Hello friends, let me introduce my latest acquisition. I’m impressed by the weight of this "light machine"; it seems very robust, much like other Swedish models such as the Primus. There’s a lot of brass here. I plan to disassemble and clean it, then try replacing the seals and worn parts so I can fire it up. My usual question: the year of manufacture. As always, I appreciate your information and advice. There’s just something special about these Swedish lamps...
It's a bit hard to date this variation of the 119 as there is no information on when the red enamel top was introduced. It is believed to be by 1950, but could already have been introduced in the late 1940s. Yours has all the features of the first red top 119 so a safe estimate would be early 1950s. The 119 is a great lantern but the one drawback is the availability of jets and needles.
A way around the availability of needles is to use a petromax type needle by cutting the top end of the Radius needle (the same length as the petromax 300cp needle ) silver solder them together and grind off the three points of the triangle to fit into the Radius jet.
Needles are not a problem, I just make my own, but not everyone can do that. The jets are still an issue though.
And what about the products this Korean seller offers on eBay? Even though it's relatively expensive... https://ebay.io/m/bTH4i4
The reproductions being made in SE Asia are probably the best alternative today. The ones I used to get are not available anymore, but there are alternatives like the one you have pointed out.
