Hi All Not so long ago I purchased , from an Aussie collector, this near mint Veritas Superb. Today, after being inspired by my mates @Norman and @ColinG I checked her over with a plan to lighting her. It is in exceptional condition and it only needed the NRV pip and the generator’s washer seal to be replaced and the leather pump washer lubricated with neats foot oil. I used a Peerless model 111 mantle because it’s bigger and longer providing adequate heat to the generator. I used only kerosene as the fuel. The fount was pressurised with about 20 pumps of air, the preheater was charged with methylated spirits and lit. Just before the last of the methylated spirits burnt off I opened the fuel control cock ......... and she elegantly and without any fuss ...... lit. I then put another 50 or so pumps worth of air into her. The Money Shot Summary This lamp is an excellent example of the Veritas Superb. Further when lighting it, it behaved impeccably and was very easy to light. I’m aware that these lanterns have a negative reputation, however this lantern certainly doesn’t follow the reported errant ways. Note: This is the second Veritas Superb that I have that has no issues with lighting and running. This lantern needed little or no fettling other than the usual maintenance seal replacement. It’s a joy to light and I spent a wonderful hour, with a cold beer or two, watching it light my workshop, how good is that ............. Thanks for looking Pete
Jammy bugger! I've half a dozen (so-called) Superbs - one of them used to work until the mantle broke but now it's as crap as the other five. Bah! Anyway, enough of me - well done getting yours running so reliably...
Hi Pete, Well done getting this old girl up and running. The nickel plating really makes her shine. Cheers, Norman
David... I'm both intrigued and confused by Veritas Superb lanterns - quite a few owners say they are unreliable rubbish while others (like myself) have had positive experiences. It would be interesting to examine one of yours so I could compare it with mine and possibly see why this is the case. The obvious answer would be poor quality control but it would be nice to get to the bottom of it.
Hi Pete, that lamp looks, well, superb!! I personally would not mind a whole brass one in the collection one day. I have a thing for brass, although chrome looks good too on that model. Thanks for sharing. Is there any chance you can post a short videoclip if the lamp preheating and lighting up?
I'm not familiar with this lantern at all, but the operating concept doesn't appear to be any different than other pressure lanterns. What makes this one different? Am I missing something?
The Veritas Superb works in a very similar way to many Coleman brand lanterns so if you've used one of those, the Superb is easy to understand and use. Compared to a Tilley or Bialaddin however, they are quite different and both the Superb and Tilleys/Bialaddins are themselves quite different to Petromax lamps and clones. That's not to say they are all completely different - they all use Paraffin/kerosene which is vapourised in a generator/vaporiser and the gasses burnt in the mantle.
Would it be possible to take a good quality image of the logo? I intend to have a new waterslide logo made but I need a photo for the guy who makes them - artypharty on eBay.
@ColinG I’ll get on to it today, I’ll have a picture of the logo by this evening Aussie time. Cheers Pete
@ColinG Here are the pictures of the Veritas Superb logo. 2 photos to enable your artist to see the detail and the subtle difference light has on the subject. The width of the logo is 93mm and the height is 58mm. View attachment 71377 Hope this helps. Cheers Pete
