Hi Guys, you may have seen the job lot of lanterns I bought the other day in another post. I have started my first restoration, a 1981 Coleman 201 - that looks to be in pretty good condition, maybe even start as it is and which may not be much more than a good clean, but perhaps you guys can point me in the right direction. It will need a new mantle, obviously. Anything else you would suggest is mandatory for any restoration? There don't seem to be many seals in this thing - the pump rubber cup seems to be in good condition. Here are some photos - lots of photos.
I have see plenty in worse condition and the generator looks pretty clean inside which may indicate it was never used much from new. Clean it and check there are no leaks and I bet that will fire up just fine. ::Neil::
@Polybus Looks to be a beauty, even the decal is in pretty good nick. February 1981 and going strong. Well bought. If you need any Coleman parts, bits and pieces including mantels I have found that Old Coleman Parts are very good and efficient. They have a good range of stuff. Here is the link: OldColemanParts.com This is going to be a good fettling project for you. At the completion you will have a good looking lamp that is reliable and a great goer. Enjoy, don’t forget to post the “money shot” (first light pictures) Cheers Pete
@Polybus It should clean up nicely. In the bottom of the pump is a one way valve. It's a ball bearing type and you should be able to hear it moving when you shake the font. If it doesn't move soak it in lacquer thinners to disolve the varnish left by old fuel. Thinners can be used in the font to clean it but don't use metho as I have heard it breaks down the tank sealer used by Coleman.
@ROBBO55 Thanks for the tip about metho, I hadn't heard that one but I will certainly keep it mind. Cheers Pete
Well - I got it all cleaned up and put back together. Followed the Lighting Instructions closely. It pressurised well. Turned it on - made all the right noises. Put a new mantle on it. Preheated well - filled the cup and waited till it was just about run out. Turned it on. Sort of worked - but the mantle was just engulfed in a big yellow flame rather than burning bright white. I let it run for about 2 minutes, but it never improved. I have read this is due to the generator not being hot enough....maybe I will leave it running a bit longer. Hmmmmm- research required.
I recently acquired a 201 but missing its globe and I’m hoping to find a globe like the one on your lamp. Looking forward to seeing pics of your lamp all cleaned up and working.
@Polybus Sounds like the preheater, however it sounds like you did that OK. Did you use methylated spirits for preheating? (Just checking) Inside the generator there should be a brass or aluminium spring. It’s there to hold or retain heat. Without it the kerosene won’t vapourise properly. If it’s missing you could wind a new one from some thin brass rod. The next thing to check is the size of the hole in the generator tip. This tip is screwed into the end of the generator. Check that it’s screwed in firmly, don’t over tighten it though, the thread is easily damaged. The 201 kerosene generator tip hole should be 0.006” and stamped TD. It’s smaller that the 200-A generators that are used with Coleman Fuel or Shellite, these tips are 0.007”, (apparently kero has more energy). A new generator for the 201 kerosene is part number 201-5891 and can be sourced from Old Coleman Parts. Hope this helps Cheers Pete
Cheers @AussiePete Spring is in place. I will pull it apart again and make sure the tip is screwed in firmly - because I did take it out to clean things. And while it's out I'll check the size of the hole. Will have to wait till tomorrow though.
@Polybus It's cold at the moment so try priming twice to make sure the generator is good and hot. Also a soft start might be required. No pressure in the font. Prime with metho Near the end of the second priming open the valve and start to pump until the mantle lights. Then slowly pump until operating pressure is achieved. Good luck getting it running.
Coleman thin wall brass kero generators don't need a great deal of pre heat. Half the meth cup is normally plenty and they can be started at working pressure with a full cup. It is certainly over fueling but I doubt it is a preheat problem. Put a little copper slip on the gas tip threads and check the air tubes are clear. These are truly great little lanterns and pretty well made so they survive and work well even when older. ::Neil::
Hi @Polybus If there's such a thing as mandatory in a newbie restoration project, perhaps ruining it would be one . The jet could be still loose(hope the threads are not worn or partially stripped) and thus not sealing properly at the threads. The orifice could partially clogged or enlarged. If its partially clogged, you'd be getting a skewed or feeble stream of fuel, which is insufficient to create a strong air-draw from the air inlet. Check the air tubes and burner again. Sometimes its not easy to clean them out thoroughly enough. Best of luck.
Thanks guys: So as a Summary: Problem: Mantle not glowing, but engulfed in yellow flame. Cause: Over Fuelling, ie: Rich Fuel/Air Mixture Possible Causes to Check: Not sufficient pre-heating (Consider Priming twice with Soft Start) @AussiePete & @ROBBO55 Missing Generator Internal Spring @AussiePete Generator Tip - Correct Sized Hole, Clean, and Screwed in Firmly (Not too tight) @AussiePete Check to ensure all air tubes are clear - blockages cause rich burning @Graham P & @Mackburner @MYN Over-Filling the Tank - Ref: Coleman Website - Causes of a yellow flame Now I know what to do - best get on and do it....... Thanks for the input.
Good news!! I ran through the list above, and success!!! To be honest, I'm not entirely sure which one fixed it, but something did. The tip seamed clean and screwed in firmly - I preheated the same as last night (but it is now day time and much warmer) - I blew through the air tubes, but nothing of note seemed to come out - same amount of fuel as last night - in short, I didn't identify the problem, but now it seems to be gone. Happy camper!!! Quick question - Are you supposed to depressurise the tank after use?
Beautiful lantern, well done! I'll add one more possible failure mode for future readers of this thread. The first generator I purchased for kero converting my 200 had the jet crack and let out far more fuel than it should have, yielding the same symptoms you describe. I found this by pulling the frame, burner, and air tube off and running kero through the still-mounted generator, and watching fuel come from places it shouldn't.
Before and After I'd like to have a go at fixing up the silver cage - has anyone here had a go at DIY Nickel Plating?? Does it tolerate the heat generated by these lamps? Any suggestions about what to do about improving the bumps/pitting at the top of the tank? The only think I could think of was strip it completely and repaint - but I'd like the groups thoughts before I go that route. And I've just noticed I actually made the Coleman sticker worse than when I started - oh well - a bit of glue should fix it. Cheer.
Well done, great to see you got it running. Think about all the experience you got from this one lamp fettling, it’s a great learning curve. Cheers Pete
The globe cage on these is plated steel so the magic trick is to scrub with some aluminium foil dipped in water. Sounds mad but it works. ::Neil::
Scrubbed with Aluminium Foil dipped in water?? Never heard of that before. What's it supposed to do? I'll give it a shot and see how I go. Cheers.
Congratulations @Polybus Whatever it was, it certainly worked. The aluminum foil in water, in my opinion, is a very fine abrasive aluminium oxide coating that forms on the foil. Its fine enough not to cause visible scratches.
I've been watching Find it Fix it Flog it and one of the guys uses this regularly on things like Chrome bycycle and motorbike shiny bits and it seems to work. No idea why but some combination of the foil and water seems to scrub off rust and deposit ally and you end up with shiny stuff again. I tried it last night on the handle of an Austramax and it works. ::Neil:
Any plans for another appearance on the show? Would like to see some more lamps repaired than some of the rubbish they mess around with.
Re Coleman 201 other options for rust are vinegar soaking, or electrolysis with washing soda, or rust neutraliser "Feropro" or similar (phosphoric acid) all may may lift plating or enamel on hood (where rust is under) and then paint to seal. Working on scan of instructions
I actually soaked the cage in Evaporust, so a lot of the rust came off - but of course I'm still left with some places with nice shiny plating, and other places with the darker (but not rusty) metal. This was the very reason for my question about anyone here on the forum ever trying DIY Nickel Plating. DIY Nivckel Plating doesn't appear that hard - check out the multitude of YouTube Videos on it. Has anyone here ever tried it? Here is a decent place to start:
