Hi All I have found an Optimus 930 that I will be fixing up over the coming weeks. I have restored quite a few lanterns in my time, but I have never done one that looks quite like this on the tank and hood. Any tips on cleaning based on the picture? Citric acid perhaps? Thanks in advance? Br Casper
A hot citric acid bath will work wonders on that lantern. But don't leave it to soak too long. 4 to 5 minutes then take it out and wipe it down. Repeat as necessary.
Ok. Very good I will go with citric acid. How much citric acid do you normally use for 1 liter (or gallon :-)) of water?
I’ve just finished cleaning a very rare old table lamp that looked about as clean as yours, @Casper Falden. I got excellent results using a recipe by George (“Kerophile”) at Classis Camp Stoves. The advantage of George’s formulation is that you can work the paste with a toothbrush to assist in cleaning. George’s Stove Restorer: “Make up a pint-or-so of cellulose wallpaper adhesive. Add a couple of teaspoonsful of anhydrous citric acid crystals and stir. The mixture needs to be thick enough to adhere to vertical and horizontal surfaces, but thin enough for the citric acid solution to do its job. The mixture should be painted onto the … item and periodically agitated with a toothbrush or similar. Once the object is clear of tarnish, rinse and dry”. Cheers Tony
@Casper Falden I usually use 1 heaped tablespoon to 1.7 liter (that's the size of my kettle) of boiling water. I just start with the boiled water and it stays hot enough for the 10 to 15 minutes needed for the soak. With something that corroded I would wash off with dishwashing liquid and 0000 steel wool.
The preheater cup for this lantern is not the correct one. Based on what I have been able to find it seems to be the 1st or 2nd version of the 930 350cp?? I assume it will not be easy to find the correct preheater cup for this? You can see the top here if it helps to identify the model:
Yes, this is the first variation of the 930 350CP and the spirit cup is correct for this variation. As has been mentioned in another thread, the pump is not the right one but will work.
