Just added a new stove to the collection Metallic sticky label "Optimus 111" "for Kerosene,White Gasoline, Alcohol". Mid-blue flat paint. Leather pump cup, nut type filler cap with square threaded centre. Black plastic control valve knob (not multi tool variety - the older one). Brass windshield. Cobra burner, with six holes drilled in flame spreader bowl and also two elongated slots (for clips? cut off?). Cap sitting loosely on top, not clipped down (no clips). "Made in Sweden and some Arabic looking letters moulded around underside of flame spreader bowl. Two extra holes drilled to make a triangle with one of the six holes in flame spreader bowl (possibly after manufacture, but not 100% sure). This one's not quite the same as others I have. Model and age anyone?
Sure sounds like a very interesting stove. There are many variants of the 111. 'C' sounds like the closest but yours might be even more interesting. Pics would be cool. sam
Hi, Sunnysixteen, I'd say you have the first version of the Optimus 111Triple Fuel stove. It happens to be my favorite of the various versions Optimus offered. If you have questions, give me a shout & I'll do my best to provide answers for you. Have instructions? I can send a copy. Great stove & great score! Well done! Take care & God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Howdy, SS, Check out the 111T in this group photo of a bunch of stoves I bought up in Alaska, all on one trip! This is not the first one of these I bought, many years ago, but is of the same vintage. Check left of center in this photo, and see if this is the same stove you found. As I mentioned in the previous comment on this model of the 111T, this one is my favorite version. Let me know if this is the stove you found, and if not, then I can setup, and take a family shot of the various models that live here with us. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Yep, that's the one Doc. I'll try to post a pic of the burner to show the extra holes soon. Hope that will suffice Dave
Hi, Dave, Great, that's an outstanding stove!! It doesn't have a Cobra burner, but instead the simply unbeatable #221, which, IMHO, is far better than the Cobra burner, which was, and still is, prone to cracking. I've got a copy of the instructions and parts list for your stove, and if you need one, just send me a PT, including your full name and mailing address, and I'll pop it in the Post today, or tomorrow. By the way, the version of 111T that you and I have, was originally made with the leather pump cup, as you have found. Later, supposedly "improve" models, had the rubber o-rings, instead of the leather cup, and the multitool, which is a solution to a problem that never existed, as far as I'm concerned. So, to me, you got the best of breed, for the 111T stoves, and properly serviced and maintained, it will last you the rest of your life, and the lifetimes of your kids, too!! Let me know if you want the instructions, and I'll get them right out to you. Congratulations, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hi, Dave, Hummmm.....! OK, not a normal setup, but after seeing what you have, I would love to see a side photo of the burner, with the windshield removed, and some good light on the burner. There are a few extra holes that should not be there, but, they seem to have been drilled later. As to the slots, that looks suspiciously like a Meths burner, instead of a multi-fuel! I checked my own 22B, setup to burn Methylated Spirits at the factory, and it, too, has slots similar to yours. So, I good look at your naked burner, sans windscreen, and we should discern the truth of the matter! One explanation is that one I suggested above, and this could be a Methylated Spirits 111B, factory stock; Or, someone may have added a different, or modified burner at sometime in the past. I've done that to several of my own 111 stoves, and it's a fairly common practice amongst Stovies. I look forward to seeing your naked burner, and figuring this out. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Hey, Dave, Excellent! Yep, you've got the classic multifuel burner in your 111T. As to the slots, it's "possible", that, 1 - someone cut those into the burner, so that they could use a Meths outer cap, as some of them had tabs, which married up to the slots in the burner gallery, and could be slightly bent outward, to make the inner and outer caps "captive". 2 - this was done at the factory, by Optimus, for the same reason. The slots and tabs are a nice feature, but only my Meths stoves seem to have that, including my Meths 22B by Optimus. I hope that helps, and again, if you need the instructions setup, just give me a shout. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc P.S. I'll take some photos of one of the burners from one of my 111T early versions, like yours, and you can compare them to yours. Work is leaving us very little time for anything else, though, but I'll try to get it done tonight, if possible.
Great Doc, many thanks. I've just bought it and need to replace a hardened fuel cap washer before I try it out. Will do that at the weekend. What would you recommend I should use to fire her up - kero, white gas or meths? The smell of the (very dry) tank suggests to me it was last fuelled with white gas. Strange about the 'extra' holes huh? I thought they might have been added later, but if that's the case, they've been drilled very well as there are no burrs on sharp edges from the top and very little on the underside of the burner.
Hey, Dave, I've been down in The Hobbit Hole, seeking out my first 111T, and one that I found up in Alaska, many years later. Found, photographed, and I'll share that here. I have one of mine setup for Coleman Fuel, one setup for Kerosene, and one setup for Meths. I think the stove runs great on CF, but in truth, kerosene seems to be what it looks best, primed with Meths. The surprise is that, with a really good restrictor, the early 111T stoves burned Meths pretty darned well, too!! The two I photographed were fueled with Meths, and Coleman Fuel, respectively. I last primed them with something else besides Meths, and both stoves are sooted up a good bit. Here they are, soot, and all! I hope this shows you what the burner from back then looks like, and how it compares to yours. If you need me to strip off the soot, and snap another picture, please let me know. Can't do it before Sunday, but will do my best, if you need it. Oh, and I can also snap a photo of a burner with slots and cap with tabs, too, if that would help. Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc P.S. Forgot to answer your your question on age. I bought mine, brand spanking new, in 1988, at Adventure 16, in San Diego. They had it in their store for quite a few years as a display stove, and never fired it up. The list cost, back then, was $110. I finally asked them if they would sell it, and they wanted to know what a fair price would be, as it had been there for years, and as we'd bought most of our gear from them, they knew that I was acquainted with how long the stove ahd been there. I offered them $70, and they immediately accepted my offer. As for fettling, I'd recommend replacing the fuel cap gasket, and also the NRV pip, with an eye to the setting of the cleaning needle. Many of them came with their cleaning needles installed poorly. Hope that helps.....
This is really great Doc, thanks for all the info and photos The stoves are exactly the same as mine, bar my slots and the extra couple of holes. I would be interested to see some photos of your other burner with the slots and the cap with tabs when you get a minute - will be handy for future reference as I'm sure my stove 'family' will be growing even more! It's getting so big now, I think we're going to have to move house pretty soon All the best, SS
Sure does Trebor, excellent result! So that's where my 2 'extra' holes originated That's a meths cap then huh? SS
