SELUS. French Stove *

Hi, here is another French stove I have been working on recently.

This Selus stove came to me from France about three years ago and appeared un-used, with a new burner and no sign of carbon deposits on the legs or pan-ring. It was therefore a French Virgin, so to speak, and I should have realised then that they are not common.

It came with a "new" cast-iron pan-ring marked "Ultimus", which is a French Brand;



Here are some shots of the stove with the pan-ring removed:



The stove is a pretty conventional 2-pint, brass tank paraffin stove, with fixed legs and a roarer burner. The flame ring is made of brass-plated steel.



The tank is marked up with the Brand name "Selus" at three points on the circumference.
There are no other markings on the tank



Here is a close up of the lettering on the tank, also the filler cap, and pump knob




The "new" roarer burner is marked "Selor"




The cast-iron pan-ring is very ornate and appears to have its original gold paint finish.



I can only find one other image of a Selus stove following a quick Google search;

A Japanese collector has a Mint collapsible model; Selus

Has anyone else got one of these stoves or any information or catalogues?

Best Regards,
Kerophile

 

Very nicely done George. I see that French stove week is actually a two week celebration as it extends into this week.

On this Selus stove the design of the sweeping curve of the feet catches my eye as very ornate and yet very simple to make .

Another lovely stove !
Doug

 

I have the same model stove that is shown on the Japanese collectors site; down to the blue tin and all of the "paraffinalia" including the colorful tag. My supposition is that he may have gotten it from the same source as I; a gent who had two or three of these NOS several years ago on eBay.
Very nice, as is yours; but I never have been able to find any information myself.

 

Hi Ian, thanks for the link. I do remember this thread having seen it again. That particular model was obviously a cloned Military stove rather than a domestic model.
I did actually see the same stove as Jur's on the Website of the Dutch Stove Collectors, under Selus:
Selus Military

Hi Ed, you are a lucky man to have the Selus collapsible tourer stove, in Mint condition (with tag)

Hi Doug, Glad to see that you have an eye for a well-turned French ankle.

Thank you all for your comments.

Best Regards,
George

 

Ian has one himself too. The Dutch Stove Collectors are mistaken that these stoves are kero's: they're petrol. Neither do I think they themselves were military.

It is very interesting to learn that Selus is not just a one-day-fly, but apparently a longer existing French brand. Question remains: since when and from where exactly?

Jur

 

I think this is Selus too - but no maker's mark.

 

Hi, One feature of my Selus stove which is different from the other French stoves I have been showing recently,(and indeed most other paraffin stoves), is the form of the NRV.
On my Selus the NRV has a slotted head, like a screw-head and can be loosened and removed using a conventional screwdriver. The others all use the more common head with two side-flats, which needs a special key ( or a slotted bar) to remove it.

I wonder whether this form of slotted head NRV is a feature of Selus stoves?

Regards,
Kerophile.

 

Slotted on mine.

 

Hi Paul, another distinctive feature of the Selus stove that I have is the small hole that the Manufacturer has drilled in the pump cap. See the close up of the pump top in my photos.

This hole is unusual on paraffin stoves. I have seen it before but I can't remember where. None of the other five French-manufactured stoves I have worked with have this feature.

I guess the hole was introduced to allow air access to the pump. Everyone else relies on air entering through the clearance between the shaft of the piston and the pump cap.

I noticed that your "Mystery" stove might have the same small hole in the pump cap. Yet another small similarity between our stoves?

Regards,
George.