A Primus 'No.70 Auto'
petrol stove with box, from the early 1930's. Possibly
the smallest and simplest stove ever produced. With no
pump or control valve, simply warming the tank with the
fuel cap tight is sufficient to get some fuel into the
preheat cup. Loosen the cap whilst preheating then
tighten the cap to run..!
Pictured left with travelling cap in place of the burner
head and ready to store in the tin. |
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A Primus No.96 'Pocket
Outfit' with box, probably early 1920's. A favorite with
campers this model reached its peak with the interest in
cyling in the 1930's
Compare the differences between this and the later No.96
in the next picture. |
Picture of Primus No.96 ,
probably late 1950's. Notice the cast iron flame spreader
which was replaced by a simpler brass plate by Optimus in
the late 1970's.
Advertised for £2 and 9 shillings at the beginning of
the 1960's, (£2.45 today) it could not compete against
the Bluet, at the bottom of the page. |
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A fine example of the way
Manufacturers copied each other. This British made
Monitor 17b 'Tourist stove' from around 1935 bears more
than a passing resemblance to the Primus 96 above. Like
the Pocket Outfit above, the stove, windshield, spirit
can and tools all fitted into the tin box ready for
assembly when needed. |
| Another small British
stove, a Parasene with an extremely large silent burner.
Although first thought to be a later modification,
another fixed-leg version has been found complete with a
small pan support ring. Parasene appear to be the only
Company to have fitted such a large burner on a small
stove. |
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Shock, horror..., a gas
stove on these hallowed pages....!
The stove that probably contributed most to the demise of
the small stoves above, a late 1950's' Bluet', (meaning
Cornflower).
Just take off the lid, fold out the supports, turn on and
light. With its sturdy windshield/tin and simplicity of
use the magazines of the time heaped praise on this
little stove. Sold for only £1 and 10 shillings in 1960,
(£1.50 today) it was replaced by the less practical
Bluet S200 in 1963 but the damage had been done, paraffin
stoves were in decline. |
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