Coleman 128c table lamp

I acquired this a few years back from the lovely @Jean J but never got around to working on it. In fact, I've only just identified it as a 128c (thanks @AussiePete ).











Its marked 9 35 so I assume it was made in September 1935. It has one dent on the tank but it's not that bad and I have no intention of doing any work on the paint finish apart from a wash. If I'm honest I haven't done anything with it because I'm a little intimidated by it for a couple of reasons. Firstly it's much older than any other lantern I own and secondly it uses a separate pump that also came from @Jean J . However, I recently tested the pump on the tank - it works perfectly and the tank holds pressure! Great! However operating the control valve does not allow pressure to escape and the pricker lever goes round and round with absolutely no resistance. The pricker needle is intact but I think I'll need a new R55 generator. Unfortunately when I removed the genny no air came out either so I'll need to do some investigation!

It's a pretty lamp but any help or advice would be most welcome.

PS the odd contraption on top of the burner looks homemade but as it came in the same cardboard box I'll try to use it somehow.

 

Neat lamp @ColinG your lamp will have a strait pickup tube so you might try opening the valve and using compressed air to blow backwards into the fount, making sure the fuel cap is off when you do so. May have to remove the valve assembly to make it easier. How does the inside of the fount look? Maybe plugged up with old fuel? Happy fettling

 

@ColinG

Good advice from Toby.

If your pricker needle moves up and down and exits the jet (and retracts) as you rotate the lever, it should be fine. You may need to take the tip (nipple) off the generator and flush the generator with carburettor cleaner a few times.

These are a great little table lamp (see mine here). There aren’t many in the Reference Gallery so it would be good to see yours in detail there.

Cheers

Tony

 

Thanks for the advice, @Toby Garner I'll start with the blockage in the pick-up tube and sort that out first.

@Tony Press ... whilst the needle is intact, it doesn't move up and down when the pricker lever is rotated. I removed the jet to confirm this so I reckon the mechanism inside the generator must have broken. Is it even possible to get into the mechanism? It looks like a sealed unit to me but I could have a go at repairing it if there's any possibility of success. Failing that I'll have to buy a nos genny from Mike at OCP.

I'll keep working on it and report back with any news.

Thanks guys.

 

Regarding that r55 generator, check out king coleman's r55 rebuild video.

 

Happy fettling.

 

Is this on YouTube?

 

Hello Colin, the answer is yes.

 

News!

I found 2 blockages in the fuel path.

The generator was blocked solid with carbon so having watched King Coleman's video I followed his method and successfully cleaned it out. I even managed to line up the actuator hole with the eccentric rod when I put it back into the genny.

The control valve was also completely blocked with something like cotton or cloth strands - very odd - but after soaking it in citric acid I got rid of whatever it was and then tidied it up a little before polishing it.

The issue I now have is that the packing material in the generator's pricker mechanism is missing which allows the lever to spin round and round and also to pull out of the eccentric hole at the base of the rod! I'm not sure if I'll be able to re-pack it but I need to try.

Once again, any advice is always welcome!









I sanded the hex body of the control valve as it had been chewed up quite a bit.



I even cleaned and polished the handle retaining collar.

PS, the letter on the jet doesn't look like a V... it's more like a P or maybe a Q.

 

Stuff it with graphite tape? Personally I've done that on the other lanterns with seperate tip cleaners. Other thing could be stuff with hylomar b but I don't think it will take the heat. So graphite tape is probably the only option or new genny if all else fails.
Could the cloth strands been the asbestos packing?

 

I really don't know what the cloth like stuff was but it was thoroughly soaked before I messed with it so no fibres will have escaped. So, I think it's time for me to buy some graphite string!

 

First light!









There are a few problems I need to iron out, like new and better mantles and how to start them correctly.

Are they generally used with a pre-heater cup even though they run on Coleman fuel?

Anyway, I'm now on the look out for a nice shade.

 

Congrats to this nice lamp

 

Congratulations Colin, it's working nicely

 

@ColinG

The Coleman 128C is a gasoline “match lighting” lamp, but I always light mine with a torch made from twisted brass wire and carbon felt captured at the end and dipped in metho. You get much more controlled lighting that way as you can heat the generator, and control the lighting better. Some people (and as suggested elsewhere today by Neil McRae) use a pre-heater cup on these kinds of gasoline lamps to avoid the flaring and fluttering.

My method of lighting is to quickly open the valve and close it, heat the generator with the torch, then open the valve with the torch under the mantle(s). When the mantles glow properly, fully open the valve.

I use Peerless 2C-HG mantles on these kinds of lamps.


Tony

 

She looks to be running well and she looks good as well.
I have a 128C table lamp to fettle with what appears to be an original Coleman glass globe. So if you can’t find a suitable shade a reproduction, or original, glass globe works well.
Enjoy
Pete

 

* Update 2 *

Having lit it a couple of times and suffered the rather "energetic" startup I decided to make a pre-heater cup. I figured some of you might appreciate seeing how I did it.

My materials were...

A standard 22mm copper end cap


A bullet casing


Here are the numbers... I'm guessing you guys in the US will know what they mean. I got a load of them from the Glenfinnan Estate manager.



And one of these... boy are they handy!


After a spot of silver soldering (silbrazing?) I cleaned it up and tested it out.



Bullet casings are an excellent source of cheap brass tube plus I can get as many as I need!

I can now start up the 128c without any drama and I believe I can run it on kero unaltered.

 

Using the casing as the tube is very smart, easy to get and cut to fit.

 

Great stuff Colin, that lamp obviously went to the right person.

 

Thanks Jean. It took me a long time to summon up the courage to tackle it but I'm so glad I did. Now, if you happened to have a shade that could be made to fit I'd be interested.

I was struggling to find some brass tube with a thin wall thickness when Alastair (the estate manager) offered me a bag of spent rounds from a day on the hills. It suddenly clicked, "brass tube!"

 

@ColinG

This style lamp takes an inner glass globe and an outer parchment shade; I usually get my shades at antique stores; not original but they do throw a good light.

I’ll get pictures of the assembly this evening.

John

 

I have a couple of glass Coleman shades but I don’t know that they’re suitable for that lamp @Colin. I’m always looking out for parchment shades but have had no luck so far.

 

hi @ColinG
' Very good . 'I enjoyed it .
' Great thought The shell casing To strengthen the generator heat

 

A well fettled meths cup.

 

Clever preheat cup.
Well done.

 

Top job @ColinG
Cheers
Pete

 

These are my lamp and stove lighting torches. Soak in metho, light, preheat the generator, and Robert’s your father’s brother:



Tony

 

Thanks guys.

 

Update 3*

To get it running I bought a new R55 generator although I always intended to fix the original genny with the square jamb nut as it was most likely original or at least contemporary with the lantern.

Over the last few days I fitted some new graphite packing until I felt resistance when turning the pricker control.





The graphite packing is wierd stuff and a bu55er to work with but after stuffing it twice and compressing it into place, I reassembled the control rod, making sure the eccentric mated correctly with the hole in the end tube and put the referbished generator back to see how it functioned. Unfortunately I didn't photograph the entire procedure as it needed at least 3 hands to achieve but here is the end result.











I'm pleasantly surprised with the results. There are no leaks and it runs quite well although it's not quite as bright as it was with the new generator but there might still be some carbon deposits lurking inside as using the pricker makes it glow brighter.

 

Quick addendum... I fitted the home-made globe holder just to see what it was like in operation and added an Aladdin wickie shade.







It's not perfect but it looks pretty good until I can get a more appropriate shade. Sorry Aladdin, your loss is the Coleman's gain!