I’ve just received a 1943 71e from Sweden. Been on my list for a while as my first white gas stove and this little beauty did not disappoint. Worked straight out of the box, with a quick safety check beforehand. Will boil a cuppa in the provided kettle in three minutes. All-round top job, but I have a question on the pot handle: not standard, a skilled piece of heavy pressing in aluminium, fitted with two well formed d-rings. Anyone seen similar? Function of the d-rings? Perhaps it was a piece of wartime scrap, cannibalised to replace a lost handle, or perhaps there is a cunning purpose in those shapely rings? Thoughts welcome!
Very nice stove and cook set. Might say that cook set is on my list too. Take a look at a Swedish M-40 mess kit and you will see D rings on pot handle too. Made to place a stick in there so hands don't get burned or for long reach over a fire. enjoy your new stove.
Thanks Daryl. I suspected that it could have been for a wooden/ stick handle and your observation of the purpose of similar rings on the M40 handle looks very plausible. Strange thing is that the handle on the 71 kit lifts off so easily there’s no need to leave it on the pot, so it would never get too hot to grab, wooden extension or otherwise. The M40 handle looks to be riveted to the pot, so your explanation works well for that set. So my handle is still a bit of mystery. The holes for the rings have been made in a heavy press, not drilled, so it looks professionally made: a lot of trouble to go to to make a keep-cool function for a handle that’s easily removable!
I suspect that someone has modified a handle from a cheap surplus M40/M44 mess kit set to replace a missing handle. My Postwar 71E has a handle without any rings on it: it is similar to the handle on a Svea 123.
Interesting. I suggest we accept "the function" of the handle with D rings is as Daryl suggested (incls "Made to place a stick in there..." Because this kit did come with an adequate Primus handle i lean away from genuine Primus handle. I could be wrong. Not for nothing if Primus, wouldn't it likely be the Primus handle, modified? It's not. Also not a modified M40/44 handle. No slot in handle. This does not rule it out as a replacement handle purpose-built for this kit. I presume it fits, stowed inside? Was this Primus kit ever a Mil. issue, I wonder? (not that i've heard, i dunno). Interesting nonetheless. Like most of these Primus kits out there, mine are msg handles... this strikes me as an excellent replacement handle (whatever it is eventually better identified as). I'd be happy to add it as a replacement handle. Lastly, now that we know what to look for, as often the case, now, more examples might emerge. ^^^ thank you for posting this.
I would guess that's a handle from some other pot set, most likely Trangia. Trangia made a multitude of camping cookware in the early days, and that D-ring design is pretty common. Also very common practice to pair up the primus 71 with additional trangia pots. In this thread, second post. A pot handle very similar to yours can be seen with a trangia pot set. Trangia pan sets
Yes, it's for a stick. From Horace Kephart's book, Camping and Woodcraft, 1917. The text says, "The best folding handled pan that I have used is the Miller pattern (Fig. 75)." He continues, "I prefer the folding handle, because it saves time, and, on the very few occasions when one needs a long stick for a handle, he can insert it in the rings of the Miller handle. Get a pan with hinge that won't work loose." ....Arch
@OMC Thanks for your response. I agree, it’s not a genuine primus handle, but the pressed nature of the holes for the rings suggests it’s manufactured, not hand made. @pysen78 I’m amazed at the collective encyclopaedic knowledge on CCS: the post you directed me to shows a Trangia handle that looks to be a perfect match in terms of manufacture and proportions, apart from a short length missing in the distal end of my handle - cut down I guess to fit in the 71 pot when stowed. And as for the rings, @ArchMc , you have nailed it, as others have said, it’s for a stick. Lovely to see the 1917 reference. I was puzzled about why you’d bother with stick rings on a removable handle, but thinking further, the people at Trangia were not stupid: the pan could therefore placed in the centre of a fire where it could be too hot to reach in and attach the handle without burning your fingers in the few seconds taken to do that. The stick means that problem would be resolved. Not so relevant for use on my 71 set that doesn’t get hit enough to need a stick, but useful if I ever want to use the 71 pan set on a bigger open fire. I suspect that the original owner either lost the handle and replaced it with a cut down Trangia handle that was to hand, or deliberately swapped to the cut down Trangia handle to enable the 71 pan set to be used on open fires as well as on the 71 stove. Thanks for all your contributions in almost completely solving this stove puzzle. Best for now, Rob
Here’s a shot from a 1937 Trangia catalogue: I think I have a handle from a Campingsats 624. At least that’s a useful period modification for a Primus 71e! Thanks all.
Always admired the Primus 71E. That handle looks like it could double as a Spoon. Of course, I've wolfed down canned tuna with the end of the Svea 123 pot handle, when I couldn't find clean sticks.
In the interest of saving weight, climbers would likely cook over wood when below treeline, and switch to their stove above treeline. They would want to use the same pots for both fuels. ....Arch
@SveaSizzler Necessity’s the mother of invention I guess. Credit cards do a good job of spreading Nutella too :-) @ArchMc Makes perfect sense. There’s some fairly ingrained carbon on the outside of the fry pan / lid, which would fit with use on an open fire. So, perhaps a Primus 71 that has led an adventurous life. I’ll have to make sure it doesn’t stop with me….
