a "U" shape vaporizer tube attaches to the base, This connection is differs from the early Swedish silent w/o connection at U-shape. Who copied who and what .
> The two silents in my image above are nearly identical in shape and size w/same rizer - to - burner threads. Inner & outer caps differ but I'd guess as a whole, they're swappable.
>> Nipples: Looks like Ross swapped jet? we may find the US vs Swedish nipples are swappable as well?

I have a Swede Primus 1 Patent similar to Ian's in front of me to compare.

EARLY SPIRIT CUPS , Swedish vs my US Primus, same shape and size.
RIZERS: Swedish vs my US Primus, top of rizer same (again threads same). Height of rizer, Primus US just slightly taller between tank and spirit cup. OD of rizers, very close, US 25.25mm, Swede 25mm.

TANK LIDS Ben's & Ross's are same, mine is later I'd guess, text differs but the 3 incl. same co. names and same "Pat. July 4 '93" (1893)

re Tank lid US -vs- Swede Primus c189x, very close but Swede has very slightly wider filler neck and tank lid thread.

VENT SCREWS, Swedish vs my US Primus, both blank on both sides, shape/size differs very slightly and thread portion on my US Primus is slightly longer but the threads and valve seat match, they're swappable.

Next I find interesting.
This is my Primus US vs c189x Swedish Primus 1

PUMP the pump w/hex fitting on mine seems to match Ben's & Ross's but even more interesting it's also seems to be nearly perfect match to Lindqvists' early Primus pump as seen in Ian's link above,
the same:
pump tube ID
pump lids and pump tube threads (swappable, US Primus pump lid is blank).
Pump shafts; knob threads, Lindvists' early pump asm. or exact copy (uses leather cup w/inner support and 2nd leather washer).

With my Swede Primus 1 Patent and my Primus US in front of me and Ben's & Ross's pics, as close as I look...
>>>> It seems to me that all 4, Ben's, Ross's, mine and Ian's are the same. Explain this... I can not, not yet, but that's my observation. That and iirc this early pump asm has a year range associated with it for Swedish Primus stoves.
thx omc
drift Ben, fyi re your Primus US that explains the deja-vu feeling I had.
and
what huh Khotal use of same silent, c1910 that says.

 

I'll do some comparisons with my US-Primus and some of my oldest Swedish ones when I'm back home this weekend.
But I'm sure I will come to the same conclusions as you.
The burner on my US-version is of course the same 'Khotal type' as you noticed. I'm not sure of the exact lid engraving from memory, but it has the patent date of July 4:th, 1893.

 

all,
@Christer Carlsson Christer,
Thank you for posting your US-Primus No.1 (No.103 per catalog) , an excellent example we're thankful for that.
Re your above comment "I'll do some comparisons with my US-Primus and some of my oldest Swedish ones"
First to what may be a revelation... if you look closely at 2 examples in-hand, does a side by side comparison reveal that your US outer cap is not Swedish Primus (so likely original). IF your cap is likely original, big IF but IF so it may be the only surviving such example. I assume there's no text on top.

In your post you mention "As usual with the early US-Primus, it has [A] the older type of pump with the old NRV we see in the first Swedish made stoves. I think the burner is the correct type for the period as well."

A. I just add, not only both have older "type" pump w/NRV... they are very nearly identical down to the smallest *parts of the whole assembly. I draw no conclusion but, for me, one has to wonder.
*FYI both pumps I show above, of course, have the brass basket inside the pump leather.

B. A repeat of my above observations the earliest silent IIRC for Swedish Primus is c1897, earliest for US-Primus is c1897 so has me wondering
>>> who copied who?

Lastly,still to Christer but any/all comments welcome,
You have given "about 1897" date for your US-Primus example, care to comment on that?
Myself, I wonder if it is
the patent or the pump/NRV or the burner
that you find support c1897? (or any combination of factors or none of the above?).

[another repeat of above info tentatively also places US burner at 1910, all of which can fit w/o conflicting ].
thx omc
tag @z1ulike

 

@OMC another timeline sequence, but not necessarily with fixed dates, can be made with the pump rod assemblies that you illustrate and refer to above: the very earliest Swedish cup and rod assemblies used all round components, no hex fittings on any part of the cup carrier or even on the tiny rod end 'nut', all round. Are there any US made Primus stoves sporting fittings without spanner hex provision?
Ian

 

@igh371
I'm of the impression the 3 US No.1 examples refered to above
are rare and
are the oldest version.
Given that and re your:
"Are there any US made Primus stoves sporting fittings without spanner hex provision?"

I would say, no, not that i'm aware of.
That is a good point.
We know about earliest Primus burner / riser without hex provision.
Hmmm Have I missed early Primus silents w/o hex fitting?

Is burner / riser fittings why you ask or are there possibly earliest Primus pump/NRV examples also minus hex fittings?
thx omc

 

apologies to all,
Multi-tasking here and I had total brain fart above and too late to edit.
Ian was talking about pump w/NRV assemblies (I knew that, duh) but as I considered and reconsidered his final question came the brain fart (forgetting his context IS pump w/NRV asms.).

My above comment was not total "garbage in" but a re-do or recap
it is no to both:
no, I am not aware of any US early pump w/NRV asms. or parts without hex fittings.
and
no, I am not aware of any US early silents without hex fittings (and do wonder if there are any early Primus silents w/o hex fitting?).
sorry for confusion omc

edit: okay !! on the fly here, @Wim my impression is your, still working , 'ol No.5 is the earliest example in our gallery. We can not see if there is hex fitting on your silent burner base. No hurry at all but eventually if when you have another glimpse at your 'ol No.5 do you care to weigh-in, does it have hex fitting at burner base?
thx again omc

[[and with minutes to spare, with edit function I
thank you Christer for sharing below your dating detail. It was not patent, pump nor burner but catalog, ah yes, glad I asked. thx again ]]

 

Just simply because that's the first time we see it in a catalogue. The title is just there to give some hint.
It could be later than that, of course. Or possibly earlier, who knows.
abbahco1, who is very knowledgeable on early Primus stoves, actually placed it in the area 1900-1903 in our conversation back then.

No, no text on the outer cap.

 

PRIMUS COMPANY
No 1 as ilustration to No 103


1902