Having a sort out today, and found this 'Dietz Junior' I forgot I had. Remembered it from my scouting days back in the 70's! I put a bit of paraffin in the very clean tank and soaked the wick for a while and it lit ok. Pretty pleased it wasn't thrown out......
@John I go camping whenever I can, love the outdoors, and I'd rather use these lamps rather than LED lanterns. Glad I found this, as I'll be using it this year.
Pretty handy to mark your position. ;-)) Or light your way, when try to fill the pre heat cup with meths for the pressure lanterns to shed light for reading or working. Kidding. Wick lanterns give nice ambient light outdoors, enjoying long evenings.
I only posted this as it's not your run of the mill cheap ebay job. Apparantly Dietz are quite collectable!
Hi @Johnny19 , some of the old DIETZ lanterns are indeed collectable! It all depends on when/where they are/were made and the numbers made of them (some run into the millions...). The USA made ones (New York, Syracuse) are mostly getting good prices. In the late 1950s production was moved to Hong Kong, and later to mainland China. Some of the modern Chinese ones are of very reasonable quality, others are less but still better than the really cheapo ones you'll find on the shelves today. I have 3 modern ones and fairly happy with them, and one leaking USA one plus one (non leaking) to restore (and a couple Feuerhands, a Chalwyn and so on). Quite a few members here have wickies, I like to use them for Living History as no pressure lanterns were used in WW1, and for camping.
@Wim Yes, mine is a Dietz #20 but I don't know the year. My wife likes these wickies and has a newish Feuerhand with a posh case! We only have the two between us though, but they will get used alongside my pressure lamps when camping. (Not all of them!).
Yes, older Dietz lanterns are quite expensive as well as collectible! Dietz stopped making lanterns here in the US in 1956, after that they were made overseas. Still, even those made overseas are very nice. They give off a sort of “romantic” light, relaxing. I have over a hundred of them!
@george I can't find a date on the lamp I have, but no matter! I would like to get my hands on a #80 type though, the shape of the globe looks great.
You’re lantern was probably made overseas and not in the US; therefore, you probably won’t find a date.
Bit of a thread revival. Probably others know of the lanternnet.com site in the US for information about Dietz, both the company and their lamps. I have a Dietz Little Star, evidently made in New York. As the accompanying picture shows in comparison with my Lanora lamp, it's quite a diminutive lamp (as the name suggests) and I don't know what it was designed to do. It would not be sufficient for anything other than a small room.
@Icky I'm no help with what the little stars use was, just thought I'd show my example. I'm thinking Dietz made one smaller version as well. Maybe lighting up the outhouse?
Hey Toby, you could be correct. I have a feeling mine may have been used by a great uncle who toured around the countryside a bit towing a fairly small caravan behind a fairly large Buick, which was probably a bit unusual for Australia in the late 1940s and 1950s. He was a returned serviceman from WWII. Interesting that yours (which looks in much better nick than mine) is a metallic silver colour. Mine is as well, but I wasn't sure if it was that way ex-factory, or someone had painted it later. Interesting storage facility you have in the background of your photo.
Icky that wouldn't been a fun time traveling around Australia post war in an old Buick I'm certain. These early Dietz originally had a thin tin coating which is nearly always gone. If you'll notice my center tube just above the globe still has a tiny bit left on it. The one above was spray painted red when I bought it, then I stripped the paint and rust that was underneath and just keep it oiled every once in awhile now. I'm more into the GPA's than the wickies, but when I see a different one for cheap I'll pick it up. Yes there is Coleman lamps/lanterns strewn everywhere
To the best of my knowledge the Little Start lantern was made here in the US. They never made the overseas. They’re nice and usually are cheap. Enjoy!
I have a Dietz Junior amongst some other lanterns. Quite often take a wicker out camping along with a pressure lantern as they are so easy to light up.
I have Chalwyn Far East, couple of Feuerhand Babies, a Dietz Monarch which is a hot blast and a Dietz Little Wizard #1. the #1 has a largish fount and enough reserve to burn continuously for 24 hours or more. all get used on camping trips when I'm out prospecting, (not all at once). I like to keep one hanging off a tree near my camping site to mark my spot so I can see where I'm camped when walking back to my tent at night. my son starts work very early in the morning and in the winter months (as is now down under). we have the #1 burning all night under the back veranda so he can see his way to his car in the dark. we recently bought a heap of spare wicks from Miles Stairs in the US. a good vendor
Nice, bonza. Sounds like yours get regular use. As a matter of interest, do you find kero gives the best light throw, or do you use a lamp oil? Or a combination?
I have never used Lamp Oil, always kero. however, of late I have been using a 50/50 mix of kero and diesel and it seems to work just as well in wick lamps. good to know as nowadays I don't know of any service stations that sell kero at the bowser. have to resort to 20 litre containers from Bunnings and the like at $80 a pop. just this morning I trimmed the wick in the Dietz #1 and gave it a good clean as well as a top up. and as I'm going prospecting this weekend have filled the Feuerhand and Austramax for two nights camping in the bush and of course a small container of kero for topping up, plus some Shellite for the Coleman stove I will be using. for any ones info, I recently tried diesel in a pressure lamp as an experiment. it does work but not as good as kero and I would only recommend it in an emergency.
