Hi everyone I'm finally getting around to restoring a few lamps I bought years ago. First up is the beautiful Petromax. Everything clean and rebuilt with new seals etc and I've found that the vaporiser I think may be too high. Lifting up the mixing tube to the highest adjustment I can barely get to a 12mm gap let alone 14.2mm. It was higher before so I thought I hadn't screwed in the vaporiser enough to the fount, so I with great difficulty tightened it another 360 degrees which squished the new lead seal out of the sides but the gap only went from around 11mm to 12mm. I have read on here people in a similar position were advised that perhaps their vaporiser may be a different longer vaporiser. I don't know any of the history of my lamp. Mine is an early 70s Petromax. I initially thought early 60s but I read one of the German guys on here saying I think that the blue plastic on the cut off switch of the rapid heater shows that it's early 70s..I could be wrong, it was a year or two ago. The mixing J tube will not go any higher so I'm at a loss as to what I can do and honestly I'm really hoping that with the nights getting longer I will be able to light the lamp soon. Can anyone tell me what is going wrong please. Much appreciated.
@Charlie321 Welcome to the forum If you push the retaining plate inside the inner cleading #117 upwards,you might gain another 2mm. If that doesen't work,you'll need a different inner cleading #117 that matches the age of the lamp.
@Charlie321 Maybe You can just install smaller jet and needle set - 250 or 350CP for example. all the best, Piotrek
A few more close-up pictures on the hood/j-tube assembly might be helpful for all to see what exactly is preventing you from adjusting the air gap wider. We should be able to tell whether it could be corrected or not.
Can you force the generator (lower part) one more full turn of the thread into the tank. This may help. Depends on the thickness of the lead washer you use and on the exact position of the threaded insert in the tank which holds the generator. (Beware: after "tight" comes "broken off") Erik
My idea too. Did you check how many lead washers are under the vaporiser? Sometimes people put in more then one to get the position right. Also check the air mixture screw in the J-tube. If it still has the paddle it is maybe in the wrong position.
Yeah I pushed it up but it still wasn't enough sadly Noooo we get these gorgeous lamps for the 500cp POWER don't we? Haha. I've taken a couple more. Not sure what else I can show? Thanks Erik.. Well this last turn that I did was VERY stiff and squashed the lead washer a lot.. I am concerned that any more and it'll break if not already. After dismantling I removed the old lead washer. I replaced it with a new one from the Base camp site.. It didn't seem unusually thick. There is an air mixture screw/paddle, it's loose and lost it's weld or fixture in the J tube (another issue to deal with) so it's wonky. But I don't understand how being in the wrong position could effect the gap. You can see in one of the pics that the lead washer is squeezing out of the bottom where it screws into the fount. The other pic is the highest position that it'll go.
The last picture with the lead washer squeezing out shows another one that remained in place. The fitting soldered into the tank is only the chromed hex nut, there can be seen another grey ring which belongs to another lead washer that remained in the fitting. Obviously it is much harder that the one you used.
This picture shows that the vaporizer seems to be protruding a little too high above the inner hood's flange: Check the vaporizer again too see if it is the correct Petromax one. Ensure it isn't a vaporizer from another brand which, can sometimes be slightly taller than the original. As mentioned by others, check again if there's actually another older lead seal that could be causing the vaporizer to be seating too high.
Hi guys Well I've had a close look at the top part of the vaporiser. It says Petromax made in Germany although it is quite worn but I think to my eye it looks original, what do you think? See pic. Next the theory that there could be 2 lead washers at the base, before undoing it and creating the need to order another new washer I've taken a closer picture, does it still look like there could be 2? You can see how much I squished the new one with the last turn.
Hi What do you think about my vaporiser (I added a close pic in my last post) , is it original? Do they even sell fake ones ♂️ As always thanks for helping.
Hi Martin... I added a better picture of the lead washer showing. So you still think there could be two? If I can avoid the hassle of ordering another that's be great but if you reckon there could still be two, I'll undo it and check. Thanks for the help.
@Charlie321 could you add a picture with the generator and the squeezing lead washer removed, please? Sometimes it's hard to see when all is in place.
If you don't make your own lead washers, then I can understand your reluctance to pull it apart. From what I can see, it looks alright. The vapouriser is also a genuine Petromax part. A possibility could be that the lamp is put together with parts from different eras and and the sizes dont match. I'm afraid I can't help with that and you will need one of the Petromax experts to evaluate that. A photo or two of the entire lamp would help too.
I've had great success using the old lead washer and a few turns of PTFE tape - use the stuff for gas, apart from being thicker, it's more suitable for the application.
And the prize goes to Martin K. You were correct. I took a chance and removed the vaporiser. There was indeed 2 lead washers. The inexperienced me didn't notice the original crushed lead washer because it looked like part of the lamp and didn't come out during the renovation. However I looked much closer and was able to pop the washer out. Check pic below. Thanks for the tip. I wasn't aware that you can make a new lead washer!! Is it difficult? Maybe just easier to buy another. Thanks That is a thought... But I think my lead washers are a bit far gone to reuse perhaps. Thanks guys for all of the help.. Hopefully everything will go together now and I'll get to see this baby burning!! ONE last thing guys... What is that notch for at the top of the lamp? I showed a picture to illustrate.
@Charlie321 This is an anti-rotation device.It is Designer to prevent the inner case from being inserted upside down. According to my observatios,it was introduced in 1962.
I got hold of some old lead sheeting used in roofing from the scrap metal dealer. Then punch out new washers with the right size wad punch. Punches with the possibility for concentric punches are the easiest.
Once you have removed all the washers,please reinsert the best one,but only one.Generally,you need to rotate the vaporizer seven times.Then the desired distance of 14,2mm should be achievable without bending the retaining plate in the inner casing. If you would like to know the age of your Petromax,please photograph the four-digit number on the underside of the tank and show it to me. Then we can find out if you or your Petromax are older. Kind regards, Reinhard
After removing all the additional lead washers, you can also try assembling the vaporizer without the washers and then check the gap distance between the jet and J-tube inlet again. That's just to get a sense of how much allowance is available.
Haha yes I will do that once I get this beauty up and running. With it being winter now I'm in quite a hurry to have this done soon to take on family evening walks.. Well the lamp is surely older, but not by much!! Yes I will do that, it's a good idea. Guys I'm having trouble removing this 3rd final lead washer. The previous 2 popped out with a little prying of a flat head screwdriver, however the last is not being so agreeable. Please have a look at my photo and just double confirm that there is a lead washer there... The metal is reasonably soft so I think here is but it's just not budging. Can anyone think or a better method please as I don't want to damage the fount. Thanks Charlie
Hey Reinhard Yes perhaps. Have you any idea how I can get the damn thing out... I don't really want to keep hacking away at it unless that's the only option. Any tips will be greatly appreciated.
@Charlie321 Stop ! If you're unsure,stop ! I was just in the basement and found an old Petromax tank.I scraped off the nickel plating,and then shiny golden brass shavings were revealed.
I too think that it should be an Aluminum washer. It might be hard to get it out because of the relative hardness of the metal. Maybe it could be treated by some caustic soda, which is the main ingredient of powdered drain cleaner (which can be solved in water). If it is Aluminum, then there should be a visible reaction in which Hydrogen is released*. This caustic soda solution does not harm the Nickel, Brass, or solder joints made of Lead or Tin, and can also perfectly be used to clean out old fuel residues or remove paint residues from tanks or other lantern / lamp parts. *These powdered pipe cleaners often themselves contain small Aluminum granules, which help to clear the pipes by producing gas.
