OK, I know this in danger of being 'dumb ass question of the year', but here goes - what fabric are mantles actually made of? The reason for my question: Tonight I wanted to do a post-fettle test on my Bialaddin M305 but didn't have any of the tube type mantles. I've got plenty of Coleman 1111 sock mantles so I cut a hole in the bottom of one and wired it onto the bottom of the mantle support. Tied the top in the normal manner. Worked fine - this has been running for an hour: Whilst I was modifying the mantle, my wife (who's main hobby is sewing), said she could knock one up in two minutes if I told her the type of material. So that leads to my question - what are they made of and can the material be bought anywhere? My wife has a large stock of various fabrics (she is given old sample books by a local fabric shop). Also need to know the type of thread used to sew them up. Any help/suggestions gratefully received. Regards, Terry
I found these two videos via CCF (well worth a watch). The second video is about mantle manufacturing and may be of interest to you. I don't think it is possible to make your own mantles as you may have trouble finding sufficient quantities of the rare earth elements that the mantles are impregnated with. Coleman Lantern Part 1 Coleman Lantern Part 2
Hi Terry Thet were made of silk originaly but what material they use now i have no idea the main problem you'll have is they were coated with thorium isotope or something similar which is what gives off the bright light when heated ( the silk burns away ) , i'm not sure you can get that in your local chemists Stu
Ah... I see the light! Told you it was a dumb question. Now I can see why there are no home made mantles Another cunning plan bites the dust.
Oh, but there are! I know that some people make mantles themself. The trickiest bit as I see it, is that you have to know how to knit or crochet...
I'd keep using the Coleman mantles they seem to be the cheapest around & are great for testing lamps although they're a bit fragile Stu
i found some Peerless at my local Amish store costing less than at you know where. i think mantles could be made at home. they look like a little toe bootie. buzz
Yes. As I already said above, there are people who have made them, so there's no doubt about that. I have mainly read from German collectors who did this, and there are some examples of homemade mantles, using yttrium oxide as the main ingredient, at the Petroleum forum at Hytta. Give it a check! If anyone want to have a go of their own, Ludwig Gebauer has a description you can see here. If anyone is interested in how mantles were industrially made in the old days (upright, rigid mantles) there is a fantastic document that Christian Hintz has posted at Napoleum here which covers the whole process.
BTW: (Natural) silk (a proteine fibre) never was used to produce mantles. All mantles were and are based on cellulose resp. modified or regenerated cellulose fibres. Either natural fibres (cotton, later ramie), today exclusively "artificial silk" (regenerated cellulose, "rayon"). Regards Ludwig
