Where can I get a working lantern?

Hello,
I was looking at getting a new Petromax lantern, but seems nobody has any. I wanted to get one that could use like the britelyt with stove and heater options. If I understand correctly, these accessories should be able to be used with older Petromax lanterns. Is that right? Problem is I can't seem to find a decent old lantern either. Where are they all hiding? Is there someplace to look other than Ebay? Oh, I found a Wentzel but I don't know if that's workable. Are there other brands that would work for the accessories? Also I'd like to be able to use kerosene or gasoline. Can you experienced folks point me in the right direction. Thanks.

 

Oh, I'd also like to know if it's better to get a plated lamp or if the brass holds up just as well without the plating. Thanks.

 

Welcome aboard. Thera was a Hipolito 502 sold on eBay yesterday for $70 plus shipping so it was a decent lantern for a decent price... keep your eyes peeled

 

I think I found a place and a decent price for a Butterfly lantern. I don't know that they burn gasoline properly or safely. I'll see if I can find that information somewhere here in past conversations.

 

Hi @Brian Ackerly , welcome!

All Petromax type lanterns (like Hipolito, Butterfly, BriteLyt, Anchor just to name a few) should only be used with kerosine, NEVER gasoline (I know, Britelyt claim theirs can be burn gasoline safely, but that's an optimistic view of them to put it politely).

Good luck hunting!

 

Welcome aboard!

Use paraffin/kerosene only in that type of lantern.

If you want a lantern which can burn Coleman fuel etc., then my advice is to obtain a Coleman lantern and the links below show relevant information.

Coleman | Classic Pressure Lamps & Heaters

https://www.oldcolemanparts.com

The Coleman Collectors Forum - CCF

 

As others have said, gasoline + Petromax style lantern is not a good combination. Coleman lanterns were designed to use Coleman fuel (a type of gasoline without the additives) and have safety features built it that Petromax lanterns don't. If a Petromax is filled with kerosene (it's correct fuel) and it leaks, it smells and it's a bit messy. If its filled with Coleman fuel or gasoline you'll have a very dangerous fireball on your hands which you won't be able to stop!

All pressure lanterns will provide heat and plenty of it, but the stove accessory might not be such a good plan. These lanterns are very tall and putting a pot on top makes them very susceptable to toppling over! Personally I'd investigate buying a P'max lantern and choose a small dedicated stove for cooking.

If you want to use gasoline as your fuel, why not get yourself a Coleman dual fuel lantern such as a Powerhouse 295 and pair it with a Coleman Sportster 533.

 

Bretelyt have tried to suggest their lanterns are safe running on gasoline... they are absolutely not! In the past, some of our members had conversations with the owner about the dangers of running their lanterns with volatile fuels but I'm not sure they took it on board. People have been seriously injured and even died from accidents caused by accidents with pressurised fuel devices!

 

Thanks guys. So sounds like I might need a few things then. A Powerhouse for outdoors, a kerosene for indoors, and a sportster for cooking. I'm new to the world of lanterns, only recently collected a Dietz cold blast and a hot blast. In the past I only ever had the propane lantern, and my ex got that in the divorce years ago. So, hand pump pressure lanterns are new for me. Thanks for teaching me.

 

So I've been hearing that Coleman lanterns still gum up with unleaded fuel. Is this a result of the ethanol? I have a small airport nearby where I can but ethanol free gasoline. Would this be better to use in the dual fuel?

 

Hi Brian. It's not the ethanol that gums up the generator, in fact you can run some lanterns on pure ethanol. It's all the detergents, lubricants and corrosion inhibitors they add to the gas. Not to mention some of them are toxic and if you run the lantern indoors you probably don't want to breathe the fumes in.

Aside from Coleman fuel, there are some alternatives such as Naptha-based panel wipe. But the ease by which kerosene can be obtained is why a lot of us prefer it as a fuel.

 

Hi James,
I think the fuel might be free of those other agents you mention as well because it's intended use is for airplanes and you can't have them falling out of the sky because of a clogged fuel line. But you bring up a good point so I'll double check if it's worth it. It's only about a dollar more than regular unleaded so would be an affordable substitute and worth the dollar per gallon. I'm from America and this is the only place I've heard of panel wipe in my 46 years on this planet.

 

@Brian Ackerly

If you are talking about fuel for jet (turbine) aircraft, it is Jet-A in the USA. Jet-A is pure kerosene.

If you’re talking about piston engine aircraft I can’t comment on US fuel for them. You’ll need to check the MSDS for the fuel you are going to use.

I would not use automobile gasoline, even in a Coleman so-called dual fuel lantern because the additives will eventually clog the generator. I would use only Coleman fuel or naphtha in Coleman gasoline lanterns.

Cheers

Tony

 

In this instance I was thinking about good ol gas used for small craft, so, piston engine. But now that you mention Jet A is kerosene, is it safe enough to use in a kerosene lantern?

 

I saw that Jet A has a flashpoint of 100°f, and that sounds too damn low so I guess shouldn't be used in a kerosene lantern for safety reasons.

 

Plenty of people using Jet A in kerosene lamps, lanterns and stoves. I want to try it myself but due to Covid our municipal airport is closed

 

Oh wow, really?! That's exciting news. It would certainly be a more affordable option for me. Do you know if it would be ok in tubular lanterns or too volatile for that use? Thanks.

 

Oh, now if I was out somewhere and had to use regular unleaded fuel, could I just add a splash of carb cleaner to the fuel to keep the carburetor from gumming up?

 

I think jet-A or avtur has a flash point of 100°f and kerosene from 100°f to 170°f. Jet-A does contain additives. Kerosene is a little less "regulated" due to it's intended use.

 

Are those additives in Jet A considered bad for the lamp, or bad for being around? I found the gas at the airport is 100LL, so contains lead, so that's a no go. I need to find somewhere I can buy a drum of kerosene at discount price.

 

If you go jet A try to not get the one with winter additives

 

@Brian Ackerly

Usually Jet-A is pure kerosene; Jet-A1 has the antifreeze additives. Jet A is not generally available outside of USA and Canada.

Here in Australia I use jet A1 in all my kerosene appliances and it works fine. Even commercial-across-the-counter kero in Australia comes originally from Jet A1 imports.

I would not use auto gasoline fuel mixed with carburettor cleaner (or acetone), except in emergencies. If I did use automobile gasoline because I had no other fuel available, I’d give the generator/burner a good flush afterwards with carburettor cleaner and run clean naphtha through it afterwards.

Cheers

Tony

 

Thanks Tony, so carburetor cleaner is for cleaning, not burning, got it. What about fuel injector cleaner? Ok, good to hear about Jet A, it's reportedly priced at under $5 a gallon, much cheaper than the $12.22 I paid for Klean Heat. Thanks.

 

@Brian Ackerly

I’m not the one to ask about fuel injection cleaner. Way beyond my skill set.

Cheers

Tony

 

It's kind of annoying that Coleman decided to call their 295 'Dual Fuel' and say it can be used with regular unleaded. I mean, it can but you'll end up replacing the generator at regular intervals depending how often you use it. In the UK I buy naptha based panel wipe (used by auto repair shops who wipe the metal body panels before spraying them) as it works extremely well and it's way cheaper than Coleman Fuel. I also buy Holts Brake Cleaner which is pretty much the same thing - an additive free, naptha based flammable liquid - and it's also good value. Whenever I see them cheap I buy a couple of 1 gallon cans for use in my "gasoline" lanterns.

If I could get Jet A or Jet A1 for use in my kero lanterns I'd use that. I use central heating kero as it's dirt cheap and works well although it can be a bit smelly... sometimes.

Don't forget, Coleman made some awesome kero lanterns which work very well, you just have to pre-heat them with denatured alcohol. If you see a second hand Coleman 639 or a 201 I'd opt for those as anything Coleman, 'just works' by and large and in the US you should easily find one at a reasonable price. There are plenty of other kero Colemans as well, as other members can advise you of.

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest an Anchor kero lantern. Yes they're Chinese and plenty of folks sneer at them but in my experience they work extremely well so long as you're happy tweaking them. They're usually pretty cheap as well, with plenty of spares available.

As for stoves, a Coleman 533 is easy to use and pretty much bullet proof in operation. I use one and have 2 spares as they're easy and cheap to find second hand. The same fuel considerations apply as they do with the Coleman Dual Fuel lanterns. Use panel wipe or brake cleaner or you'll keep replacing the generator! You'll most likely find lots of old 533s for sale because people use them with unleaded, block the generator and then sell them, but they're easy to fix.

Hope this helps.

 

Hi Colin,
Thanks for the info. I'm in the USA and I've only heard of panel wipe because of the UK folk on this site. I don't know that we have an equivalent. I wonder too if our brake cleaner is of the same composition. I haven't checked it's price yet. I was also looking at a Butterfly 828. I found a manual for an 832. On the first page of the manual it clearly states that it cannot be used with gasoline or alcohol. Kerosene is the preferred fuel but can use diesel oil though it will put off black smog. Now is diesel oil just diesel fuel? Does anyone see an issue with diesel? Clearly not for indoor use.

 

Hi Brian @Brian Ackerly , diesel oil is diesel fuel. It is sometimes funny, sometimes confusing how 2 countries speaking the same language really speak 2 different languages! In fact, during World War 2 a dictionary UK English - US English was published, as to many mistakes were made. Not good in warfare!
Now, the situation with diesel fuel is the same as (car)gasoline, to many dopes are added to make an engine run smoother etc., lubricants, anti oxidants, moisture neutralizers and so on. All these dopes help in clogging the generator, so only use engine fuel in an emergency, as little as possible, and clean fount and generator asap after use.

 

Thanks, Wim. Sounds like good advice. I do believe the manual more fully stated only use diesel under adverse conditions. I'm going to email the contact at the airport to see if I need anything more than an official kerosene can to get it with.

 

Indeed, and you are on the internet, so you have access to various Ebay's not everybody is aware of.
If you have decided you really want an older, genuine european made Petromax with or without the bells and whistles, you'd better check the european Ebay's like Ebay.de or Ebay.co.uk, even my local brand: Ebay.nl
Addressing sellers in English might be met with silence, then again you'd be surprised how positive some reactions can be: not all sellers are infected with xenophobia.

Welcome to this site; it appears you have arrived at the right one, and I wish you good luck in getting what pleases you. Mike

 

Get a Coleman 237 kerosene lantern (either US or Canadian production) and you can use kerosene or Coleman fuel. Even the collar explains that you'll need to preheat it for the Coleman fuel as it has a straight pickup but they work great. Lots of folks run different mixes of kerosene/naphtha if cost is a concern, as Coleman fuel is $21 per 4 litre can in my area.

Mike.