Hello newbie here. Hey this is a GREAT site. I am refurbishing an Akron Diamond pressure lamp with shade. I got it yesterday. It looks very good i don’t know how to share pix yet. . I started by removing the filler cap and check valve. The valve seal is gummy and stuck in the race. I shut the gas valve and filled the tank with Berryman ChemDip carb cleaner and BBs. Shook it around a bit. The check valve doesn’t seem to work—liquid leaks out the check valve—and the fill cap is missing the cover. Is there a maintenance manual here on the site? Where can i get parts? Seems i’ll need: mantles a check valve Filler cover What pump is used to build pressure? What is the generator is bad? How do the mantle covers come off? Also i want to change my screen name!!
Go over to the Coleman Collector's Forum and use the search feature. Lots of threads on Akron products there. Old Coleman Parts is the starting place for seals. Pictures of your lamp/lantern would help considerably. Sounds like you have an external pump model. Pumps can be found without too much trouble. Again, use the search feature on CCF.
Thanks for the reply—the Coleman Forum link doesn’t work. Ok i ungunked the check valve—it works. Tank is very clean with isolated corrosion pits. I’ve disassembled the mantle manifold. How does the generator come out? Here are some pics.
Hi @Kevin Goyer and welcome! that looks very nice the generator on my lantern unscrews so I would gently try that regards pb
It works!!!! Cleaned the tank and generator with acetone. Used a seal i bought for some other project. Ball valve won’t hold but she lights and burns!!! Thanks CPL!!
Welcome to CPL @Kevin Goyer Nice lamp,congratulations There is a couple of catalogues in the Reference Library showing cross sectional views and part no. But you need to be a subscriber to access them. https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/akron-diamond-early-1920s-parts-list.5886/
Thank you all for your guidance. Ok i got the tank to hold pressure by replacing the tank one-way valve with a schraeder valve. Now im getting a pulsing flame. The hissing from the generator is also uneven. I think i have a leak at the base of the generator threads. Can i use gas line sealant here? Is 10 psi too high?
Try using copper slip on the threads first. The standard operating pressure for these lamps is about 25-28 psi/2 ATM. Cheers Tony
Thanks for your reply. I haven’t gotten the copper slip yet but i tried some bar soap. That stopped the weeping from the connection. I increased pressure to 22-24 psi; it stopped strobing, then it weakly flickered for an hour, now it’s steady light. A very good dinner table lamp.
Thanks to all replied to my post on refurbishing this original Akron Diamond 102G lamp. The original S generator was clogged and caused strobing of the flame, so i replaced it with a modern generator after i pierced the original trying to clean it. It works well but is not the lamp for me. I will list it on eBay in a couple of days, but if anyone on the forum is interested in it please pm me.
I’ve figured out that the lamp fuel/air mix is burning too rich and flames are carbonizing the mantle. Part of the problem is strobing caused by irregular heating of the generator. The hotter the flame gets creates more heating of the generator, creating more gas, which creates more flame, heat snd more gas . My thought is to put a sleeve over the generator to confine the heating of the generator, create a consistent gas output and whiter flame
Ok a foil sleeve has helped stop the strobing but I’m still getting carbon on my mantles—too little oxygen i suppose. What mantles are recommended for the Akron lamps? Im using regular Coleman clip-ons—i removed the clip and tied on with wire. BTW oldcolemanparts is outstanding resource. I bought two of the straight torch-style flame generators for this lamp. They work well but this lamp has a problem with heating i think due to mantles
Thanks very much Tony. I had to replace the s gennie with a straight gennie. I’ve been monitoring the pressure it seems to operate better at 22-24 psi than at 24-28 psi
Is there something i should know about the needle valve? There isn’t much range to the regulation of gas flow. I am barely opening the valve and she’s wanting either to shut down or blacken mantles. I removed the foil sleeve that i used to modulate the heating of the generator I don’t think it helped. Installed tie-on -21 mantles. I pressurized to 28 psi and she didn’t like that—hissing, blackening the mantles and sputtered once every 100 seconds like clockwork for two hours. Now she’s at 22 psi and purring—for now.
@Kevin Goyer The lamp should run properly with the valve fully open. The valve is not a light output regulator. See here: https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/how-to-light-coleman-quick-lite-lamps-and-lanterns.24688/ You are either getting too much fuel through the jet (ie the jet is enlarged), or you’re not getting enough air (wasps, spiders or a blockage in the burner). The correct pressure, all other things being equal, is as I said above. Cheers Tony
Thanks very much @Tony Press. Those directions helped clear up my misunderstanding about the valve—it’s either on or off not a metering device. I will reduce the gas pressure in the tank and report back. I may have to go to the 25-30 pumps as suggested
This lamp is purring like a kitten. Very happy with it. I replaced the fuel valve and generator with parts from a second Akron.
Congrats on your perseverance with this lamp. As you said, a really lovely lamp for the dinner table thanks to that gorgeous shade.
I must say I like your description of your lamp purring like a kitten... I forgot all about lighting up my TL106 on Christmas Day as we sat down to have a curry.
