Today I picked up this lantern for $10. It's a Coleman 220J from 1/78. It held pressure so I picked up some fuel and some mantles and now I've got the first pressure lantern in my collection. Man this puts out some heat! The bail has been bent on purpose at a 90° angle by the previous owner, but it's too short if you were to just hold the lantern still. It'll slow roast your hand. Considering if I should just attempt to unbend it or search out a new one. Lantern takes about a minute, maybe a little longer to stop the mantle from glowing once gas is shut off. Is this a normal length of time or is there a slight gas leak? It does stop on its own though, just seems to take a long minute. It's quieter than I expected. The pump seems to work only half the time, but efficiently enough to pump up the font with not much extra effort. I'm going to solve this with a schraeder valve for even better results.
Schraeder valve? I would not recommend it. Coleman lanterns are among the easiest to pump up and really there is no need for that valve. A pump on a Coleman should not be a problem. Take the pump out of the lantern and clean it. I would then put some oil on it and re-insert it and pump again. Make sure the pump leather isn't tore. Thinking about it you might have a neoprene pump instead of leather and if that's case you can replace the whole thing and it's not expensive. Old Coleman Parts might be a source to check or just try your Walmart they carry the pumps usually in the sporting goods department. Schraeder valves can a dangerous thing on some lanterns; too easy to over pump or a God send on others.
Perfectly normal. Even though you've turned the lantern off, there is enough residual heat to gassify some of the fuel that's left in the generator.
Talk about being off-base, I sure am!! Sorry, the schraeder valve is for controlling the brightness! It will go up and sometimes they are hard to shut off. It's the on/off control control valve. Sorry for the confusion... (damn, it's getting harder and harder to concentrate).
There is no brightness control on a 220 of any age. Look at some of the diagrams on the Old Coleman Parts website and understand how your lantern works. The fuel/air tube inside the fount provides the instant light feature. when you open the valve 1/4 turn it allows a mix of air and fuel into the generator. The generator, when hot, converts liquid fuel into a vapor. When the generator is hot (after about a minute or so) opening the valve all the way closes off air flow from the fount and delivers only liquid fuel to the base of the generator. The tip cleaner lever is the wire sticking out opposite the fuel valve. It operates a pricker needle inside the generator to clear any small obstructions in the jet. The position of the wire indicates needle position, up or down. It should be down to operate the lantern. Spinning it around a couple of times before lighting is always a good idea. As noted above a '78 model probably has a neoprene pump piston. You can buy a new pump rod (it comes as rod, spring, cap, piston and washers) at Old Coleman Parts (OCP) or at most Walmarts or sporting goods stores. You can also replace the neoprene part on your rod with a leather piston from OCP. If order from OCP you should also get a fuel cap gasket and replace yours. You can also buy a replacememt cap with new gasket the same places you buy the pump. The minute or more shut down is normal, the lantern will burn until all the fuel in the generator is exhausted. If your lantern is pulsing badly (some pulsing is normal for some 220s) it could be a generator issue. Check back for that. My normal lighting procedure for a 220 is to open then close fuel cap so I know what pressure is there (none) then pump 35 strokes. Open the valve 1/4 turn and listen for fuel to start trickling into the burner. You notice the difference in sound. Light and let it burn until the mantles are bright then open the valve all the way. You may need to add a few more pumps depending on the level of fuel. Good luck.
