Mouth priming a Svea 123?
Greg Smith
on the generator and then setting the whole thing ablaze. This works well but
is not a preferable method when starting the stove in a tent. It also results in
quite a bit of soot on the exterior of the stove. A friend (I think) told me
of a different method where you unscrew the burner cone (while to stove is cold
of course), open the gas valve to allow the internal vacuum to neutralize, and
then use your mouth to apply pressure to the tank by blowing through the fuel
jet at the top of the generator. He mentioned (as an afterthought) that is is
important to close the fuel valve before relaxing breath pressure or you will
get a mouth full of white gas. Quickly screw the cone back on and apply fire.
He says the Svea goes straight into "locomotive" mode with minimal flare-up.
Has anyone done this? What does white gas taste like? Should my hand/lung
coordination be less than perfect, would a squirt of petrol in the mouth hurt
me?
Any comments welcome.
This seems like an appropriate time to start a thread: How old is your Svea?
Seems like everyone has one that outdates them. Mine is 20. Not older than me
but still pretty old in stove years. Any funny stories about near charcoal
experiences with this classic?
Greg Smith
AT&T Global Information Solutions
greg.n...@DaytonOH.ncr.com
Opinions expressed don't necessarily reflect
the views or policies of AT&T.
"Politically correct" is an oxymoron
Dave
>This seems like an appropriate time to start a thread: How old is your Svea?
>Seems like everyone has one that outdates them. Mine is 20. Not older than me
>but still pretty old in stove years. Any funny stories about near charcoal
>experiences with this classic?
is at least 23 years old. Had it before I got married. If I remember
correctly I paid fifteen or twenty bucks for the thing.
I've been thinking about replacing it with a Whisperlite or some such but am
afraid I would miss the wonderful sounds of wilderness silence when I've
finished cooking my coffee.
Mark Skubik
Greg Smith <greg.n...@daytonoh.ncr.com> writes:
[STOVE sucking described]
>
>Has anyone done this? What does white gas taste like? Should my hand/lung
>coordination be less than perfect, would a squirt of petrol in the mouth hurt
>me?
>
>Any comments welcome.
>
> Greg Smith
> "Politically correct" is an oxymoron
>
Uh, Greg, in the interest of weird science, perhaps you will be
good enough to try this out. Then you can let the rest of us
know what white gas tastes like and whether or not you think it
was harmful to you.
inquirering minds want to know....
mms
c...@nauvax.ucc.nau.edu
paste is smeared on or a little bottle is used to drip a little gas directly
on the burner. I can't imagine that, even if gas wasn't deadly, you'd really
want to mouth prime the thing.
BTW, my 123 is only 4 years old, but has always run perfectly.
curt
Mark Bayern
In article <Co43w...@ranger.daytonoh.ncr.com>, Greg Smith (greg.n...@daytonoh.ncr.com) writes:
>
>This seems like an appropriate time to start a thread: How old is your Svea?
>Seems like everyone has one that outdates them. Mine is 20. Not older than me
>but still pretty old in stove years. Any funny stories about near charcoal
>experiences with this classic?
>
Well, my Optimus 8R aka "the Blue Box" is about 24 years old -- much
younger than me, but I bought it new. Its always worked, with no
near charcoal experiences, but I've never considered starting it
in a tent!
I'm not too sure that 20 years is old in stove years. What is
there to fail? 1/ a fuel cap gasked, 2/ packing around the valve
stem, and 3/ the wick in the generator. I should be able to
replace any of them easily, and the rest of the stove is solid
bronze or brass or (something not likely to corrode).
Mark
Dale Brigham
<greg.n...@daytonoh.ncr.com> says:
>
>This seems like an appropriate time to start a thread: How old is your Svea?
>Seems like everyone has one that outdates them. Mine is 20. Not older than
>me
>but still pretty old in stove years. Any funny stories about near charcoal
>experiences with this classic?
>
in 1968. I added the tank pressurizing pump in the late 70's, and it really
helps the old stove roar. Its particularly good for making the priming process
gasoline-ingestion free. Just give the pump a couple of strokes, open the
throttle (fuel valve?), wait until a little gas collects in the priming cup,
close the valve, light the gas, wait 'til it almost burns down, and throttle up
that sucka'. A few more pumps gives that full-throated roar that we Svea/
Optimus/Primus lovers know as the sound of victory (over cold food). Had to
replace the old pump this year, 'cuz the pressure relief valve in the fuel tank
cap lost its temper. (Too many large, overhanging frying pans reflecting too
much heat onto the tank -- a weakness in the 8R's design that the Svea 123 does
not share.) When the problem first arose, it revealed itself as a sudden plume
of flame that shot out of the fuel tank cap while my friends and I were making
breakfast at Cape Hatteras. After picking ourselves off the ground (we were
certain it was going to blow), I turned the valve off, and we had a cold repast
that morning. Moral: get a pump (got my latest from REI in DC); don't use
large frying pans (if you have an old 8R). Happy cooking! Dale.
peter.f.schultz
> A while back I was starting my Svea 123 in the usual manner by pouring white gas
> on the generator and then setting the whole thing ablaze. This works well but
> is not a preferable method when starting the stove in a tent. It also results in
> quite a bit of soot on the exterior of the stove. A friend (I think) told me
> of a different method where you unscrew the burner cone (while to stove is cold
> of course), open the gas valve to allow the internal vacuum to neutralize, and
> then use your mouth to apply pressure to the tank by blowing through the fuel
> jet at the top of the generator. He mentioned (as an afterthought) that is is
> important to close the fuel valve before relaxing breath pressure or you will
> get a mouth full of white gas. Quickly screw the cone back on and apply fire.
> He says the Svea goes straight into "locomotive" mode with minimal flare-up.
>
> Has anyone done this? What does white gas taste like? Should my hand/lung
> coordination be less than perfect, would a squirt of petrol in the mouth hurt
> me?
>
> Any comments welcome.
>
Gasoline is not to be ingested at anytime, in any amount. Only in
Woody Woodpecker cartoons. To get my 123 primed, I carry a plastic
medicine dropper and place a few drops in the well. Works fine and
I don't poinson myself.
> This seems like an appropriate time to start a thread: How old is your Svea?
> Seems like everyone has one that outdates them. Mine is 20. Not older than me
> but still pretty old in stove years. Any funny stories about near charcoal
> experiences with this classic?
>
I bought mine in early 1967 so it's twenty=seven years old. It
can only use coleman fuel (white gas). Later models can use
unleaded but I'm not about to try that with mine. Replacements are
too expensive now.
>
>
>
> Greg Smith
> AT&T Global Information Solutions
> greg.n...@DaytonOH.ncr.com
>
> Opinions expressed don't necessarily reflect
> the views or policies of AT&T.
>
> "Politically correct" is an oxymoron
>
Pete Schultz
AT&T Bell Laboratories
Naperville, IL
b12...@uscbu.att.com
Alex Ferguson
>overwhelming quiet after you turn the Svea *off*? :-) I'd never go
>out on a trip without my Svea...
Yes - when I turn my Optimus 00 (kerosene) off. The Svea (clone) is quiet in
comparison. Priming of either is by use of a very small hypodermic syringe
without the needle.
And my old Opitmus is a 71 which predates the Svea 123 by a bit and I just
over hauled a 99 for a friend, it's like an 8R but with an aluminium case, the
top being used as a square pot.
alex
--
----------------------------------------------------
Alex Ferguson a.fer...@chem.canterbury.ac.nz
Electronics Workshop, Chem Dept, Univ of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand
Siler William
There are easier ways to get a SVEA going. Try using a small plastic eye
dropper to apply a small amount of fuel to the spirit cup. If you lack
the dropper, try warming the whole thing on a scrap of burning paper,
then opening the valve to dribble gas to the cup. Older editions of The
Complete Walker have a discussion of the topic. My SVEA, incidently was
bought by me in 1968. It is still going strong, with only a replaced gas
cap O ring.
Bill
scott morris
>A while back I was starting my Svea 123 in the usual manner by pouring white gas
>on the generator and then setting the whole thing ablaze. This works well but
>is not a preferable method when starting the stove in a tent. It also results in
>quite a bit of soot on the exterior of the stove. A friend (I think) told me
>of a different method where you unscrew the burner cone (while to stove is cold
>of course), open the gas valve to allow the internal vacuum to neutralize, and
>then use your mouth to apply pressure to the tank by blowing through the fuel
>jet at the top of the generator. He mentioned (as an afterthought) that is is
>important to close the fuel valve before relaxing breath pressure or you will
>get a mouth full of white gas. Quickly screw the cone back on and apply fire.
>He says the Svea goes straight into "locomotive" mode with minimal flare-up.
It occurrs to me in reading this that it would be VERY useful to use a short
piece of tubing to blow through for this. Taken a step further, perhaps one of
those micro bike-pumps would work with a little modification (yes, I know
that add-on pumps are available, but for bike campers etc. it might be a
worthwhile experiment).
>Has anyone done this? What does white gas taste like? Should my hand/lung
>coordination be less than perfect, would a squirt of petrol in the mouth hurt
>me?
Just remember: White gas with fish and poultry
Lead gas with beef and cheese
Seriously, petrol is toxic as hell, but every deviant teenager survives
a little gas siphoning.....just be sure to never swallow any of it (spit
and swear for many minutes and wash your mouth out a lot). The orifice
on those stoves is so small, and the amount of pressure you can produce
with your lungs is so small, that I doubt you'd get a whole lot anyway.
A garden hose in the tank of a Chevy is another story.......
Oh, it tastes like battery acid mixed with manure, with a delicate
bouquet of oil refineries and paper mills, and a subtle aftertaste
reminiscent of the air around a steel foundry.
>This seems like an appropriate time to start a thread: How old is your Svea?
>Seems like everyone has one that outdates them. Mine is 20. Not older than me
>but still pretty old in stove years. Any funny stories about near charcoal
>experiences with this classic?
My stove belonged to my dad, and was bought in 1965. I resurrected it
last fall with some carb cleaner and it roared along for an hour on
a tank of gas in 30F weather. I'm not sure I could do that well.
William P. Claspy
>This seems like an appropriate time to start a thread: How old is your Svea?
18 years old. Finally ripped it apart last fall and replaced all the
rubber bits as well as cleaned/polished it completely. Should go at least
another 18, I'd think. Does anyone know a better noise than the
overwhelming quite after you turn the Svea *off*? :-) I'd never go
out on a trip without my Svea...
Bill
--
William Claspy Case Western Reserve University
w...@po.cwru.edu "Stay cool, calm, collected and crazy." -Wavy Gravy
Greg Smith
I have both. I admit that I like the stability and the wider heat pattern from
the Whisperlite (the Svea tends to burn things at the center of the bottom of
the pot or dump the contents of my skillet on the ground if I'm not careful.
BUT...
The Svea is less hassle, -I don't have to assemble it before each use. There
are no pump parts to clean or suck on (the pump plunger can become dry and the
only thing handy to replenish its flexibility is spit).
The Svea simmers better.
The Svea emits very little radiant heat downward so if you put a small
insulating pad underneath it, you can use it in a tent.
Bill Schweikert (NMH)
I prime my Svea 123 either by holding it over a butane
lighter or by smearing a bit of Mautz FireRibbon on the bottom
and lighting it.
--
William W. Schweikert bsch...@k12.ucs.umass.edu
Northfield Mount Hermon School Voice: 413-498-5742
P. O. Box 2 498-3452
Mount Hermon, MA 01354 Fax: 413-498-3010
lbsisk on BIX
Svea used to make a little pump which replaced the fuel tank cap
for pressurization. I never bothered with it, myself, as I always
topped off the tank from the fuel bottle before use, and just
dumped a little on the generator after having done so. A 123
was the first stove I owned, and I think I still have it somewhere
packed away - it has a lot of sentimental value. Now, I use a
MSR Whisperlite, because the Svea is heavy, but I like the Svea
and never had the slightest problem with it.
Rob Cruickshank
Greg Smith <greg.n...@daytonoh.ncr.com> wrote:
>A while back I was starting my Svea 123 in the usual manner by pouring white gas
>on the generator and then setting the whole thing ablaze. This works well but
>is not a preferable method when starting the stove in a tent. It also results in
>quite a bit of soot on the exterior of the stove. A friend (I think) told me
>of a different method where you unscrew the burner cone (while to stove is cold
>of course), open the gas valve to allow the internal vacuum to neutralize, and
>then use your mouth to apply pressure to the tank by blowing through the fuel
>jet at the top of the generator. He mentioned (as an afterthought) that is is
>
>coordination be less than perfect, would a squirt of petrol in the mouth hurt
>me?
>
>Any comments welcome.
I would imagine white gas would taste rather bad, but probably wouldn't be
fatal, since people often seem to get a mouthful of gas when siphoning the gas
tank in a car, and they don't die....if you are squeamish about this, you can
get a small pump that allows you to pressurize the stove without the usual
priming- it's very small, and comes with a replacement fuel cap that it
attaches to. I've used one, and it works ok...
>
>This seems like an appropriate time to start a thread: How old is your Svea?
>Seems like everyone has one that outdates them. Mine is 20. Not older than me
>but still pretty old in stove years. Any funny stories about near charcoal
>experiences with this classic?
>
Mine's only 10 years old....I've used it to heat up a soldering iron when I
had to repair a circuit far from any power sources....
--
Rob Cruickshank robc...@io.org
Schizoid
>Mine's only 10 years old....I've used it to heat up a soldering iron when I
>had to repair a circuit far from any power sources....
I hate to ask, but what was the circuit doing far from any power sources?
~Adam
--
_______________________________________________________________________________
" It is unwise to do unto others as you would that they do unto you.
Their tastes may not be the same. " -- George Bernard Shaw
Adam Aulick <> a-au...@uiuc.edu <> http://www.cen.uiuc.edu/~a-aulick/home.html
Martha Cather
Martha
Langley Muir
I have had a Svea 123 since about 1971 and, in spite of thousands of meals
cooked on it have never had a problem. Lots of other people have had
problems with it though. Most of them think I am crazy when I set fire to
it before lighting it and lots of people are convinced that the stove is
inherently dangerous and will explode.
In most cases I use the old eyedropper trick, since I never like to be
in a situation where the stove is not full of fuel and so I fill the tank
before I put it away in it's Sigg Tourister pot set - which was the
reason I bought the stoe in the first place. I had thought that it was
out ofproduction since I have not seen parts for it either in Canada or
in Europe (at least the UK and Norway) for at least 10 years. I just found
out that Mountain Equipment Co-op in Ottawa has: new stoves, the Sigg pot
set, and a rebuild kit. I sprung the $17.00 for a rebuild kit even though
I haven't needed one yet and have no reason to expect the stove to fail.
After all, as someone has already pointed out - what is there to fail, except
a lead washer. I used unleaded gas in mine for many years - at least 10. The
only problem I has was that the hole had to be cleaned (with the pricker I
got with the stove) every time I used it. I finally got wise and started to
use Coleman fuel and haven't had any difficulty at all.
Langley Muir
: Svea used to make a little pump which replaced the fuel tank cap
: for pressurization. I never bothered with it, myself, as I always
They still do. It is available in Canada from Mountain Equipment Co-op
for $17.00, so I assume that it should be available in the US as well.
Cheers.
Mark Skubik
mar...@baervan.nmt.edu (Martha Cather) writes:
>I married my Svea's owner. He's had it for 21 or 22 years now.
>
>Martha
>
years old and it is nice to know that some women *reallly*
like Svea stoves....
mms
Jack Mortimer - E81
brass cylindrical sleeve in place. I tried this in one of my local stores
and could not get the assembly together. The sales person agreed that it
seemed to not be possible to use the pump with the 123. Must be only for
those in the little blue box unless I was overlooking something really
basic.
Jack
Alan Malkiel
>I wonder if anyone has successfully gotten the pump onto the stove with the
>brass cylindrical sleeve in place. I tried this in one of my local stores
>and could not get the assembly together. The sales person agreed that it
>seemed to not be possible to use the pump with the 123. Must be only for
>those in the little blue box unless I was overlooking something really
>basic.
>Jack
>
Funny, I have two 123's with Optimus mini-pumps working with no problems.
(Except the occasional "O" ring as mentioned earlier).
The brass sleeve houses the spring and one-way valve (lets air in).
Anyone else with that problem?
---
Alan Malkiel
Dave Littlejohn
the valve to neutralize the internal pressure, close it off, then warm it
up with your hands. That will generally pressurize it enough to get some
gas out to get it started. Incidentally, a few years back I went
backpacking with a friend and her father, who brought his Coleman stove
from the late 40's! It was chrome plated and built like a truck. And it
still worked.
Dave L.
Andrew J Velkey
Schizoid <a-au...@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu> wrote:
>robc...@ionews.io.org (Rob Cruickshank) writes:
>
>>Mine's only 10 years old....I've used it to heat up a soldering iron when I
>>had to repair a circuit far from any power sources....
>
>I hate to ask, but what was the circuit doing far from any power sources?
>
> ~Adam
Ever have a electrical problem 100 miles out into the boonies? A while
back I was driving my '80 200-SX (now dearly departed) through northern
Mississippi in the middle of the night (trans. Deadsville!)
when the engine started missing severly...apparently one of the PC boards
for my intake system had cracked and worked itself apart. Fortunately,
I had a 12-VDC iron that I pigtailed to the battery and soldered jumpers
across the crack.
If I hadn't, I could have heated a nail or something on my Peak 1 I
kept in the trunk and done the same. It helps to have a little
McGuyver in all of us. |-).
Alex Ferguson
>fatal, since people often seem to get a mouthful of gas when siphoning the gas
>tank in a car, and they don't die...
On a slightly different "note", a camper van owner found a pool of vomit
beside his van in the morning, it was recently reported in the local paper
here. The culprit had tried to syphon from the wrong tank. It was thought the
the culprit had probably been suitably punished.
(For those who have missed the point, some camper vans have holding tanks.)
Alex
scott morris
>Cheers.
I just thought I'd throw this in:
U.S. Svea parts & service:
A & H Enterprises
14932 Crosswood Rd.
La Mirada, CA 90638
My own svea was without its original brass windshield and cook-cup (got
tossed (?) after the stove went in the cook-kit 20+ years ago), and they
had another for me (Cost more than the stove did back then, though).
Scott Linn
Re: Svea 123 w/pump
: I wonder if anyone has successfully gotten the pump onto the stove with the
: brass cylindrical sleeve in place. I tried this in one of my local stores
: and could not get the assembly together. The sales person agreed that it
: seemed to not be possible to use the pump with the 123. Must be only for
: those in the little blue box unless I was overlooking something really
: basic.
Yeah, like taking the brass sleeve off when pumping...
--
Scott Linn
sc...@hpcvcem.cv.hp.com
Greg Smith
..I used unleaded gas in mine for many years - at least 10. The
>only problem I has was that the hole had to be cleaned (with the pricker I
>got with the stove) every time I used it. I finally got wise and started to
>use Coleman fuel and haven't had any difficulty at all.>
The newer models have a built-in cleaning needle that cleans the jet when the
stove key is turned past full-on. The only drawback is that if you turn the key
too far when turning the stove up to full blast, the needle extends and kills
the stove. I prefer the older design.
Rob Cruickshank
>
>>Mine's only 10 years old....I've used it to heat up a soldering iron when I
>>had to repair a circuit far from any power sources....
>
>I hate to ask, but what was the circuit doing far from any power sources?
>
> ~Adam
Well, more correctly, the circuit was far from any power sources capable of
powering the soldering iron...the circuit itself was part of an art
installation, and ran on solar power...of course, it began misbehaving while
being installed, and rather than pack it all up and drag it back to a power
outlet, I fixed it on the spot.
--
Rob Cruickshank robc...@io.org