Really pleased to add this one to my collection! Looks to be in great condition apart from the bent hood. I’ve wanted one of these since I got my first Petromax a few years ago. Never thought I’d find one on Marketplace so I made the 4 hour round trip to collect it this morning. Purchased from a guy who moved out to Australia from Germany about the same time I arrived here from the UK. I’ve never fired one up with a rapid preheater, because my other one has a very leaky fount. I should have all the bits I need to get it running, let’s hope it’s an easy fettle.
Should work fine. Preserve the globe, it has the E&G marking. I would suggest, buy a nameless work globe.
Nice. I just fettled one of the last of the German made Petromax 829's (not military though) a Feb 1972 version. I still haven't fired it up though...
@WimVe I have a spare modern Petromax globe that I put on when using them. This one actually has a lot of varnish in it that I’d like to try and remove - unsure if using acetone will risk damaging the Matt grey finish? Is it paint?
Basically it is 'just' nickel plating. The matt finish is created by how the brass is finished before plating. If you have nice shiny brass, then the nickel will be shiny and vice versa.
Most if not all Bundeswehr (army/nato) lanterns are matt grey in finish. Brands are: Graetz petromax, Hipolito and Geniol.
To my knowledge it is more the plating process which gives the matt finish (current density and additives). These matt lanterns can even be polished to a shining nickel surface (with lots of elbow grease).
@Buckaroo I have achieved the best cleaning results with these matte nickel-plated army lamps using spirit. @leo Very nice collection
Looks like I’m going to have to tear it down. I’ve removed the varnish from the fount but there’s no fuel reaching the vapouriser and the preheater is also blocked. It’s going to make me work for it but that’s the fun part, right? I’ll practise on another one first because I haven’t pulled one apart before. Looks simple enough (famous last words!).
@Buckaroo Yes,the fuel should flow freely.You have to completely disassemble the lamp and clean it.Get New seals in advance.Two 90 made of lead and one 193.
Does this part have some kind of insert or does it need cleaning? I’m unsure if it’s brown residue or a different material. These bits definitely need cleaning! Now soaking in lacquer thinner…
The rapid jet has no insert. But it should have a jet hole. a sfor the two pick ups: - the one for the rapid has a small screen filter at the bottom. - the main pick up has a valve which has a rubber seal. This seal is now swelling away in the thinner, so you need to replace it.
Success! The rapid preheater isn’t yet working so I added a spirit cup and it fired right up. There was a lot of varnish in this but it soon cleared out with lacquer thinner. Will wait and see if any kero starts leaking. Running with a butterfly mantle and a modern globe just in case. I do like the heat shield!
The riser pipe of the Rapid has already been patched. It is certainly leaking or clogged and must be replaced.Get a complete part because old and new Petromax threads do not fit together.
