Frans Wilhelm Lindquist from Sweden registered his ‘soot less kerosene stove’ in 1892 and called it Primus(Latin for first). We are not 100% sure but it seems that Lindquist was patenting a pressure stove that burnt vapourised fuel without having to use a wick, which is what caused the ‘soot’. We do know that Gustav Barthel from Dresden, Germany applied for a patent in America on September 28th 1982 stating that,”My invention relates to vapour burner adapted for burning spirit or hydrocarbons without the employment of a wick” which makes us wonder if Primus really was the first or maybe there was some industrial espionage! Whatever the detail, Gustav Barthel went on to become one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of oil lamps, pressure stoves, heaters and blowtorches often using the name Juwel as a form of brand name and always using the crossed swords and GB for Gustav Barthel – not Great Britain! It seems Barthel provided stoves for the German Army in World War II and as a result the company was expropriated in 1946 and ceased to exist except for a small engineering department. The fabulous Gustav Barthel, Juwel 17 stove we have here in the collection seems to date from the 1930’s and appears to be aimed at the general outdoor market rather than the lightweight camping scene. Mick Tighe bought it for £40 in 2014; a fabulous addition to our ever growing collection of stoves.