Sweden stove manufacturers

A/B B.A. Hjorth & Co., Stockholm, Sweden, made this Model 6 stove with a silent burner. This stove, in Jeff Johnson’s collection, is shown with an optional Primus toaster. The stove is date stamped W = 1932.

The tank on this Model 41SP Primus brand tripod stove is date stamped AU, the year code for 1955. The pump handle is visible on the end of the tank. The grate is hinged on the right so that the tank, burner, windscreen on the right, and detachable handle will all fold/nest into the metal container.

This Model 54 Primus brand tripod stove (left), in Bo Ryman’s collection, is date stamped AD = 1939. The flame guard has a pour spout for filling the alcohol cup. The tank cap is held by a chain when not in use for packing the stove with fuel. This stove also came with the parts to convert it to Model 157R heater (right) with a suspended heating cone & reflector.

This Model 71E Primus brand stove was made in 1948. Older Primus products are stamped on the bottom with a letter code for the year, in this case, AM. This stove, which burns white gas, is in Jorgen Svensson’s collection.

Another Model 71 Primus brand stove, this version burns white gas, is date stamped AT = 1954, and includes the carrying case that doubles as a stand for a pot or pan. The front panel must be left open when the stove is running. This stove is in Tim Treutler’s collection.

Primus brand stoves, Model 85 (left) dated AA = 1936, and Model 701 (right) dated AD = 1939. These stoves have larger founts for industrial use but lack the optional cooking stands. The stove on the left is in Jeff Johnson’s collection. The flame spreader  on the 701 stove is a replacement.

Model 96 Primus stoves – 1923 (left) and 1937 (right). The burner on this collapsible stove fits on the conical fuel riser tube as does the alcohol preheater cup. The boxes for the stoves are 14.5 x 12.5 x 7.5cm. Note the simpler four-sided preheater windscreen and non-folding leg bases on the 1923 version of this stove. The stove on the right is in Wade Hicks’ collection.

Model 523 Primus stove is a two silent burner model that has interesting valve wheels that are articulated and fastened to the front legs. This kerosene stove, in Mike Baker’s collection, is dated 1932.

A more recent two silent burner kerosene stove, this Primus 535 is not date stamped but probably dates to the 1960’s when a lot of this popular model were made (Bo Ryman). This stove, in Bob Meyer’s collection, is also marked A/B Bahco.

This is a very early tripod stove dating to 1881. It was developed by C.R.Nyberg who later cooperated with Max Sievert who sold his products. Sievert bought the Nyberg plant and products were then sold as Sievert. This stove is model GK in the 1915 Sievert catalog. This pumpless model, in Bo Ryman’s collection, runs on gasoline.

Aktiebolaget Optimus, Stockholm, Sweden, made this Optimus brand No 1 stove circa 1915, according to Bo Ryman. The pump has an access port to the check valve on the other side of the tank from the handle, the legs have a ring of metal to hold them in the brackets at the right height, the feet are rounded brass, & the burner has wings at the base for hand tightening.

Optimus also made this Model 22B stove in a two-burner version of the well known tripod stove. This stove, in John Rugotzke’s collection, has roarer burners, so-called for the noise they make when running, as seen here. This model runs on white gas/Coleman fuel. The tank is moved forward, which slides the burners under the two grates.

This Optimus Model 181 has a 2 pint tank and a fuel level gauge just to the right of the filler cap on the top of the tank. Bo Ryman estimates this stove, which is in Pablo Vega’s collection, was made in the late 1940’s to early 50’s, based on the plating and white plastic valve wheel.

Ross Mellows identified this Optimus stove as Model 184, a marine stove model perhaps made in the 1950’s and the equivalent of non-marine Model 182. The stove has two silent burners, each with its own brass tank This stove is in John Bell’s collection.

Optimus stove Model 00 is marked Model 00L on the tin. This stove came with a wrench and alcohol can. The date on the instruction sheet with the stove is 1960. The tank capacity is 1 pint; Optimus rated the stove to boil 1 quart of water in 4 minutes. This stove set is in Ralph Trask’s collection.

The stove in the upper image and left in the lower image is Optimus Model 111B. The case of this relatively large model is 17.3 cm square x 10.6 cm high. It is significantly larger and presumably more powerful than Model 8R on the right in the lower image and in the image below. The case of the 8R stove is 13 cm square x 8 cm high. Both of these stoves date to the late 1960s to early 1970s although the 8R may be more recent (see description below). The 111B is in Dana and Susanne Kennisons’ collection.

The metallic adhesive label on this stove identifies it as Optimus Model 8R. Dana Kennison, whose collection this is in, notes that the combination wrench and key for the valve indicates it was a later production version of this gasoline model.

This Model 99 Optimus stove is of comparable size to Model 8R above. The front of the case doesn’t fold down to move the tank forward as on Model 99. This stove, in Dana Kennison’s collection, came with the aluminum top that doubles as a cook pot, & pot handle. The plated windscreen dates the stove to post-1983. The pictured strap is not original.

Optimus International AB is the manufacturer’s name on this Optimus Ranger 10 stove. The tank and metal box are black painted steel; only the fuel filler cap and some of the burner parts are brass. The aluminum pump fits over the filler cap to pressurize the fount. This stove is in John Rugotzke’s collection.

Aktiebolaget Pyro, Stockholm, Sweden, made this tripod stove around 1912-15. It is unusual in that it has a built-in pump (right) that removes for fuel filling and the knob allows air to be drawn from the top of the tank to force the preheater flame up to light the fuel. Aktiebolaget Pyro started production in 1900 but was not in business for many years.

Aktiebolaget Radius, Stockholm, Sweden, made this alcohol fueled stove Model 340. This unfired stove, in Ruedi Fischer’s collection, has a Barthel burner. Alcohol in the closed central tube is initially heated by alcohol in the preheater cup then by the fuel in the adjacent burner tube. The heat of operation pressurizes the fount.

Radius may have made this plated version of their Model 12 two burner stove shortly before WWII. Each silent burner has it’s own kerosene tank. The tanks are mounted on the legs and have a fuel gauge (not seen in this view) near the top middle of each tank that can be read from the sides of the stove. This stove is in John Rugotzke’s collection.

Radius presumably made this cream enameled version of the Model 12 stove in the 1940s after they made the plated version above. The grates have 8 fins rather than 4 as above. This stove is in Agostino Del Coro’s collection.

This is an older, kerosene burning tripod stove, Model 4, made by Sievert of Sweden under the SVEA brand. Note the access to the pump check valve to the right of center in the side of the tank. This silent burner model has a brass projection on the left side of the preheater cup to direct the flame up to light the burner.

This unfired SVEA stove Model 158 has 1954 printer’s date codes on the papers. The stove includes a green painted steel carry case from which it can be slid out, instructions in Swedish on the inside of the lid, an alcohol preheater container, and a guarantee tag on the burner. This stove, in John Rugotzke’s collection, weighs over 4.5 kg (10 pounds).

Svea made this Komfur Model 60 stove with a silent burner. This stove has not been used and is in Bo Ryman’s collection.

Svea Model 123 has been a popular gasoline stove with hikers and backpackers for many years. The stove can be preheated with gasoline, alcohol, or heating tablets that can be burned in the depression around the base of the burner assembly. Dana Kennison also has a Swiss Sigg Tourist cook kit (right image) that nests together for easy carrying as well as for cooking.

Max Sievert also marketed stoves under the Campus brand. This Model 3 Campus stove, in Jorgen Svensson’s collection, is similar to the SVEA 123 Model. This stove burns white gas and probably dates to the 1930’s.

The paperwork with this SVEA 121L is dated Aug. 1958. This small tank model is one of many that came in a carrying tin and had a plug (right on top of the tank) to seal the tank during transportation. This stove is in Tim Treutler’s collection.

This early Assurans tripod stove was made by the Assuransköksbolaget, Stockholm, Sweden; the stove was patented in the late 1870’s by the inventor Forsberg. The stove, like the early Nyberg stove, lacks a pump and has a spherical tank. What appears to be a pump on this stove is the pressure release screw. Note the preheater cup swings away and the burner can be tipped back for cleaning. This stove is in Magnus Thilander’s collection.

© 2000-2023 Terry Marsh