Lighting the Svea 123 camp stove according to the old instructions. No alcohol, mess, complications.

I've noticed that in a lot of vids about the Svea 123, people are engaged in elaborate complications when lighting the stoves. Using alcohol, eyedroppers, syringes, straws, etc. to prime the stoves. Spilling fuel, handling hot stoves - putting the wind shield on AFTER the stove has been preheated, and all sorts of other bizarre ordeals. It doesn't have to be so complicated. In this video I light the stove according to the directions that were given in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

[@williamstatt8651]

I am 73 years old and have been using the Svea 123r since the 1960's. I figured out a neat way to start it. Just tear off a small piece of paper towel, toilet paper will not work. Roll it long ways between your fingers. Then open the fuel cap and dip the rolled paper towel into the ful and let it soak up some gas. Put the rolled paper towel in the preheating cup, being careful not to let it get near the fuel cap so you don't burn the o ring. Jut light it and open the vaqlve when it gets hot. That way you don't have fuel running down the outside of the stove.

[@jayschwartz1380]

Brings back memories of backpacking 40 years ago. It was a great little stove

[@johnperetore151]

I have been lighting both the Svea & Optimus 8R this way since 1971. I see people using dangerous ways to light the stoves. This is an excellent video done perfectly!

[@jimf1964]

So what do you do when it’s freezing cold? I’m looking for bomb proof small stove for late fall camping in canada. Often below 0c, and occasionally for trips in actual winter. I’ve been disappointed with several stoves that have failed after time.

[@johnperetore151]

@@jimf1964 hi Jim. I really love & trust my Svea & Optimus 8R. Please message me so we can discuss what I do. Thanks

[@jimf1964]

@@johnperetore151 Don’t know how to message on here, and don’t know why you can’t just say it here. Thanks for the offer though

[@johnperetore151]

@@jimf1964 Jim I lost track of what the heck I was talking about lol Too much time passed. All I can say is your video was perfect. The original directions that came with my Optimus was to cup the palms of your hands around the tank letting your hands heat the tank causing fuel to expand and dribble out into the cup at the bottom in the right proportions. I’d it all the time. It’s my preferred way of lighting either of the 2 stoves. But I never did it in below zero temps. In that case I would use an eye dropper or a cut down drinking straw. Place the straw in the tank, then place your finger over the hole in the top of the straw. That keeps fuel in the straw. Then place the straw over the little cup at the bottom, release your finger & the fuel in the straw will fill the cup. Then light the fuel to begin the burn. I hope that helps. Ive been using these methods since 1971. Always works. Let me know how you make out.

[@darkgael0]

A 123 was my first backpacking stove. Marvelously effective and simple to operate. I have four of them, acquired over the years.

[@vernonraines3002]

Took mine to the bottom of the Grand Canyon for my camp stove. Two nights and it worked great....

[@iankelded305]

Продайте хоть одну ,буду очень-очень благодарен

[@dyvel]

Few people know that handwarming the optimus svea is the origin to the legend of Aladdin and the magic lamp that he had to rub..

[@tidypog3272]

Lol

[@CrowMagnumMan2024]

Thanks for the video, I did not know this was the original instruction method for lighting....I have always used a plastic squeeze dropper and squirted it in the divit ........for me it works much faster and less hassle than the hand warmer way.....I never ever had a problem after years of use......warming the tank in cold weather is important....using the pump in extreme temps is good.......still I appreciate the video....if I ever lost the dropper this is good to know....I didnt think it would generate enough pressure to cause the fuel to perculate up.....thank you....!!!

[@thomasmusso1147]

Yep .. when all else fails, use the 'RFM' Function. I have it's cousin, the Optimus 8R Hunter. Bought new in the 70's and still going strong .. used it to rustle up a breakfast just last week. I confess that with the 8R, for me, using the 'eye dropper' method works ok. Alcohol-based Gel (kept in a tiny Squeeze Bottle and stored in the Stove Case) is also good with the Gel being very clean burning.

[@clivenewton7609]

Yep! The good old trusty 8R, another masterpiece from Optimus/Primus, mine still making full English breakfast and copious amounts of tea and coffee and again, a relic from the early 70’s. Of all my petrol stoves, including a modern 123r, the 8R is still my favourite ! ATB from deepest Dorset England 👍

[@alexmacdonald258]

I cooked eggs Benedict on my Optimus 8R the first time my then girlfriend, now wife of 30 years went backpacking. And if you can find one, the red GAZ fuel cans, of spun aluminum with a vitreous coating inside and a wire bale stopper, once they're properly cleaned out (ours was new, way back then), if you very carefully decant champagne into it, it'll keep pressure up for about 18 hours! So that was our first breakfast, eggs Benedict and champagne, in Fish Valley, in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness, (CA), at "Governor's Camp".

[@guillermovillanueva4002]

(translated) I use the same technique and it seems to me the best, very good video, thanks for sharing

[@oxxnarrdflame8865]

Colin Fletcher (“The Conplete Walker”) would burn the paper wrapper from his tea bag under the tank to preheat it.

[@vernonraines3002]

Colin fletcher is one of my heroes....

[@mikemorgan5015]

What a great stove design! So simple, compact, reliable, and powerful for it's size. It punches far above its weight class with very few failure points. Possibly the best of all time. Yup, this method works every time. In severe cold when you don't want to expose your hands to that cold brass, resetting the fuel cap and slipping it under your coat for a few seconds also works very well. A mini/midi pump and cap work really well and get you to full power as soon as the preheat is done. The hand warming works much quicker than you demostrate. It's almost instantaneous. Instead of picking it up, usually all that's required is to open the valve and grasp the base without needing to remove the wind screen. In just a couple of seconds, the fuel will start flowing. When you say, "No..mess..", that's a bit misleading. Using the stove fuel WILL create some soot on the burner, which isn't a big deal to me. But if you like to keep them pristine, alcohol is still the way to go.

[@bcumyns]

You can also light a match or lighter and hold the flame under the bottom of the stove for just a bit. There is no reason to keep the windscreen off the stove while you are priming or lighting it. The key does not go out the top, over the side, and back into the bottom of the windscreen. Just put out the same hole that it goes back in to adjust the valve.

[@joekano866]

For cold-weather camping, I prime my Svea 123R with a tiny dab of fire paste or a tiny chunk of camphor. I’ve never used any liquid fuels to prime with.

[@WestForkWoodsman]

Referbishing an old Svea 123. Real helpful video. Thank you!

[@dragonfly8080808]

A great stove and demonstration. I used my dads Primus stove that came with an inbuilt pressure pump, loved that thing truly efficient putting gas stoves to shame. Thanks for sharing.

[@KMBlaster]

In the winter we would put the stove inside our jackets for a bit. These stoves will boil 2 gallons of water in no time flat, granted you have a big pot

[@raykiii]

That is a much better method than what the others show. Thank you for sharing it.

[@MabrysDad]

Thanks for showing this method! This is how I’m going to light my stove.

[@carbinebill30]

Gave up on MSR gas stoves and went back to SVEA stove. If going up in altitude tank will pressurize itself or you can always set it in the sun until the tank warms, if not hold a lighter under the tank for a few seconds or save your paper scraps and tea bag labels to burn under the tank. Or an Optimus pump works well also.

[@Dydeeo]

Thank you, thank you thank you! I have a newfound interest in these stoves, and have been searching high and low for instructions from the manual for the 123 on lighting and cleaning the jet. My just purchased ebay 123 will arrive this week. It comes with the pricker, valve key, and a Sigg Tourist cookset. Funny thing is I was recently talking to a buddy about my stove interest, and without knowing my particular stove he starting describing a stove he used backpacking the Smokies in the 70s. He bought it for $25 at an well known outfitter store on Gay street in Knoxville. I knew it was a Svea 123 when he said he used to put his hands around it to warm it before lighting. It's a small world. Awesome video and I enjoy your style.

[@telebruce221]

Thank you for posting this!! I see so many videos of idiots that think they need to start the stove with a raging fireball............ My stove was purchased in 1972. Same model as yours. Been using it for more than 50 years. I cannot warm mine with my hands in anything but true summer conditions. In cooler temperatures, my hands are always freezing. It was terrible during my dating years...... any way. I use an eyedropper. I open the tank cap, check the level, use the eyedropper to squirt fuel into the burner cup, and watch it run down the vaporizing tube , until it JUST fills the well at the bottom of the tube. Just like your demonstration - replace the cap, make sure the valve is off, then ignite the fuel. I follow the same process to prime and ignite the stove. No muss, no fireball, Just a dependable start for 50 years. The only difference is in sub freezing temperatures. The stove will start, but can be kinda balky until its warm enough. I have tossed it in my sleeping bag at night to keep it war,m(er) but in truly cold conditions it's still a bear to get running some times. So I purchased from a plumbing supply a high temp plumbers felt pad. It's a felt pad that is hung between whatever pipe you are soldering and anything flammable like wood. You can hit it with a plumbers torch, and it will glow, but it will not burn. I cut a small 1/2" wide strip and wrapped it around the bottom of the vaporizing tube, and tied it off with a piece of fine wire. When I dribble fuel down the vaporizing tube, the pad will soak up quite a bit of it. When I ignite the fuel to prime the stove, the priming flame lasts much longer, and gives a winter cold stove a real boost. When I crack the valve open, I get blue flame right away. Couple more tips t1) This one from Colin Fletcher's first book - After shutting down the stove, and the flame goes out. Open the valve and let the fuel vapor gas out for about 10 seconds. Cleans the jet. I cannot remember the last time I really needed my jet cleaner. 2) The reason why some use alcohol to start the stove, is it does not leave soot. I keep my stove really clean, and in warmer temperatures have primed it this way. 3) An MSR Universal Canister stand fits the Svea 123 PERFECTLY. Makes the whole system a lot more stable. An extra ounce to carry but well worth it! Thanks again for posting! A Svea 123 roaring away in the woods or online always brings a smile to my face.

[@pauls4708]

these are very very similar to an optimus 80 This is what we used to do,sometime we would use a candle under the tank

[@filmic1]

I found out that just leaving the stove in direct sun for a few minutes will create some pressure. Thank you for posting!

[@filmic1]

I used to have the after-market, I guess you'd call it, aluminum pump.

[@vernonraines3002]

Excellent video on a classic stove. Thanks, I know using eye droppers etc is a pain.

[@leonardmcdermott7703]

Greetings from Ireland guys. A superb little stove and a truly wonderful design. Long may it last.

[@blacksquirrel4008]

Thank you. I remember those instructions from the old Colin Fletcher book, too. It probably works best in colder weather with a large temperature differential from body heat.

[@MrTangent]

Excellent video and instruction. Thanks for demonstrating it.

[@CherokeeTwilight]

Thanks for demonstrating the correct way to light a SVEA 123

[@randallstewart1224]

I bought my first Svea around 1965, to go backpacking when I was in college. I still have it, and it still works fine. They got less popular in the later 1960s as butane gas stoves were introduced. Butane was more convenient to fire up (Just open a valve and light up), but they didn't put out nearly as much heat, cooked more slowly, and you had to ranch all of those little gas canisters. I never heard before of the trick of first warming the fuel tank with your hands to initially build some internal pressure. I just spilled a bit of gas from the separate gas can into the warming bowel below the burner and lit it off, opening the burner valve when it warmed enough to build tank pressure. That could get a bit tricky at times. I like another comment about keeping a little squeeze bottle of jellied alcohol stored in the stove as an alternative source of warming fuel. I'll look into that if I ever use the Svea again.

[@SkullySkullmeister]

Such a beautiful stove and piece of history. I just love my Svea ♥♥

[@srosenow98]

I've lit mine using this, but I find it easier to use a pipette with 90-proof rubbing alcohol into the bowl on the tank. This eliminates the nasty soot buildup on both the burner bell and the fuel jet assembly, and thus, no dirty hands! :)

[@tuangpraj]

It’so simple but effectiveness, thank you.

[@gryhze]

I've kept my Svea123 in my sleeping bag - just warm enough to get the fuel flowing. On sunny days, the magnifier on my Swiss Army knife does the trick. Nice back to basics video.

[@JoesStyle]

Excellent...alot of the "old ways" are getting lost...thanks alot :)

[@RonOrud]

Great video. I think I need to get o,e of these classics.

[@jlborish]

Awesome, thank you.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

This is great thanks!

[@DeepOwl1073]

I've had mine for 12 years, and I go on at least 10 trips a year. I have never used the brass windscreen because mine came with a Sigg tourist. It also came with an eye dropper and the jet pokey tool. I've never seen this entire method, and it's interesting. The point is to build pressure in the tank, so why is step 1 be to relieve any pressure in the tank? When I go on a trip, I anticipate the built pressure from elevation gain and use it to my advantage. I fill the stove 2/3 full at home elevation. My logic being if I fill it at elevation, I lose that pressure and have to start from scratch. I put 2 or 3 eye droppers full into the priming divot. Light that, and then open the valve, which starts bubbling fuel, immediately lighting. In 30-ish seconds, the yellow flame burns out, and the blue jet is roaring its familiar tune. I've easily cooked 200 meals on this original 123, and the only time it scared me was from a stainless pot reflecting too much heat and making a flame thrower out of the pressure relief valve. I removed the pot, and it calmed down. Sorry about the novel. Thanks for the video. It's interesting to see how the factory intended the lighting process. Happy trails 🚶‍♂️ 🚶‍♂️ 🚶‍♂️

[@riftzone13]

thanks I didn't know this.

[@XJarhead360]

Well, I tried lighting my old 123 after several years. I saw fuel coming up to the burner but it wouldn't light. Then I went to your video and you wrote to NEVER fill the stove to the top. I'll try again for old time's sake but I wouldn't take it out in the field. I have an old MRS XGK that flares a lot but still works. The cartridge stoves are so easy to use with their only drawback carrying empty cylinders on your hike or backpack.

[@OutnBacker]

Great little stoves. I've owned several over the years, but they don't all start this way - even after a full maintenance regimen. My current one requires external priming. A couple others did not. It also depends on air temperature. If it's very cold, it can be a bit of a go-or-not method.

[@5USgRWFH]

Excellent videography! I'm subscribing.

[@alangauld6079]

I'm currently selling mine on eBay but I have used this method, but it's not great in winter and dangerous inside a tent porch - the flames can get out of hand! I prefer a couple of small bits of firelighter tablet or paste, much more predictable.

[@alangauld6079]

@Tabourba did you watch the video? There’s no primer it’s petrol flowing down the burner that gets lit, if it runs over the outer tank the flames will go with it! It is very easy to get big flames which are dangerous inside a tent. I’ve been close several times, but at -10C with a blizzard, going outside wasn’t an appealing alternative. Just be very, very careful...

[@jbm48]

Thank You. This makes a lot more sense than the instructions that came with mine.

[@S2Wiley]

Some people complain about lighting in cold weather or altitude...designed in SWEDEN....but if it is that cold I'm usually going to switch to my MSR Dragonfly and kerosene.

[@quovadis5036]

After 25 years, I going back out, with my Svea.

[@RetrieverTrainingAlone]

To prime you can use alcohol like Heet which produces less carbon, or hand sanitizer. My SVEA instructions say fill tank to 1/3 capacity maximum. I like this and the MSR Whisperlite up here in Alaska for very cold weather when canister type stoves like Jetboil do not work well in the cold.

[@allanchambers4716]

This is how I always heated my Svea 123 with my hands unless it was REALLY cold. I would light it as soon as the gas started coming out of the nozzle or orifice and it always lit right up. I never let the gas run down the sides of the cup and flame up like that!

[@alandavis9180]

Arguably the most famous (and reliable) hiking stove ever made.

[@techguy9023]

Trangia says “Hold my beer”!

[@user-vt9wy1zb7z]

Hello, which one is suitable for this type of gasoline stove No. 92 or 95?

[@nostalgiccameralife]

This video is strictly about the SVEA 123.

[@user-vt9wy1zb7z]

Needle jet stove svea 123 short how to repair can it be opened​@@nostalgiccameralife

[@explorermike19]

We used to just pouir a teaspoon of fuel onto the tank and light it on fire. That worked pretty well.

[@tombowers2020]

I’ve been using the Sam’s stove for 40 years. Prime with hand heat, and then Bobs your Uncle!

[@tony-lx6cz]

my son uses mine now , the stove is only 40yrs old and sometimes he uses pack , Apenlight same age!

[@shanek6582]

What’s one of those worth in that condition? Thanks

[@nostalgiccameralife]

I want to say I paid something like $30-$40 for this one just a couple years ago.

[@Chainsaw2373]

I do it the same way but I am ocd and align the windscreen properly.

[@Graeme758]

I don't get it, why not just pour some fuel into the well to start with, far quicker than messing about with hands if all that is doing it expelling some fuel into the well anyway.

[@nostalgiccameralife]

Because this doesn't involve the use of any tools.

[@richcassone]

I think this is very temperature dependant. I notice you are wearing short sleeves in this video so it must be fairly warm where you are. I just returned from a trip where it hovered around 50 F and this method was successful only in direct sunlight at the height of the day. Nighttime and morning even 20 minutes of warming the tank was useless. Don't count on this if you are out in the wilderness. Bring a small piece of straw or you may be out of luck.

[@aliyahlia6040]

Seandainya aku mau beli dimana tokonya 😂😂

[@karlmadsen3179]

Waste of time warming with one's hands. Silly. Just put a dollup of fuel in the depression at the top and light it. After it lights, or even before, put the wind screen back in place depending on the conditions. It will now burn and make you a happy camper. It's also not really heating the air that creates internal pressure. The fuel has an incredibly high vapor pressure and is quite volatile. It doesn't take too much heat input to increase the internal vapor pressure of the fuel....which then exits the jet for lighting. It's a great stove. I have one and have used it everywhere in every temperature. When it is REALLY cold, it does perform better if one can place a bit of insulation underneath it to reduce heat transfer and prevent lowering of the internal temperature. You can get performance issues if you don't.

[@nostalgiccameralife]

The whole point of using this method is to minimize screwing around with the fuel to a minimum.

[@jimf1964]

What the heck would you do if it was freezing cold?

[@wellseasonedhiker]

Not sure that works when it's below 40 and certainly not below 30. We'd resort to pouring a little gas in the reservoir and lighting that up. Works 100% and no freezing hands.

[@coachhannah2403]

Always just carried an eyedropper to place a modest amount of fuel on the heating well. A LOT faster!

[@Rabbagazten]

This is the WAY

[@jayk3784]

상향식 저소음연소갭 잇써요