Petromax 829B is it original?

Sorry @Gilbert ,
I can't be certain if the Britelyt vaporizer would fit into the Petromax 829. I don't have any to verify its exact length and height. Also, whether the threads on the gland or jamb nut would fit those on the Petromax 829 lower vaporizer part. However, it does fit in, then it'd certainly provide better vaporization of kero than a straight generator. Maybe someone else might happen to have both the Petromax and the Britelyt. Perhaps they could verify whether they are perfectly interchangeable or not.

By the way, from your latest picture of the mantle, it appears to me that the main reason why it is not glowing as brightly as it should, isn't due to poor vaporization.
It is more likely due to the fuel-to-air ratio being on the high side. Did you notice the halo of flame outside the mantle?
That is a classical indication of either you're getting too much fuel through or too little air for the burn.
Either the jet orifice is too enlarged/worn or you need to increase the air gap further.
That's on condition that you are already certain that the fuel discharge(when cold) is a thin, straight and sharp stream, shooting vertically and centrally into the opening of the J-tube inlet. If it is shooting skewed or spraying, then it might not optimally create the required air draw by inducing a sufficiently low pressure zone around the air gap...even when the fuel is fully vaporized.

 

@MYN
The jet of fuel from the nipple is straight when cold, the nipple is new, so is the needle. The air gap is in spec.

However, the carburetor has a slight bend in it. It could be causing the fuel not to shoot straight up into the J tube. All the more reason to replace it.

Should I also replace the conducting rod?

 

If the conducting rod is still functional and the height of the needle can be correctly adjusted, there shouldn't be a need to replace it.
Sometimes, it can be quite hard to tell if the jet/gas tip is entirely leak free. You mentioned earlier that the new jets were leaky. How did you managed to seal it?

Otherwise, you can easily just test it to be sure:-
-Just remove the upper hood, burner assembly and needle. Re-assemble the jet. With the wheel knob pointer in the up position, pump the lantern up to the highest pressure you are comfortable with, (above 2 bar, preferably 3). Get ready at hand, a piece of absorbent rag to soak up any leakages.
Turn the wheel knob so that the pointer is in the down position and release the fuel.(no needle in place now). This is to purge out any air in the vaporizer and some fuel together. When the fuel is already discharging in a steady stream, close the jet orifice with your finger to block the fuel flow. Keep holding back the fuel with your finger pressed on the jet orifice and wipe off any drippings on your hand and the vaporizer.
Wipe as dry as possible and observe for any fresh leaks around the whole assembly of the vaporizer.
Wait for a minute or two. If no leaks observed, you're fine and secure on that.
Depressurize and re-assemble everything...don't forget the needle.
Continue with the correction on the J-tube if that is overly deformed/bent.
**Just for info, a coarse-weaved, bulbous type Petromax style mantle would be better suited for this type of lantern. The elongated fine-weaved Coleman types would still work but slightly less ideal in this case.

 

I'm using petromax mantles.

I will try that with the jet to see if it's leak free. I had a few spare jets and found one that did not leak. To check the seal I pumped it up to 2 bar, opened the valve briefly, closed it and waited several minutes. I did not observe any fuel leaks.

 

Skip those fancy mantles: use the bulb style ones, like @MYN says! Especially with the wrong vaporiser.
The straight one is for gasoline not kerosene.

If your supplier states it (a new one) will fit you have some kind of warranty.

 

Still think you need to change jets and needle at the very least with one from a kero vaporizer. Gasoline oriface is way too big. Making the mixture rich and the brightness low.

 

What jet are you using now? Do you happen to know the diametre of its orifice/hole and that of the needle that originally came with it?

 

https://petromax.com/products/carburetor-gasket-hk350-hk500

Does anyone know if these kits come with all the internal la? It would be cheaper than britelyt, and I would have extra parts left over.

@MYN
Im not sure about the needle sizes. I can try to measure, but my calipers only go down do 1 thou.

 

I'm using a kerosene jet.

 

And the correct 500cp needle also? Failing to do so will irrecoverably ream out that kero jet to be the same oriface size as the gasoline jet.

 

The complete vaporizer/carburretor set from Petromax.com is under Pelam's registration. Although the parts are made in China, they should meet the relevant requirements by Pelam. They should be fine if you don't happen to receive a defective unit.

If you're using a digital vernier caliper, I think you should be able to select the units used...either in mm or decimal inches.
If you are more familiar or comfortable with the use of Imperial units, then the Petromax 500cp jet needle should measure around 0.009". That's around 0.23mm.
The jet orifice should have a nominal diameter of about 0.00945"(0.24mm). It is not possible to measure the orifice with the caliper but you can try sliding the correct-sized needle through the orifice. It should just fit through without noticeable clearances.
I Thou should be a thousandth of an inch.

 

@MYN
I measured two needles, one was .20mm, the other was .22mm. The original needle was .22mm.

I'm using a new jet.

 

I'm using the needle that came with the petromax, it's a little longer than the others, but it measures .22mm.

The new needle measures .20mm.

 

Is it bad to adjust the needle by using the threads on the needle to adjust the height?

 

Yes, you are to adjust by the threads on the eccentric

 

What might happen if I adjusted the height by the threads in the needle?

 

The needle will wobble since you don't have it fully threaded, it'll askew and possibly bend/break when you cycle the knob.

Also possible the needle will work itself higher, blocking flow, or too low where it can't pass through the jet if the oriface gets dirty.

To adjust the height of the needle, the tip cleaning rod is threaded into the eccentric, held in place by a tiny jam nut, you screw to extend or retract the rod to adjust the needle height, then tighten the jam nut to fix it in place. You want the needle to poke out the jet at .5mm

 

I see. I was thinking of being lazy. I will adjust it the proper way.

 

The mantle is beginning to shine brightly as the soot burns off.
Should I see flames around the mantle?

There's a very faint aura of flames around the mantle and orange flames rising from the top of the mantle into the hood. Is that normal to see on the petromax lanterns?

 

Not really, sounds like your jet is working loose or the oriface is worn and wallowed if you haven't replaced them yet. Your J-tube should sometimes have a screw above the air intake, you want the slot pointed vertical like a "|" and not "-"

Possible that the flames are from the soot burning off so continue to observe.

 

For adjusting the needle height, as Dashwood mentioned.
A loosened needle isn't something you'd want.
For the new 500cp jet, you should not be able to poke through the orifice with an exact 0.24mm needle - Too snug and would enlarge it further.

Ok, let's leave aside the jet for now.
To hasten the soot clear up, just use a propane torch at low output to burn it off. Gently.
I can't see clearly from the picture but there should not be flame halos outside the mantle.
Leave it burning for longer and see how bright it'd get once it gets hotter and the soot clears up.
If the yellowish/orange flame persists, it isn't good yet.

 

Needling the lantern causes it to be in flames again. I can't get it to calm back down.

 

Careful now, you still have the inefficient straight vaporizer. It's really easy to upset when running kero.

If you still have the brass mesh, id strongly recommend wrapping it tightly under the needle inside the generator. It'll slow the fuel somewhat and the mesh should help conduct heat into the fuel a bit.

 

If it isn't too apparent, leave it for a while. It takes a while to settle. You're operating at borderline conditions.

 

@Dashwood
The slot in my J tube was adjusted the wrong way. What does it control?

@MYN
At this point I don't know if the jet orifice has enlarged or not. I'll continue to try and adjust it until my new parts arrive. At the very least, I've learned a lot about the function of the lantern.

 

The flames were quite noticeable after needling.

 

The slot is the screw to adjust the mixing paddle, you typically adjust that "last" as the documentation indicates this controls the brightness, there is a "throttle" or butterfly that when rotated, can interrupt and disturb the flow of fuel and air, reducing brightness.

In most situations you want to leave it alone in vertical position for max performance and lower noise.

 

@Gilbert
Yes, you learn most at this stage.
What is the air gap distance of the lantern at this moment?

 

It should be burning long enough by now. If it isn't flaming outside much more than before, try increase the operating pressure and see how it behaves.

 

12.1mm it dropped down while I was using it. I adjusted it properly just before I lit the lantern.