Here is my new acquisition; a good friend gave it to me today, and I’m very happy. I don't know the year of manufacture; the rapid-start lever seems to be missing its Bakelite cover, though I'm not sure if it was originally like that. I’m going to clean it up a bit and try to light it, then give it a proper cleaning and polish. I’d like to find the knob—or perhaps a 3D model to print one. There are some characters engraved on the bottom of the tank; could they indicate the year of manufacture? I appreciate your valuable comments and advice. Greetings to all the fellow lantern dreamers! Cesar
Congratulations on finding a Primus 981. They are one of my favourite Primus lanterns. AM = 1948 You have a couple of issues to sort out to get it back to original condition. As you have guessed, the quick start lever is a replacement. It is not easy to tell, but maybe it is only the bakelite section of the lever that has been replaced and the screw section is original. The quick starter is also missing the flame tube. This could be an issue, as I am not sure there are spares available anymore (havn't looked for a long time). Then on a cosmetic point, the top cap is not from a Primus. You can check out what they look like in the gallery. When cleaning, be careful with the nickel on the hood. It is very thin and comes off easily.
@Nils Stephenson Thank you very much for sharing your valuable knowledge and for helping me learn about my lamp. To be honest, I love Swedish lamps; they possess an intrinsic elegance, and I had been waiting a long time for this particular one. I’ll try to track down the missing parts—though I have all the time in the world to do so. We’ll see if it lights up, and I’ll let you all know. Thanks @Carlsson too, for correctly updating the title. I’d also like to acknowledge the founders and administrators of this magical forum; I’ve participated in forums for other collecting hobbies, but this one runs perfectly. Plus, I think the user base is wonderful—the guiding principle here is mutual cooperation. Thank you, truly. Greetings from the end of the world.
Nice lantern to have. They are not the brightest Primus lantern but are very quiet running. As Nils said, the vent plating rubs off easily.
