Hi all, Continuing on the fettling forum from my original thread here: My first pressure lamp! Hipolito H-502 Thought it would be more appropriate to post here. So my vapouriser is bent and looks slightly twisted. If I reassemble the lamp, then the nozzle points towards the mixing tube at a slight angle. Do you think this will cause any problems? If you look at the top of the image the nozzle is at an angle. I'm expecting the vapouriser to straighten itself during use and thus don't foresee any problems, but just wanted to make sure.
Hi - I have straightened these out before - there is a risk of damage but I have done a few now with no mishaps. The trick is to unbend it very gently and exactly opposite to the way it is bent, and in the same place. That sounds sensible but it is easy to bend it in the wrong place and make things worse. I just did it by hand. I did not use tools as I didn't want to squeeze it too hard as it is hollow. Others may have a different method.
I've often come across bent vaporisers just like that and I simply bend them straight again. So long as you're not heavy handed it'll be fine. To be honest, I can't see how they would straighten themselves on their own.
My theory behind straightening was: If at first it was bent because the nozzle was pressing against the hood (due to incorrect assembly) and the heat made bending easier... then applying pressure the opposite way (by this time assembling the lantern correctly and causing the nozzle to be pushed the other way), then it should straighten due to being pressed the other way. But, bending does seem like the easier option haha. So have tried that. It is definitely not 100% straight, but close enough for me! Thanks
Ham I've had over a dozen P'Max and clones over the years , my observations. Those most mechanically inclined have a leg up in successfully operating them. I'm not and really struggled maintaining them and just gave up. They are some of the most complicated lanterns to use and maintain over time and need pretty constant fine tuning, too much tuning for efficient use for just light. Unlike Coleman or Tilley they are not just light and go. Some of the brightest lanterns around, those loving light power will love them, they are also beautiful lanterns. I was camping at a campground near San Francisco. I had a NOS Picostar and lit it at our camp ground at dusk under some trees on that fall day and the beauty of that lantern and the beauty of the light it made astonished me. One of my most memorable experiences with camping and lanterns and a reason why I'll always use vintage lanterns camping.
An interesting observation. I have found (once I understood them and got them working well) that they are quite reliable and do not need lots of maintenance. But the ones that come my way are often very neglected and I have to wonder sometimes what actually happened to them. my only self-inflicted damage was putting one down too hard (I misjudged the height of a garden wall in the shadow of my own lamp) whch resulted in the ceramic nozzle breaking off. I had assumed it was weakened by being overtightened in the past. I also agree that Tilleys and Vapaluxes are reasonably robust - as long as the vapouriser is in good condition. They are becoming harder to find though. I have found newer Coleman lanterns a bit shoddy but the 70s and 80s ones are more robust. I am not lucky enough to have older Coleman lanterns to judge.
What Hanzo mentions does indeed seem to be the case from what I gather. But any complex item will need maintenance. Worth it for the light output IMO - I do also love the design so happy to put in the work. Fireexit1, my lantern seems to have had some use to be fair. The internals were covered in black soot but still the original glass and ceramic nozzle. Looks like someone before me may have ran it extensively with poor quality fuel or poor calibration leading to a sooty burn. Hopefully the full overhaul and air gap adjustment sorts it out. Good news is the exterior was quite nice and fairly shiny even pre-polishing; so some care was exercised. Came in the original box too.
