I wonder what the general opinion is about these? I can't remember seeing another thread about it but those with better memories than mine might put me right. Coleman vapourisers are mainly brass, while Tilley and others are steel, often with brass fittings at the base. That makes electrolytic corrosion effects more likely and more often than not, they are rusty. My Tilley lamps have to over-winter in a shed / greenhouse. Those which are put away with new vapourisers in the autumn come out with a surface rust layer in the spring. Already rusty ones come back out more so. I am wondering how to stop it or at least slow it down. Phosphoric acid rust converter has been mentioned for steel tanks etc and it is used widely on cars. Any reason not to apply it to a vapouriser? It converts an Iron Oxide layer to Iron Phosphate which acts as a sealing layer to prevent further rusting. That is all well and good at normal temperatures. A rusty vapouriser generally converts any surface rust under the burner when it is lit and run. The hot end turns grey while the colder bottom end remains brown. If it were all phosphate treated what then? Is there anything nasty that would happen with the brass parts? Would the heat burn the phosphate layer off?
I think you would want to keep the phosphoric acid off the brass, but other than that I can't think of any harm that would be caused. I think you're correct that the heat would burn off the phosphate layer, however. I'm curious about your shed/greenhouse. Does it get very humid in there? When the relative humidity gets above 50%, things tend to corrode. Anything you can do to keep them dry would help. Consider placing each of them in a plastic bag with a pure camphor tablet. This is an old machinist's trick to protect tools. (Don't let the items actually touch the camphor.)
I give steel vapourisers a wipe over with an oily cloth before they are stored away or a light coating of grease and then wrapping them in grease proof paper also works.
Hi Jon The kurust has to be sealed over for it to work properly.. it usually relies on being painted over.. primer/undercoat//topcoat It’s water based so will start to rust again if applied then left untreated I would go with grease and waxed paper Cheaper than kurust too ps just remembered there is that brown paper that bearings and army surplus used to be wrapped in .. oil impregnated pps the camphor tablet may be worth a go as well as the grease n paper?
Thanks for the thoughts. It's less about storing the vapourisers as components but more about them when fitted to lamps which are in storage. Lightly oiling or greasing them for winter would be feasible I suppose. I think I will try the phosphate layer since it can't do much harm. I agree keep it away from the brass. Lets see if it does burn off or not at running temperatures.
@Tyler Lezotte That is a great idea! I’m sure my Uncle did this? There is also a lot of info out there to support its use...Camphor.. brilliant! Thanks I will be using it in my toolboxes this winter.. if my back ever lets up, that is :/
I painted the burner of a Coleman power house a few months ago with hamerite kurust as rustit was starting to rust purely to see if it could be done . When I lit it a couple of days later the smell was unbearable and a plume of black smoke was coming from it, it was promptly taken from the shed and out in the garden to burn off ,it was similar to burning plastic very nasty . For storing the vapourisers I might suggest some engineers brown paper and a little oil .
Rangoon oil was developed for long term firearm storage in humid atmospheres. It is a thick oil but removable with a white spirit soaked rag. I think it is still available from Westley Richards gunmakers.
