Could anyone tell me why the Coleman 2 mantle lamps (295 etc) and the Northstar 2000 have different generator designs, I assume it is because the heat is coming from different sources I.e one is coming from one side all the way down and one is coming from both sides but just on the top half, also are these generators interchangeable, I ask because my 295 makes a lot of noise, popping and gurgling, is this normal ? I’m guessing it’s down to the generator being hollow and it’s the naphtha boiling inside, Any info would be appreciated
I don't have a 295 to compare design differences in generators. The 295 is rated at 300c.p. and the Northstar 2000 is rate at 550c.p. so I doubt very they're interchangeable.
I don’t agree with either assumption. Radiant heat from one long mantle or two smaller ones just amounts to sufficient heat to vapourise fuel in that particular generator. Popping and gurgling with a 295 lantern hasn’t been my experience, with evidence from this 295 converted to burn alcohol (and no, combustion still only hissed when the fuel was Aspen):-
@presscall so why do you think mine makes such noises, I’m trying to upload a video but It doesn’t give me the option, do you have to be a subscriber to upload videos?
@Thomas The site does not host video files. You need to place a link to the file in your post. Does your lantern surge in a way that makes the light notably pulse? Cheers Tony
For my part, I dismantle a pressure lamp or stove to check individual components - known as ‘detail stripping’ in the USA I believe - and this would include the fuel/air pickup within the tank. A modern Coleman like the 295 has a plastic fuel/air pickup as opposed to the concentric brass tubes of older models … … but still relies on a pinhole fuel inlet at the lower end and this air inlet (taking pressurised air from the space above the fuel) being unclogged. My guess, and that’s all it can be to resolve a problem by proxy, is that the fuel/air pickup needs to be thoroughly cleaned. Intermittent fuel supply to the valve and generator could well result in the symptoms you describe.
@presscall and @Tony Press no it works fine and is a new old stock lamp out of the box, it was manufactured in 2006, the only thing is when it pops the light dimms for a millisecond but other than that it’s just the gurgling type noise which is annoying , tomorrow I will upload a video to my YouTube account and post a link on here so you can hear it, thanks guys
On my 285 the O ring between plastic fuel pickup tube and valve body was leaking. I have had it on 533 stoves as well. Causes all sorts of strange behaviour. Replace that first.
Can anyone tell me why when I try and embed a link to a YouTube video it is saying the specified url cannot be embedded as media, this is so frustrating, @presscall @JonD @Tony Press if you go on YouTube and type in ‘Coleman 295 making clattering noise’ the opening frame looks like this
Posts as a link OK but won't post as media because it's a 'short'. That may change on future version of forum. Link posted in above reply.
I don’t hear clattering, just the normal hissing sound of combustion together with a steady, powerful white light. Maybe you hear something that the recording hasn’t picked up.
I can hear some clattering, but I thought it sounded like the chain the lantern was hanging on. If it’s not that, it’s doesn’t look like the generator, at least in that clip. Does the lantern rattle if you shake it? Tony
@Tony Press it does not rattle if I shake it , I have just had the generator off for an inspection again and everything looks fine,here is another video with it on a table, to be honest seeing as it works fine I think I’m just going to leave it, thanks for everybody’s replies https://youtube.com/shorts/WHNqgKHr5OE?si=fstK_cQ9DxUJvpwQ
@Thomas1 I don’t suppose its absence creates a rattling sound (?) but the heatshield retaining clip is necessary to prevent the heatshield from flipping up and destroying the mantles if the lantern is turned on its side or upside-down, perhaps to inspect the base.
@presscall mine did not come with a clip but the heat shield cannot move as it is held down by the edge of the globe,must be a revised design ,to be honest I have never seen one of them clips before, I have always had the feeling that my 295 has been built up by someone with parts from different lamps, I got it off eBay ‘opened but never used’
Well after taking the generator off and blowing down the valve with the fuel cap off, could hear it bubbling in tank all seemed ok I built back up and lit, the clattering had stopped but it was dimmer than usual , after 5 minutes it went really dim so I thought sod it I will have to bite the bullet, having completely disassembled the lamp the plastic pick up was ok, no blockages and valve working, the main valve ok. The only thing out of place was the pickup unscrewed very easily and the o ring was completely flat, won’t know for about a week until the permatex has completely cured ( probably overkill I know ) and I fill up and light but it looks like @JonD is probably right , I will post the verdict, thanks again for everyone’s input
@Thomas1 Starting from the model 275 and onwards (And yes this includes the 285 and 295), Coleman replaced the tried and true all brass needle seat valve with a schrader valve and added some questionable complexity with the eccentric to accommodate the new valve system but also dimming function. Coleman collectors and normal users have loathed how problematic these components are. The eccentric block being mostly plastic has a nasty propensity to warp or melt out of shape after sometimes from prolonged use causing problems along with the schrader valve also failing leading to fuel flow issues. Schraders are good at holding back air, not fuel. Plastic have no place in a burning high temperature appliance.
@Dashwood unfortunately everything is made ‘fast and cheap’ nowadays, profit margin comes before everything else you see this in everything, but this is all a learning curve for me so it’s all good, are the old Coleman’s superbly made or just the same as other lamps of the same era ?
@Thomas1 Coleman has pretty much nailed the engineering of lanterns of its time. The introduction of the instant light was probably one of the heralding achievements of the company. Safety was also a consideration such as a positive shut off valve and sealable air pump stem due to the volatile nature of the fuel most of Americana has used. Other era competing design lack these safeguards and have unfavorable quirks that seem to be more prevalent in the old world but that's not to say they're bad lanterns. Kerosene is widely used in the old world and is leagues less volatile than gasoline or naptha, a very lazy to burn fuel as I'd like to describe, so it's understandable only enough engineering is done to produce a working and reasonably safe lantern for the respective fuel used. To answer your question, are colemans from that era better? Perhaps, but they do have one flaw. With how easy it is to operate a Coleman and all the guess work removed, they come off as rather mundane to some circles. If you want to dive deeper into Coleman lanterns, I would take a chance at some of the Canadian made designs like the 236/237, One of the best engineered lanterns from Coleman, extremely easy to maintain and piece apart and easy to operate while being robust and reliable, and also one of their brightest.
@presscall I’m guessing you’re alcohol converted lamp wallops fuel ? I was recently thinking why you can’t get alcohol fuelled lamps commercially
@Thomas1 They do exist but seem extremely niche. Wiktoreen seems to be a name that's synonymous with alcohol lamps and Primus has made a few due to wartime shortage of gasoline and kerosene.
More so than gasoline, certainly, but it was to equip a friend with a pressure lamp who uses only alcohol for a Trangia stove in camp and didn’t want to take two fuels along.
