Coleman lantern

[rjg854 11,450]

The little lady has the week off for her birthday, so she decided to clean the cabinets in the back room. Well lo and behold, behind all her cookbooks, she came across my single mantle Coleman lantern that I assumed was long gone. We moved here 21 years ago. I'm pretty sure that was the last time I used it.

It still had fuel in it and the mantle was still good. I oiled up the pump leather pumped up pressure on the tank and it lit up  and was burning like I had just used it yesterday.

[lynnmor 7,345]

I've never had a minute off for a birthday, where did I go wrong?

[Pullstart 63,054]

Do they still make a similar lantern?  What type of fuel is it?

[Stepney 2,325]

Good old 200A! I have one a bit older than that, but the same model. It never fails..

 

They burn 'coleman fuel' but basically it's just white gas. 

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,088]

Guess there was no corn in that fuel

[Pullstart 63,054]

25 minutes ago, Stepney said:

Good old 200A! I have one a bit older than that, but the same model. It never fails..

 

They burn 'coleman fuel' but basically it's just white gas. 

so... what is white gas?  

[DennisThornton 4,769]

30 minutes ago, pullstart said:

Do they still make a similar lantern?  What type of fuel is it?

I detected that you are serious.  That just might make me feel even older...

 

However!  Before Milwaukee lithium lights there were Coleman Lanterns, and other brands, that burned white gas, a refined petroleum distillate similar to Naptha ( or naptha with Coleman's name on it...)   At least one with a gallon of unopened fuel AND a mantle should be in every homeowners emergency kit.

[Stepney 2,325]

9 minutes ago, pullstart said:

so... what is white gas?  

In bare terms, it's just naptha.

Pure, clean gasoline with absolutely no additives of any sort. Rated about 55 octane and it'll burn in older engines just fine. Coleman fuel is simply even further refined white gas.. lasts about forever. We have a twin mantle from the 60's the Gramps hadn't lit since the 1978 blizzard.. still took right off. 

[Stepney 2,325]

5 minutes ago, DennisThornton said:

I detected that you are serious.  That just might make me feel even older...

 

However!  Before Milwaukee lithium lights there were Coleman Lanterns, and other brands, that burned white gas, a refined petroleum distillate similar to Naptha ( or naptha with Coleman's name on it...)   At least one with a gallon of unopened fuel AND a mantle should be in every homeowners emergency kit.

We have one built for the military from the Veitnam era, that has it's own little built in tool kit. Looks like a second pump tube on the side, a little bigger. Holds a dozen mantles, some tools, a spare generator, and a pump. It has plate glass windows instead of a globe.. neat old duck.

A Coleman lantern AND a single burner stove ought to be on every house list IMO.. we rarely loose power, but that little stove does a wonderful job and never acts up. 

Cant forget the old Catalyst heater..

And the white gas pocket warmers..

 

As for a 'new' lantern like that.. no. They're gone in the US market. Japan still has a 200A in their catalog though.. always pondered trying to get one sent over here.

 

All the same.. those things are everywhere if you just look. They rarely fail in any way, and can be had for under 20 dollars in most cases. 

Edited January 20, 2021 by Stepney

[bc.gold 3,403]

2 minutes ago, Stepney said:

In bare terms, it's just naptha.

Pure, clean gasoline with absolutely no additives of any sort. Rated about 55 octane and it'll burn in older engines just fine. Coleman fuel is simply even further refined white gas.. lasts about forever. We have a twin mantle from the 60's the Gramps hadn't lit since the 1978 blizzard.. still took right off. 

 

Suzuki dirt bike ran fine on it.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

52 minutes ago, Stepney said:

We have one built for the military from the Veitnam era, that has it's own little built in tool kit. Looks like a second pump tube on the side, a little bigger. Holds a dozen mantles, some tools, a spare generator, and a pump. It has plate glass windows instead of a globe.. neat old duck.

A Coleman lantern AND a single burner stove ought to be on every house list IMO.. we rarely loose power, but that little stove does a wonderful job and never acts up. 

Cant forget the old Catalyst heater..

And the white gas pocket warmers..

 

As for a 'new' lantern like that.. no. They're gone in the US market. Japan still has a 200A in their catalog though.. always pondered trying to get one sent over here.

 

All the same.. those things are everywhere if you just look. They rarely fail in any way, and can be had for under 20 dollars in most cases. 

All good info!  I lost a two burner and the catalytic heater in a fire, no fault of those two!  Pocket heaters are handy as well.

 

I'll add that there were kero versions too.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

54 minutes ago, bcgold said:

 

Suzuki dirt bike ran fine on it.

Good to hear that the fuel lasts.  I've heard otherwise but I've also burned some pretty old fuel.  Never thought about burning it in an engine, but...

[bc.gold 3,403]

1 hour ago, DennisThornton said:

Good to hear that the fuel lasts.  I've heard otherwise but I've also burned some pretty old fuel.  Never thought about burning it in an engine, but...

 

Three watersheds away from Top of the World highway deep into the wilderness no fuel came across an abandoned mining camp. Some sort of Atco trailer, kitchen, bath and bunks, the bears had already torn the door out of its frame.

 

Scribed onto the kitchen wall with a magic marker, Use But Don't Abuse dated 1987. Thirteen years vacant.

 

Moe was a passenger on the bike, he came down with food poisoning from what we had found to eat in canned food. Vegetable soup no longer looks like it did before its expiry date then having been frozen and thawed all those years.

 

While Moe was resting trying to recover I went out to check the bike over, half and inch of fuel is all the tank had left, and we had a long journey ahead of us and Moe don't look so good.

 

Found two full cans of Colemans naphtha, filled the tank and hoped for the best, we made it to within a mile or two from the Top of the World Hwy before running out of fuel.

 

I left Moe and walked to the truck above, after getting back into Dawson City, Moe was laid up in his camper for another three days.

 

When we finally hooked up again, he says to me, you ate that like it was a gourmet dinner and never even got sick, that remark stuck with me and it took more than a year for me to solve the question.

 

The Naphtha was perhaps a life saver for Moe.

 

That whole Yukon trip was an adventure to remember, could write a book of it someday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2021 by bcgold

[bc.gold 3,403]

The lantern mantles contain radio active thorium.

also certain if not all Tig electrodes contain the same element, and those of us that sharpen  the point never give a second though to the dust.

 

The use of thoriated tungsten electrodes

Edited January 20, 2021 by bcgold

[squonk 41,287]

Friend of mine went camping with an old Chevy Blazer towing a travel trailer. Along the way the tail pipe broke. The hot exhaust gas heated up the fuel tank and going up a hill the Blazer suffered vapor lock and stalled. He poured some Coleman fuel into the carb  to

get it going. VROOOM!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Handy Don 12,392]

14 hours ago, DennisThornton said:

I detected that you are serious.  That just might make me feel even older...

 

However!  Before Milwaukee lithium lights there were Coleman Lanterns, and other brands, that burned white gas, a refined petroleum distillate similar to Naptha ( or naptha with Coleman's name on it...)   At least one with a gallon of unopened fuel AND a mantle should be in every homeowners emergency kit.

And I attached the extra mantles to the box holding the lantern so I can find them when stressed! We have both a propane "click to light" lantern and the regular fuel version. Both seem to get used every year. I have the propane two-burner stove but would pick up a regular fuel version if I happened across one in good shape. I always keep a couple of propane bottles handy.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

48 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

And I attached the extra mantles to the box holding the lantern so I can find them when stressed! We have both a propane "click to light" lantern and the regular fuel version. Both seem to get used every year. I have the propane two-burner stove but would pick up a regular fuel version if I happened across one in good shape. I always keep a couple of propane bottles handy.

I duct tape a spare mantle underneath the lantern.  I also have several kero lamps including a couple Aladdins with a similar mantle.  Less light than a Coleman but more than a wick type.  Couldn't count how many LED lights I have in just about every form known and everywhere!  I try to carry a couple small LEDs, a couple knives and at least 2 means of fire.  I teasingly say, but I guess I mean it, "I want to be able to see it, cut it up and set it afire!"  Can't count the times it has save me time, perhaps not my life, but it's still comforting.

[RandyLittrell 3,885]

I love Coleman stuff, here is some of my nicer lanterns and I have almost as many stoves. 

 

 

[RandyLittrell 3,885]

On 1/19/2021 at 6:12 PM, rjg854 said:

The little lady has the week off for her birthday, so she decided to clean the cabinets in the back room. Well lo and behold, behind all her cookbooks, she came across my single mantle Coleman lantern that I assumed was long gone. We moved here 21 years ago. I'm pretty sure that was the last time I used it.

It still had fuel in it and the mantle was still good. I oiled up the pump leather pumped up pressure on the tank and it lit up  and was burning like I had just used it yesterday.

 

 

The 200A's were one of the best lanterns they made!! I even have my birthday 200A lantern, 10-66

 

 

 

Randy

[DennisThornton 4,769]

12 hours ago, RandyLittrell said:

I love Coleman stuff, here is some of my nicer lanterns and I have almost as many stoves. 

 

 

Any kero lanterns in there?  Love the chrome ones!  Or are they nickel?  

This is on eBay for $650!

[RandyLittrell 3,885]

2 minutes ago, DennisThornton said:

12 hours ago, RandyLittrell said:

I love Coleman stuff, here is some of my nicer lanterns and I have almost as many stoves. 

 

 

Any kero lanterns in there?  Love the chrome ones!  Or are they nickel?  

This is on eBay for $650!

 

No kero's, I would like to have one or two, just never run across them.

 

They are nickel plated and the oldest is from the thirties and the other two in the forties. Some of these were my Dad's so that makes them special and others just happen to run across at yard sales. I don't really go looking for them, they have just kinda multiplied over the years. 

 

The ebay prices are just out of sight and of course lots of people that want to sell locally have went on ebay and thinks they are all worth a mint. The Japanese are the driving market for the these things, they pay big bucks for them! 

 

Here is a good forum I belong to.  https://www.colemancollectorsforum.com/index.php?sid=34c623f7ec1df9822091a88ce739e554

 

Here is a site that show all the different lanterns and stoves and when the were made. https://terry-marsh.com/

 

 

 

 

Randy

[DennisThornton 4,769]

I've been on the CC forum.  I have a backpack stove that needs a tweaking.

[Samadentul 3]

On 1/20/2021 at 2:12 AM, rjg854 said:

The little lady has the week off for her birthday, so she decided to clean the cabinets in the back room. Well lo and behold, behind all her cookbooks, she came across my single mantle Coleman lantern that I assumed was long gone. We moved here 21 years ago. I'm pretty sure that was the last time I used it.

It still had fuel in it and the mantle was still good. I oiled up the pump leather pumped up pressure on the tank and it lit up  and was burning like I had just used it yesterday.

This is a find! Tears are welling up in my eyes. I haven't seen camping lantern for a long time. However, this was a whole era. Now no one uses them, but before, it was the invention of the century. This flashlight is associated with my childhood. This camping lantern has always traveled with us. I remember I always said: "That flashlight drove away bears and evil spirits from us." One day he saved my life. I was small and accidentally slammed the garage door. I couldn't get out and screamed a lot. I'm afraid of the dark. I mentioned that there must be a flashlight somewhere in the garage. Then sitting and waiting for mom wasn't so scary.

[squonk 41,287]

Never owned a Coleman gas  lantern. Just a propane one many years ago.

 

My favorite lantern memory: We went fishing one evening. I was about 12. It's starts getting dark and my friend's father lights the Coleman lantern they had. After about a half hour I go to cast and my hook catches the lantern and flings it into the Erie Canal. When that hot glass hit the water BOOM! 

Edited September 20, 2021 by squonk

[OutdoorEnvy 1,553]

Nice Thread!  I'm enjoying the stories! 

 

Well I grew up with dad using the Coleman lanterns and stoves on camping trips and hunting camps and have always wanted my own.  Finally had a reason to go looking for some oldies for an upcoming camping trip.  It was pretty easy with FB of course.  Within a day I had this one picked up!  It's a 220E from June 1962!  I didn't take a before pic but it was good shape, just dirty and hadn't been used in over 25 years according to the owner.  He said he bought it new himself and was the family lantern for years.  But age got to him and no one had interest in using it so it went up for sale.  It had old fuel in it but wasn't rusty inside.  It still ended up needing a complete disassembly and thorough cleaning.  I did replace the generator and pump.  It now works great and was neat to use and have on a camping trip over the weekend.  Also picked up a 425 stove for the trip!  It worked great right away so was ready to go!  Looking forward to years of enjoyment from them! 

 

 

 

Edited October 19, 2021 by OutdoorEnvy