A few days ago I picked up a Coleman model R and a Thomas Kerosafe (I think that's the model) lamp. I have collected Coleman lanterns for less than a year and have experience fettling 220s,200as, 237s, etc but lamps are pretty new. The problem I have with this Thomas lamp is that it leaks out of the top where the rod comes out of the fount. It looks like the lamp was bent to one side and straightened at some point which has made some small gaps around the bung. It could also be the solder around the bung but I might as well take care of both at the same time. Does anyone have advice for soldering things like this? I have not seen much info on it or much for people doing it, but have mostly seen ancient bad repairs. I have experience soldering electronics (tube audio and solid state audio), stained glass, some jewelry, and a little tiny bit of copper pipe. I have various plumbing and electronics flux, solder for all things mentioned above, a torch (larger), Weller soldering gun (smaller model), a stained glass soldering iron which is unmarked and wattage unknown, and time. If I feel comfortable giving this a wack, it'll be practice for my Coleman model R if I really have to go that route.
@Parkguy You said “… it leaks out of the top where the rod comes out of the fount.” If you mean the place where the arrow is pointing (below), it can be soldered using soft solder (plumbers solder, electrical solder). 1. Cleanliness is very important. Thoroughly clean the area to be soldered and get rid of any oxidation (I use dilute sulphuric acid to get rid of oxidation, then polish with steel wool). 2. Mark the area where you don’t want the solder to flow with a broad felt pen or toothpaste. The solder won’t stick there. 3. Use heat direct to the places you want the solder to flow — in your case at the joint and cracks. 4. Use plent of flux. The solder will flow more freely and quickly with the flux. Try to do it all in one go, then test for leaks. 5. Use wet rags to protect soldered components nearby. Tony
I wish I had seen this earlier. I treated this lamp like I would a copper pipe, and it turned out fine so far. The main thing was I got flux and solder past where it needed to be, and I had to sand a lot of it away since a fine film of solder didn't want to leave. Since this lamp has a handle I had to use minimal solder so I could slip the handle back on. Tomorrow it will be taken to someone who collects lamps, and he'll give it a try. I'll update again to let everyone know how it goes.
