The Primus Camping Stove

In the late 19th Century, oil burning engines were being made to provide power for all sorts of industrial processes.  The fuel in the engines was ignited by a red hot glowing plug, which causes the fuel mixture to explode when it was compressed, like a diesel engine.  To start the engines, one had to first heat up the glow plug, so a small handheld blow torch was developed for heating the glow plugs.  Frans Lidqvist, a mechanic in an engine factory in Stockholm Sweden, saw the handheld blow torch, and thought of turning the flame upward, and using it as a portable stove.  He got a Swedish patent on the stove, and started making them for friends and relatives.   

This figure is from his 1919 Swedish patent.  Soon he partnered with Johan Svensson, who owed a small workshop, and they started a company to make the stoves, which were sold under the name Primus in 1892. They soon sold the global marketing rights, and the Primus stove went worldwide.  Primus stoves were sold worldwide in almost their original form through the 1960, then the rights were sold to Optimus, and they appeared as Optimus and Svea stoves.  Today Primus makes advanced camping stoves that compete with the major brands for efficiency and light weight.  The original Primus stove was celebrated on a Swedish stamp in 1984. 

Comments

[Dr.Laszlo Levai]

I bought, just like this in the USSR in 70s, and worked exelent. It woud be nice to find a new one...

[Eva Craycroft]

I recently acquired a Primus AS5 two burner camp stove with a plated brass tank and curled legs. I would very much like to know more about this stove. It is old, but I would like to know when it was made and what it burns. If anyone can help with this info, I would appreciate it. Thanks Eva

[david l yost]

i just bought a primus 210 swiss brass camp stove it works fine look good to just wodering if i need parts for it someday where can i get them ?

[John Oliver]

Eva & David,
Try this site:
http://www.base-camp.co.uk/
They have all sorts of spares for primus & optimus stoves, together with pics and descriptions. Well worth a look.

[Scott]

The Optimus company website tells a somewhat different story about the origin of backpacking stoves. Was Optimus and early imitator of Primus? I've been trying to understand the history of these two companies. www.packstove.com

[dave]

I acquired a Primus Model 71L "Miracle Midget" Pocket Gasoline Stove. But I don't know how old it is, and am not sure what type of fuel to burn in it. The instructions say petrol mixtures such as "Discol, benzole mixure, clean, uncolored petrol, or benzoline" may be used. But the English instructions may have been aimed at Britishers, and I'm not sure what the U.S. equivalents are. Coleman fuel? white gas? regular unleaded?

[Habitat-Vic]

As to the apparently intertwined history between Primjus and Optimus when it comes to camping stoves, here is how it was explained to me (by a patent attorney, though his field was biotech):

Primus was started in Sweden in 1892, by a diesel mechanic. Back then you had to preheat certain parts of a diesel motor to get it hot enough to run. This was done with a pressurized blowtorch. This mechanic thought to himself "hey, why not make a version of this blowtorch (same hand pump pressurizing) and make it vertical - turning it into a mini-stove." He did just that and patented it; link: http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2005/01/the_primus_camp.html

Now you might ask, "what about that hand-held, pump pressurized blowtorch, wasn't that sort of similar?" Yes, it really was similar (technolgy-wise), and was patented in 1881, eleven years before Primus. Nearly identical technology, but different application.

So if you're in Sweden in the 1890s and you wanted to compete with Primus, seems like you're SOL - Primus has the patent. Apparently the loophole was to go back to a earlier similar technology patent (that hand help blowtorch) and pay a patent royalty to the blowtorch guy. Even though your camp stove really looks the same and is a direct competitor to Primus. Yep, that's how Optimus got their start seven years later in 1899, making the same type of stove in direct competition to Primus. Link: http://www.optimus.se/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10&Itemid=51

This patent attorney (who loves to go camping, hence his interest in camp stove patents), thought this was a very interesting and instructional story. Make of it what you will.

[Hikin' Jim]

Dave: A Primus 71L should run on Coleman Fuel, White Gas (if you can find it), Chevron Blazo (if they still make it), and I believe unleaded gasoline. I would think unleaded gasoline would be a last choice. SpritBurner dot com is a hobbyist/collector site that has a lot of information on old stoves.

[camper trailer]

I agree with above comment.
Barb Scott