Bulk Purchase

Bought my first lot of Lanterns today - they threw in the bird shit for free.....

Lucky the Fettle Box is open again - I will be needing to make an order!!!



Now - where to begin.......

 

Welcome to the forum.

Now, that’s a good starting haul! An interesting collection.
I’m assuming you’ve been bitten by the lamp bug...

Stevie

 

Bitten by the Lamp and Stove Bug.....

To be honest - I'm not too sure what I've got there - I'm guessing a few Colemans, a couple of Tilleys - one covered in about 2 inches of bird shit, that one marked Veritas - never heard of them - but that's not saying much, I don't know much about Lamps. Maybe an Aladdin or 2 and that one with the Sticker saying it was made in Brisbane Australia - not sure what that is - Handy Works??- there may well be some more visible markings after I've cleaned it.

 

Looks like you also have an Austramax, two Aladdins and a Petromax-type.

Lots of great projects!

 

Excellent!!! Thanks for the IDs.

I'll check them out on CPLs Reference Section.

 

@Polybus

Well, that little lot should keep you busy for a while.

 

Ummmmmm....

@kero-scene - which one is the Austramax??

The Petromax?? Is that the Red one??

 

I doubt that is a Petromax. It is a Petromax type but more likley a Chinese made copy. You have a Veritas 350, Austramax 3-300 which has the make marked on the control wheel, Coleman 201 kerosene, Handi Kero-Pet, 2 Aladdin 1A or similar, and two Tilley X246s. You also have a hard to find Coleman globe sitting on one of the gas lamps. That is the inner globe for Coleman table lamps fitted with a parchment type shade. Not super rare but getting hard to find of late and wants carefully saving. That is a nice haul indeed and will keep you out of mischief for a while. ::Neil::

 

@Mackburner !!! Awesome - thanks for that - at least now I know what I've got.

I'll check out the red one to see if its an original Petromax or a chinese copy.

I don't know why, but I got the seller to throw in the Black Gas Lamp on the deal - I just liked the look of it. Obviously the globe doesn't belong in there, but it came with the lamp. I was really only after the pressure lamps but saw the black gas lamp and got it thrown in - the other gas lamp is beyond saving I think.

 

Just went out and had a look under torch-light (I haven't got any lamps working yet!!)

It's a CAT Brand!! and as mentioned - it seems its just a cheap Chinese copy of the Petromax - It looks kinda nice though - its got a fuel gauge that will no doubt give me nightmares trying to get working correctly.

But as a first lamp it might teach me a few lessons - and I won't feel too bad if I stuff it up.

 

Nice haul @Polybus
All of them should light up well if you fettle them enough.
Simply choose one and give it a go...all the way. Try not to start another until you're completely done with the one chosen or you are likely to end up with two or more half-dones. Just don't ask me why.

 

Welcome aboard and happy fettling!

 

@Polybus

Welcome over here to the dark side.

For those who don’t know, this bloke was struck down by stove pox over at CCS only a matter of days ago. His condition obviously deteriorated rapidly, and he’s now succumbed to the lamp variant.

Cheers

Tony

 

Some good stuff there - well done.

I'd fettle the two Tilleys first because they're generally simple and fool-proof so you'll learn a lot about lanterns in general. I'd probably leave the Veritas until last because these can be a bit of a challenge at times and results can be disappointing - they weren't always the best performers even when working as well as they can be made too.

The Handi is Australian and parts should be easy to obtain over there. That would be my favourite out of the bunch - mine's a little cracker of a lantern. Mind you, you wouldn't expect anything different because it was fettled by Handi-Albert (White) himself before he sent it over to me. Albert owns (or owned) the Handi Company although he must be clocking-on a bit by now...

 

I found Albert White's Handi Web Site - The Handi virtual museum - A part of Australian history - via this Forum - but the eMail address for Albert no longer works.

@David Shouksmith - I don't suppose you have an eMail for Albert you'd care to share - I'm trying to track down a source for Handi Parts here in Oz.

Thanks.

 

@Polybus

Albert isn’t very active on the lantern front these days. He still has his collection, but does not trade.

Your best source of Handi spares is a beaten up Handi, or another Aussie Member here. Mind you, you might not even need spares, except for the glass. Reproduction glass is available on the bay of evil.

Cheers

Tony

 

I'm absolutely hopeless with getting another object, be it a Lamp/Stove/Stationary Engine/British Seagull Outboard/whatever, for spares.

I will buy it for spares, and then the next thing I know is I'm trying to restore it as well....I don't like giving up on anything - got to get it working again!! And in some cases that's really stupid - but hey - that's me....

And it makes it a bugger to find parts!!

 

We’ll help you find parts...

Cheers

Tony

 

Welcome @Polybus. The Austramax is the 4th from the right in your very first picture on you original post.
It has a black vent and appears to be a model 3/300.
Happy fettling.
Cheers
Pete

 

I understand this dilemma. The worst bit is when you buy a second whatever for spares and it’s in better condition than your original (that you’ve already mentally decided to save). Easier now with lamps, was a bit of a bugger when it was old cars.....

 

Wow, I envy you.

 

Hi from Albury quite a haul !!!
L-R Handi, Coleman (check baseplate for date) ,Tilley (early 50s x2), Veritas, Austramax 3-300, Alladin x2, Cat

 

Has anyone got any comments on the Black/Square non-pressure lamp? I have zero idea what it is, how old it is, but I do like the look of it.

 

It looks like a good quality kerosene wick lamp. It should clean up nicely. Check tank for holes, trim the wick... away she goes.

The globe in there is superfluous but note Neil’s comment above.

Tony

 

@Polybus

I strongly agree with David that you should fettle the Tilley lanterns first - you can easily buy seal kits, you don’t need special tools, like nrv tools, its easy to get a suitable mantle, and you will get some quick rewards for your time. Definitely don’t start with the CAT.

I wish a someone had given me this type of advice when I started...

 

Well I will make the Tilleys my second restoration.

In my excitement (and before reading David's post) I started with the Coleman 201 - it looked quite new (turns out to be 1981) - and could perhaps be got going with not much more than a good clean. However, I will try and learn a few things along the way - there doesn't seem to be many seals in there, and the pump rubber cup is in good condition.

I will clean it up as well as I can - and then put it back together to see if it runs.

Obviously it will need a new mantle.

Anything else that you guys recommend as pretty much mandatory to replace for any restoration?

( I will make a new post in the Fettling Forum to show how it's progressing, and ask questions as above).

 

The red painted Cat Brand lantern is a Chinese clone of a Petromax. The red paint isn't original and can be stripped off to reveal the chrome underneath - or what's left of it as they are prone to rust. Looks like there are three, maybe four Coleman lanterns but one of two of them might be Chinese copies - it's difficult to tell. Nevertheless, you have a great haul to begin learning and working on. I'd start with the Tilley's first as they are easy to fix like David says, and the Colemans are usually an easy fix so long at the tanks arent corroded.

One thing to remember: be very very careful with the glass globes. Most of them seem to be original and some of them will likely be almost impossible to replace so when you clean them, use warm water and banish everyone from the area so you can concentrate. No dogs, cats, children or wives allowed!

All in all you've got yourself a great instant lantern collection but it'll increase in size - make no mistake!

 

@Polybus

The Coleman is quite a good choice to start with - keep going with it if you have started.

 

I have cleaned the Coleman 201 Glass Globe - and the one @Mackburner referred to above.

As you described, they were cleaned in warm soapy water, then air dried, then cleaned with metho/water mixture and hand dried.

They have both come up very well - there is something strangely satisfying about a nice gleaming glass globe

They are now resting safely stored in a box, wrapped in bubble wrap, tucked away in the corner of a spare bedroom.

I'm nervous about the Primus one - hence I haven't been game to touch it yet - its already cracked and I don't want to make it any worse....but despite the crack, its still in one piece.

I want to ask a question on fixing glass globes, but I'll do it over in the Fettling Forum.

 

The Coleman is part 355 and designed to use on table lamps under a parchment type shade. They are getting harder to find now and prices are rising. Fits like this on the lamps. ::Neil::