An interesting purchase at the gathering this weekend. The lantern is marked as an Akron 132-S and my research suggests it is an Aladdin conversion so it can run on gasoline. I don’t know exactly what that entails so would appreciate any more information anyone has on these. Should be an interesting fettle.
Yes, I've a couple of these (maybe three) though in much poorer cosmetic condition than yours. I got them from eBay described as Primus lanterns which they clearly weren't. They puzzled me for ages until I decided to ask here what they were and eventually got to the bottom of it with the help of the PLC (Pressure Lamp Catalogue). I say 'eventually' because Neil McRae was away that weekend but he did later confirm what I'd worked out without his input. The thread will be on here somewhere but it was years ago and I'm not sure what keywords to search. Anyway, it was something to do with Uncle Sam standardising contemporary lanterns from various manufacturers so that they could all use the same generator (vapouriser) and thus ease repairs and maintenance in the field during WW2. Amazingly, I tripped over at least one the lanterns the other day so I'l try to get a pic later on. From memory, I think one may have also been an Akron Diamond, originally... Edit: Actually very easy to find:- A little milspec mystery... | Classic Pressure Lamps & Heaters Thanks Dad... | Classic Pressure Lamps & Heaters
The Aladdin conversion was, as David commented, a move to standardize the upper end of lanterns in use by the US military. Prior to the war the US Army had been buying 2 mantle lanterns from all the major makers, AGM, Coleman, Akron etc. by letting bids on however many lanterns were needed at the time. Basically any lantern that was in the same class as a Coleman 220. So there would have been a mix of makes in the supply system. Some bright spark in the government supply system realized that was a bad idea from a logistics standpoint, especially when you're fighting wars on both sides of the globe. The government asked all the lantern manufacturers to come up with a design for a common lantern that would work on the fuel available in the field, not just special lantern fuel like Coleman Fuel. Aladdin designed the burner with a simple adapter nut that would attach to the valve of any lantern (that angled brass piece the generator screws onto), a single-mantle generator and the air tubes. This allowed the use of each maker's founts without change, but made the most commonly serviced parts universal. Later the concept was evolved to a standard fount as well as the burner. Coleman called their version the 252A. In collector terms they're called mil-specs from military specification lanterns. The large US stamp on the bottom of your fount is common on founts from all makers for lanterns produced for a government contract. Yours most likely made its way to the UK during the war along with all the many tons of GI equipment that was shipped over.
Any idea on the original fount finish? Can’t tell for certain if it was painted or plated. Looks like flashes of nickel but also potentially a drab green paint. Plus a layer or two of dirt.
