Kerosene Frankenburner--which model should I chase down?

Which model generator can go with a particular vintage lamp?

I'm a newbie here. I fell in love with the idea of kerosene pressure lamps from a video I saw explaining the theory and the struggle to light them! YES! Just my style!

I have many green and red model Coleman's in Colo, but I'm in MN. I'd list them if I could. Always liked collecting Coleman cheapo's in thrift stores, and giveaways' found in Denver's richly stocked alleys.

It's possible to collect fragmented info here by searching this site using words like "Coleman & kerosene". But that might not be most efficient. I bet all you gurus already have Lamp model numbers & generator/vaporizers that might go together. Maybe some parts should be somewhat easy to find in todays stock on Ebay, or most fave'd lamp part websites.

I know lots of questions, but I'm overwhelmed with the fragmented information
What lamp models came stock as kero-burners besides 201, 214, & 639?
What vintage model lamp is easy to mod? That doesn't cost $300 on sleaze-bay?
What preheat cup is needed
What generator is easy to find that'll work?
or generator "easy to find" but mod needed?
do the newer 639 parts fit vintage lamps, if available?


I'm guessing a #500 Petromax mantle is the one for single mantle kero-burners.

Some candidates I've read about here on site...
models 249 & 220E copper mod existing generator

Thanks all...

 

Hi Brian and welcome, not to sure about some of your questions, but regarding Tilley, all are kero burners as far as i know? Coleman and other manufactures, have made a mixture of naphtha, [petrol] burners, and kero burners, but, ''never put Naphtha'' in kero burners, a 500 cp mantle is far to big for the average 300 cp lantern/lamp, better with a Coleman size 21 in ''most cases'' there is plenty of great info on this site, and i know there are plenty of other blokes on here with superior knowledge to me who may help with the other questions

 

Brian

The 237 is Coleman's most powerful kero lantern. It's 500cp and a great lantern, a franken lantern might be a long way to get to a 237.They are on ebay usually from Canada these days.

A step up in kero power would be an Amish lantern made with a Coleman 220 tank and HC Lantern parts. This would be a kero lantern burning brighter than a 237. The parts for this lantern would come directly from HC Lanterns. There is a valve connecting the HC Lantern burner to the Coleman tank , you'd have to check with HC to see if they still make it. This would be the strongest kero lantern you could make with a Coleman tank.

 

I think you saw a video by Technology Connection. Though the host is a brilliant science nerd he doesn't have any real experience with Coleman or any kind of Kerosene pressure lantern. He came to the conclusion that its a struggle to light them and that's flat wrong. The 639 he used like other kero pressure lanterns just requires a 3 minute preheat with a cup of denatured alcohol. He used rubbing alcohol and didn't light the lantern correctly which is why he struggled.

 

A 335 can be converted into a 339 kero burner easy enough with a 339 genny. 220s are pretty easy to convert and in my opinion they make a good project. A humble 295 makes a great kero lantern with a 639 genny and a pre-heater cup, same thing with the 290.

 

That's the info the OP needs exactly.