On my m1950, there was an Asbestos Wick. After literally hitting the stove with a garden hose and cleaning it, i removed it. Haven't had a problem, but ive thought about putting a fiberglass wick in it. I think a vessel with a flame coming out of it with flammable liquid/gaseous vapours shooting out under pressure may or may not be inherently dangerous. Wasn't the SVEA 123 called the "Swedish Hand Grenade"? Regardless, all old time backpackers will swear by all these old units, old colemans, old svea or optimus stoves, that they where bulletproof, took crazy dents and blows, and kept on ticking. I feel like if you're just as foolish you can get yourself into just as much trouble with propane or a good ol campfire.
The wick/rope idea is interesting. That little dimple in the 123 isn't much of a priming cup. I've only ever used 123s with the Sigg set, and that countless times. I've never lit a 'freestanding" 123. With the Sigg set, you just pour some alcohol on the stove; if it overflows the dimple, no problem, it's contained in the Sigg base and you get a better prime anyway. I don't think we've every satisfactorily traced the "Swedish hand grenade" business, and we've tried. My guess is that long ago one guy called it that and it got repeated as a catchy thing. It was never the stove's actual reputation. Though Harvey Manning is often credited with the phrase, I've come to believe that that is just as much apocryphal as the phrase itself.
I don't think Manning was the source of that moniker, either. In Backpacking: One Step at a Time, he says, "[White gas] is thus the easiest of backpacker fuels to light -- and requires the most care to avoid catastrophe. A well-aimed Molotov cocktail can disable a Tiger tank; a mishandled gas stove can wipe out a tent." After a couple lines describing different models, he continues, "No matter -- they're dependable as ever, performance-proven by hundreds of thousands of hikers." (Hmmm. Sounds dangerous...) In REI: 50 Years of Hiking Together, he jokingly called the Svea 123 "Fletcher's Stove". I'm not going to wake up my wife to search for that book, but I doubt he used two different epithets for the stove in the same book. In any case, the REI book was published well after I had heard the "Swedish hand grenade" description. Isn't a gasoline-soaked wick just one more path to disaster for someone with the "wrong hands"? Maybe only "old time backpackers" should be trusted with these stoves, if younger folks find them dangerous. I can't imagine that most accidents occur when priming. That's when you're (probably and hopefully) paying the closest attention to the stove. ....Arch
As a geologist I do believe in species darwinian evolution, camp stove use non beeing an exception. prduct that "should be designed so that somebody seriously lacking in common sense can use said device and not injure themselves." go aginst uman kind behaviour and intelligence improoving, and promote cultural decay of civilization.
I was assuming priming would be the most dangerous part of operation, but I could well be wrong. I wonder where one could get actual data? In any case, the priming cup is indeed on the small side, and the wick does a good job of preventing spills, particularly in winter where you need a decent priming. I suspect that in a few years it will all be a moot point, as the trend is clearly toward canister stoves. Sigh...
The windscreen is a little bit fiddly, that’s a fact. Where it will very quickly be a pain is under frequent use or any serious use in cold weather. They perform very well but they don’t lend themselves to constant relighting. If you like to carry a 123 there are certain idiosyncrasies I suppose, even for casual hiking. Stoves that saw winter mountaineering use, the windscreen will usually be completely sooted up because of all the required priming, it takes a lot more priming with high winds than a clear blue day messing around in the garage at 22°
I just have a small plastic pipette and a wooden satay stick with the stove and prime with the pipette and light with the satay stick dipped in alcohol with the shield in place. Look on eBay for small hip flasks as they are handy for small amounts of alcohol or metho for priming.
I have forced my breath into the (valve open) 123 tank to force fuel into the dish. Closed it all up and primed. There are many ways to get it going.
I can think of a few things I'd rather put in a hip flask than meths. Just sayin. Actually, I found that one of those small airline-sized contact lens saline bottles works really well. You can pry off the top with a screwdriver blade, fill it, and snap the cap back on. Works for a couple dozen refills (and counting), although I suspect it will eventually wear out and start to leak. Since it's a squirt bottle, you don't need an eye dropper. Doesn't have quite the panache of a silvered hip flask tho.
...on second thought, if one uses a high-proof ethanol based liquid as one's priming fluid, the hip flask can serve double duty.
Not when it is 5° F. or something like that you’re not. (I tried the “warm the tank up with your hands” when it was really cold once. Once. LOL.)
I am gifting an early Optimus Svea 123. Model after the '69 sale but before rings on vaporizer. "Sweden" stamped on vaporizer. I took off the vaporizer. It took two days of Kano Kroil and a little heat. The wick and wire were broken. It had mesh. The SRV pip was hard, the gasket soft. I usually change both if gasket is hard. I am not sure if I worked on this or if it was ok as is. Flame plate is a tad high on the right. ONE PRIME WITH ALCOHOL.
Thought I’d weigh in on the priming ritual. As noted by others, this stove is used every winter. I don’t bother to clean it. As some have discussed, I use a bit of carbon felt secured by a bit of wire. Search YouTube for “Colorado hiker Svea” and you’ll find a video. I have a love/hate relationship with the Trangia fuel bottle. The spout allows for accurate and controlled dispensing of fuel but they’re pretty frail. Anyway, this is over filled. Ok… the purpose of the felt is to simplify the management of the windscreen. It holds the fuel so well, the stove can be easily handled while it is burning, much like a candle in a jar. So, I just leave the key threaded through the windscreen, light the primer, and once the flame settles down a bit, just calmly put the screen on while it’s burning. No drama. I’m a big fan of BernieDawg’s lighting technique. Just set the throttle to 1/2 open and let the priming fire ignite burner. Here it is just as the burner is still coming to life. I haven’t touched the throttle since I opened it. A small bit of the priming flame is still visible. The stove will get a dunk test this fall before cold weather camping starts. IMO, the dangerous stoves have always been the MSRs with the plastic pumps. But I digress.
I had a one of the older Svea 123’s - never came to terms with the windshield and the key chain etc. so I sold it again. Have the same setup as @Ed Winskill - here I love the 123 and the SIGG cookset. I prefer the Juwel 34’s, the Primus 71’s, Radius 42’s instead as they are so much easier to access when priming. I have a Carbon Felt ring in all my spirit cups - works wonders - especially in cold weather. Regarding the rumours of the Swedish Handgrenade - you can add the German Barthel Bomb (Juwel 33/34) and the Borde Bomb. Which I assume can be attributted to the user more than the actual stoves. Last one I saw was on an Outdoor Forum, where a self-proclaimed outdoor-expert warned against the small kero wick-lamps (which has been around for decades) - “if one of these was tipped inside a tent - You’d instantly have a fireblazing hell”….. I’ve tipped a few of these - my main annoyment has been if some thin nylon got stuck on the hot vent or globe - but I have yet to experience that fireblazing hell…..
@Harder D. Soerensen - no...ive seen it happen. Kero wick lamp being knocked over...everything was in flames....well thats what TV told me...TV never lies...haha Whodunit? The Mystery of Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow | Chicago Public Library (chipublib.org)
