This was "rescued" from my Grandpa's basement. He bought this with a couple Coleman L327s from an auction just on a whim. I actually didn't know he had them until I happened to mention to him that I had bought a Dietz lantern. He recalled using lanterns of all kinds to milk cows when he was a boy. This one has the June 3, 1924 patent date on the generator cone. There's one nasty hole in the mica, but I can live with that for now. Before: After: Don't tell anyone that I gutted the generator and it works fine without any packing!
That cleaned up well and appears to be working beautifully. You can probably get a replacement mica shade; if you so desire.
Thanks John! I'm sure Fred could make a mica shade. If I were to do one of these again, I would try removing the rust with molasses instead. I used vinegar on this one, but I was constantly worried about damaging the infamous Nulite nickel plating. It is not nearly as good as Coleman's plating.
That’s a very nice lantern and well done on her resurrection, you’ve done a grand job. Fred makes an awesome mica chimney and you may want to consider one. Enjoy Pete
It's cleaned up nicely, congratulations Without packing in the generator and no cleaning needle, you may have trouble with the jet blocking.
Thanks everyone! I couldn't have done it without the knowledge of the fine posters here. Yes, I suspect the jet will get blocked within a relatively short time, but I won't mess with it until that happens. The nice thing about these is the generator is so easy to service.
You can try some rolled bronze wool in the generator. It will serve the function of the generator packing. I've used it on over 100 Coleman generators, replacing the packing/fiber tube. Also, Rob Butts does excellent mica chimney reproductions. He has stepped up to fill the gap as Fred isn't producing as much... and I understand with Fred's blessing. I've already picked up a Rob Butts chimney for a 243A, and will soon order one for my QL327, an my Nulite 2M if I ever get it running.
@Lynn thanks for the suggestion. I have heard nothing but good things about Rob's chimneys. I have two 327s, a slant 220, and an AGM 57 that also will need mica eventually. Truth be told, I kind of want to try making my own at least once. I must be crazy!
