A shout out for help from you BLFers that are also avid into Coleman fuel lanterns. Clearing out my mother's house I came across my family's old 1962 Coleman double mantle fuel lantern. I believe it's a model 220?
The pump actually still works and it builds tank pressure but the usual spitting that one should hear when opening the main valve is non-existent. In fact, it seems that none of the fuel is going out to the mantles. There was still old fuel inside of it and I am thinking that somewhere in its system a glob of jellied fuel has cogged a jet or something. How hard is it to disassemble and clean everything in it completely? Can anyone direct me to a good guide on overhauling it? It's in great shape for being 51 years old and I can't wait to put it into use. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :)
Hey Johnny, the lantern forum has a few good tutorials and a lot of great advice. I’ve done many lanterns, including one just like yours (it’s a 228 btw, they have the ‘big hat’). Mine is my ‘birthday lantern’…that’s something lantern geeks try to find :heart_eyes: Look on the bottom, most have the month and year they were made. At the very least you’ll need to do a thorough cleaning of the fount interior. The fuel/air valve (the tube that sticks down into the fount) is likely gummed up and will probably need to be removed. Overall it’s a pretty easy teardown and cleanup. It’s a great feeling to bring one back from the dead, especially one that has some family heritage. Feel free to IM me with any questions.
