Just goes to show that these things do still turn up! A roughly 129 year old treasure from a house clearance outlet, and with legs still 'furred' from shreds of broken up builders' foam which had filled the upper half of the tin. Clearly unmolested for many years, it is still with its original round-base burner with no spanner hex (as e.g. here). The round burner base would seem to be useful confirmation that the final days of those earlier spec burners must have been late enough to have overlapped with the first introduction of hex-fitted pump assemblies. Moving on, however, this stove was clearly both well used and abused in the distant past. Note the particularly unhelpful solder around the 'detachable' pump tube!
From the reference point of view, for 1895, the pump assembly is nicely preserved without a hex fitting in sight. From the fixed backstop, to the carrier and its backing 'nut', and finally to the outer end nut, everything is round and without any purchase points for servicing tools!
Rare testament to the build quality of these early Primus stoves. It has fired up perfectly, first time, and with only the addition of a flame spreader and having had the NRV cork, pump cup, and filler cap washer soaking in oil, in situ, for about a week. Air and fuel tight throughout At rest afterwards, solid as a rock, smug self-satisfaction personified, no drama here, move on: @Blackdog @Rangie
