Superb work!
I and many others wouldnt have so many working lanterns in our collections if not for thorium treated mantles. As you’ve probably noted in many of my other threads, safety management is always a popular subject with me. While I havent compared with a lux meter, thorium treated mantles have a far higher apparent brightness and higher color temp than their non-treated counterparts (which burn an awful dingy yellow). AFAIR, thorium radiation in mantles will not penetrate skin. 1/3rd or more of its measurable radiation is reduced within the first hour of burn-off and lighting (fueled). I use Peerless brand mantles almost exclusively, since they are modern thorium versions that can take a fairly good amount of abuse before tearing. When they do tear, dust is minimal and the lantern globe and burner cage usually contain the debris. Coleman replaced thorium with yttrium several years ago, which had its own potential health risks and still burned a dingy yellow. Now Coleman mantles are untreated, very fragile and poorly made. Many people would rather throw away the new Coleman mantles than go through the wasted effort of using them and having them fail repeatedly. IMO, as far as total accumulated radiation exposure, there is far more to worry about in eating bananas, avocados or handling many household items than occasionally playing with thorium mantles. Even more to worry about with sun worshipers, flight crews and astronauts.
Regardless of mantle brand and types: when replacing mantle(s), I usually clean my lanterns outdoors during a hot day with plenty of water and a soapy sponge, then blast with compressed air to assure all is dry then leave to completely dry in the sun. If you can get away with it, your dishwasher will do a hell of a job in cleaning dirty lantern parts. Since most of my lanterns are nickle plated or bare brass, this is a great time to detail, maintain and polish them after the wash. After tying new mantles, I light them downwind outdoors to avoid breathing the smoke, then quickly replace the globe and vent and run inside to thoroughly wash my hands while the mantles burn-off. Some people don latex gloves while others have been so paranoid as to using forceps to tie new mantles. After researching the subject, I dont see the need, but to each their own. Just dont breath the dust or smoke and minimize your initial exposure. After initial burn-off and then lighting the lantern (fueled) with new thorium treated mantles, I light-up and then quickly move far away for at least an hour to let the “lose” radioactive particles burn off the new mantles. It probably doesnt matter from a health perspective, but it cant hurt either… I only go by the research of others from what Ive read in the past.
I have noted that large amounts of fine particulate mantle dust can be prevalent in most of my newly acquired older antique lanterns that havent been used in decades. I transport them home in tied garbage bags and dont remove until Im ready to wash and restore them. Same goes with online purchases. Sometimes they arrive in the mail coated in old mantle dust, so open the boxes outdoors and be careful not to breath the dust. An ounce of common sense goes a long way here.
The common colors are red and green, which Rustolium makes a nearly perfect match. There are variations in shade through model years and models. Much more info can be found online from others in regards to color matching, prep, cure and adhesion.
I have measured vent temperatures higher than 1200 F in my tuned 237’s while burning my home-brew kerosene mixtures, which is near the destruction point of a quality finished porcelain vent. Not all vents are created equal, and many will have their finish ruined below 1200 F. Vents can cost $60 or more (plus shipping) to have refinished and often take 2-3 months before having them returned. The fun (or pain) associated with lantern restorations is similar to what many of us go through in classic car restorations. Along with a full battery of strippers, polish, cleaning solutions, acids and buffing wheels, I also own a large expensive ultrasonic cleaner. You’ll find at least 3 large forums dedicated exclusively to lantern collecting and restorations. And unlike 99.9% of all flashlights ever made, nearly all lanterns will continue to appreciate in value and are often handed down from generation to generation. I am also not aware of any LED lantern that has the utility and sheer omnidirectional lux output (without the huge glare of LED) that can match a high output gas mantle lantern.
IMO, grab a nice older Coleman 220, 228 or 242 from craigslist or ebay in good/great condition for $20-50 and give it a try. If you want the king/do-all, buy a nice 237 on ebay. If you dont like it, relist it and recoup your money. The nickle plated versions look absolutely fanatic when restored and often wind up on peoples coffee tables or fireplace mantles. DBSAR’s 236 is a damn good looker and a great example of what can be done with a good bit of dedication, elbow grease and love.
Sorry to blabber so much about the subject. Enjoy, and dont burn yourselves! :bigsmile:
Well said Flashpilot! :bigsmile:
+1. Really interesting read.
Lanterns of course best enjoyed while drinking coffee made on one of these!
Flash pilot, got some details on the parts used for that Frankenstein? That's a beautiful lantern and would love to make one of those.
Old pressure stoves is another of my interests, though I don't have any right now just newer stoves
Nice looking old Primus!
Here’s the build thread. The challenges where in the slow collecting of parts, cutting pipe threads, acquiring a difficult to find tap to modify a pipe reducer to adapt the non-standard 237 valve threads, and settling on final assembled heights between joints. It helped to have a good plumbing store close by with a guru behind the counter to help me. I used red loctite sealer to lock the threads, so each threaded connection needed to be perfect in length before torquing (lots of resizing and re-threading at each location). The rare antique milk shade came from ebay and took over a year to find one in mint condition that fit dimensionally. I think it was once used in a German railroad station gas light between 1900-1935, so I knew it would probably withstand the tremendous heat variances throughout the shade without shattering (kerosene pressure lamps burn hotter than their gas counterparts, so it was still an expensive risk). All the pipes and adapters are heavy thick-walled brass fittings not typically found at a common plumbing store. The base is an inverted antique brass candle holder (found at my local recycling center) that I bored on a lathe to accommodate the 237 head and then drilled to accommodate the control valves and gauge. The antique CQ fount is said to be one of the most robust brass versions made during that era. The finished assembly has been pressure cycled several times to 100 PSIG to assure that stress cracks would not appear in the fount. I then rejetted the burner tip and test burned at 45 PSIG, which easily produced over 1000cp. I dont recommend others to run their lanterns at the high pressures that Ive been experimenting with. If you do so, its at your own risk. Ive burned around 35 gallons of fuel through this lantern and its still on the original Peerless 111 mantle that I first tied to it!
I probably own around 25 stoves (mostly Coleman). I also own a Coleman 460G HGP in case I need to quickly boil 10 gallons of water. :bigsmile:
Yeah, not simple and cheap enough sounding for me to give it a try... But very impressive lamp no less.
Thanks for the details though.
I have a few stoves. Coleman dual fuel 425 I think, primus omni fuel, trangia mini, solo stove. Sold my 8r a while back. Would like to get a svea 123 and a optimus 111t also someday. Have had my eye on the hiker+ lately too.
As it is now, if it will burn, I have a stove that will run off it pretty much.
What do you think of the petromax/britelyt style lanterns? Think I have asked this before but do not remember
Those are all fine compact portable stoves with some great history to back them. Probably the greatest reward is in taking something that most people would have threwn away and restoring it to its full prior glory. In every way, most antiques lanterns & stoves make their newer counterparts seem like complete junk by comparison.
From a safety stand point, I avoid all fuel appliances without a positive fuel shut-off valve (which includes most European designs). Its sad that through the course of history, that many innocent German soldiers had to be severely burned before the German Army finally gave them up in the 80’s & 90’s. I can only imagine the cumulative toll they have exacted on hundreds others. Not all are dormant flame throwers, but their very design hides the potential.
Ive had my share of close calls with rubber seats in early model non-return valve/check valve failures blowing fuel vapor into the burner cage of a burning lantern. This, even after a thoroughly blueprinted recent rebuild. With whatever you’re about to set aflame, a thorough pref-light inspection can save a whole lot of heartache.
I’ll take it, just send me you paypal address, 
.
I will try to find me a nice 236 or 237. Have two lanterns my father bought in the 60’s, both marked 220F/228F from 66 and 67 and a 12 from 86 that I found while scuba diving in a lake. I need to go give all three a good bath after reading what you said about the Thorium. Have changed out Thorium mantles numerous times with my bare hands, just crushing the old one’s with my hands when replacing. Down here people hang two or more lanterns off the side of a boat at night while fishing for white perch/crappie.
I had been using the old 220F that my parents had long before I was born. Had every camping vacation with it lighting up the campsites. My girls and I used it few seasons and last year we stopped using it in favor of a newer 3000 lumen Coleman propane model that is a lot less temperamental. Now after reading this thread and your build thread I’m thinking about restoring her to her former glory. She is getting a lot of rust spots on her. Not sure what to do to stop the rusting. Also not sure what the green metal dome part is called, but the finish on yours is amazing. How the heck do I get a finish like that?
(Sorry for the craptastic iPhone picture)
Every camping trip I think about trying to find a way to put screens over the openings to keep the moths and flying things out. Has anyone come up with a moth screen modification for these guys?
Very nice lanterns guys! Coleman fuel in good condition should be a light blue color and smell like racing fuel. If your lanterns havent been ran in a long while, dump the old fuel, remove the old mantles, open the fuel valve to full and blow everything out really good with compressed air. Walmart probably has the best prices on Coleman Fuel at around $10per gallon. A gallon will go a long way.
For thorium treated mantles:
For twin mantle lanterns
Peerless 2C-HG (4 pack)
http://www.oldcolemanparts.com/product.php?productid=1619&cat=34&page=1
For the large single mantle lanterns such as 236 and 237
Peerless 111 (2 pack)
http://www.oldcolemanparts.com/product.php?productid=1620&cat=&bestseller=Y
Ive ordered heavily from both resellers who have always provided 100% satisfaction. Peerless mantles and other parts are also found on ebay.
Before using, remember to inspect that the fount (fuel tank) hasnt rusted inside before fueling. They can fail under pressure if rusted and create one hell of a nasty explosion. After fueling, pressurize the fount with as much pressure as your thumb can handle and then inspect for leaks before lighting. Most parts and great friendly advice are readily available if you need either. Have fun… and be aware that you can easily spend 100 times more $$$ collecting lanterns than flashlights.
nice classic 220 
as for the rust, if its on the tank ( fount) the only fix for that is to strip it and re-paint the tank. the collar, frame, etc can be wire-brushed clean on a wire wheel, then polished and clear-coated to protect it. The top part is normally called the “vent” though some call it the hat. That part can get extremely hot and no paint will survive it. Its an expensive procedure, but it can be re-enameled if sent out to a specialized shop. The baked-on Enamel finish can chip easily if bent or struck with a metal object. The most you can do with it really is clean it up with soft steel wool and soapy water.
The Vent on the 236 in the OP is a replacement i found that was in better shape than the original.
As for safety and Swedish stoves/lanterns from Primus, Optimus, Radius, Svea just follow the instruction manual if it is a kerosene burner stick to kerosene do not experiment with gasoline.
Beautiful restorations. :heart_eyes: Those things belong in a museum.
Dug mine up, they were covered in dust as you can see in the first photo. Did a five minute wipe down to remove most of the dust. Looked inside the tanks and the two older ones are rust free inside, the newer one might have a little rust inside, the fuel was real cloudy in that one. Notice the foil on the globes, used that to direct the light away from the boat so it was easier to see the corks while fishing. Have had some nasty burns over the years from motorcycle exhaust pipes but I think the worst burn I ever had was from stepping over one of these lanterns while it was sitting on the ground, took off several layers of skin from the back of my calf.
Nice thread. Love the lanterns. I have an old Coleman downstairs I need to dig out. I got it a few years ago at a garage sale and was able to get it working.
nice trio. the foil idea is interesting but definitely works.