Restoring Q99's & safe starting procedure for Quick-Lites

Hi All: (These procedures are for tested running lamps only)

This procedure has served me and many others for 30+yrs. It is a combination of ideas from a number of Quick-Lite users and collectors. The success rate for me has been 100% on an unmolested Q99. (99's that somebody hasn't tried to clean previously) The reason for clogged or non working Q99's is almost always use of improper fuel which burns incompletely allowing carbon deposits to form. After years of heating and cooling the carbon becomes harder than a rock impervious to cleaners such as carburetor cleaner,paint thinners,vinegar,etc. etc. After all, this is some of what diamonds are made of.

The Q99 is packed with a precise length, thickness and weave of asbestos string. The string was installed before the Q99 was bent into a loop. Attempting to remove the string or trying to clean the Q99 buy jamming wire or other objects into it will destroy it or render it less effective.

First obtain "carbon" cleaner in spray form. Any substitute is a waste of your time. "carbon" cleaner is designed to remove/melt baked on on "carbon" from internal combustion engines. I buy mine from a marine outboard repair shop.

Next remove Q99 from Lamp/lantern making sure nut is not frozen to Q99 tube that could result in twisting theQ99 or fittings below.
Remove and prick threaded nipple, being careful not to enlarge hole.

Heat Q99 evenly to just below red hot(do not let it glow). Then dunk in cold water. Repeat this several times. then heat one last time to dry asbestos string inside (this step is very important as it serves to break the "carbon" loose from the inside of the tube, but not from the asbestos string, that's next)

After Q99 is dry inside and has cooled somewhat but still warm. Spray "carbon" cleaner into Q99 liberally from both ends then let sit for an hour. Then heat to below red hot. Repeat this several times. (some flame will come out both ends)

Spray Q99 from bottom with carburetor cleaner to remove "carbon" cleaner residue until clear liquid is seen at top. Heat and submerge is water one last time. spray again with Carburetor cleaner, then blow from bottom with "low" pressure compressed air. Your Q99 is now ready for another 80 yrs of service if proper fuel is used. (Coleman or equivalent)

Reinstall nipple then place cleaned Q99 in lantern or lamp. Make sure fount is very clean (lacquer thinner works for this as it dissolves dried or gummy gas.) Then refill with proper fuel and light for one hour. This will burn out impurities and result in a bright light if this procedure was followed. (You may need to reprick nipple)

If you refill your lantern with car fuel or something that is not Coleman fuel or it's equivalent, you have just wasted a lot of time. This procedure should (with proper fuel) give many years of brilliant light without recleaning or repricking Q99.

Safe method for lighting Quick-Lites: Always do this outdoors.
Make sure all nuts and fittings are tight and fuel valve (black knob ) is off. Fill fount and re tighten filler nut. Unscrew air valve(on top of filler nut) one or two turns. Then pump up fount with proper "hand" pump about 35 times and then close air valve. Hold flame under loop of Q99 till hot(about 30 seconds) Then with flame still in place turn fuel valve one half turn then back to off immediately with flame still in place. If mantels turn bright white open fuel valve 3 turns or so and remove flame. If flame turns yellow reheat and try again. This method if adhered to will prevent flare ups or worse. By turning valve back off immediately there is not time for extra fuel to flood or flare. I have used this method many times in small tents without a problem. (THIS METHOD IS FOR QUICK-LITES ONLY)

These procedures may be modified for your own needs. However I suggest you do them as written the first time to ensure good results.

I hope these procedures serve you as well as they have served me and others over many years. (I have cleaned countless 99's this way) Mike..

 

Hi mike intresting read this about the Q99s i dont have any blocked ones but reckon your method would work just the same on akron, evening star, and kildark lanterns lamps we see in the uk i think i have a blocked one in the garage will give this ago

cheers pete

 

Sounds like good practice to me for any match lighting lamp. The only advice I might add is that with a "New" lamp it is perhaps advisable to pump it up without fuel and do an underwater pressure test to find those cracks and other leaks. Not normally a problem with Coleman but some others often have serious leaks. ::Neil::

 

Hi all/Neil: I whole-heartedly agree with Neil. The above procedures are only for a tested running lantern or lamp. I have a separate procedure for new found Quick-Lites that I may post at a later date. Quick-Lites have been my primary lamp/lantern research focus for 30+ years so these procedures are geared towards them. (Thanks Neil, I added that caveat to original post.) Mike...

 

Good point Neil! I have been using this product for many years. To find the smallest leak this stuff is tops.
Snoop leak detector
Amazon sells it or you may have a Swagelok vendor nearby that carries it.

Bob

 

Good Stuff Mike! Very Good

Glenn

 

I have found that a length of replacement wick for a Zippo lighter works as a fill material. I have used it on Q99 as well as Akron "S" generators. Those had the asbestos fill completely blown out of them during the heating process discussed. Blown out with high pressure air from the gas tip end into a metal garbage can to catch the embers. They must be blown out while the tube is in as close to a red state as possible after all the flame from the carbon burning has subsided. Once the fill is completely out the HOT citric acid soak followed by a high pressure hot water flush will clean the tube. I was also successful in "snaking" the original fill back into an "S" by fishing some fine copper wire through the tube then attaching it to the loop end of the fill that blew out intact. Lucky me. But when it's all said and done IMO Q99s are for show, R55s are for GO. Put a 201 cup on it for preheat. With Coleman fuel it's about a 30 second burn with about 1/3 of the cup filled with alcohol or "meths".

Bob

 

With all of this demand for Q99 generators, perhaps Coleman should start making them again.

They may still have the tooling, but if not, how much can it cost, and an alternative packing material must be available, and I think that the R55 jet will fit.

 

Jeff I have walked the Factory at Wichita as I am sure Neil and others have done and it is a small facility. Amazing that they produce what they do. I can't see them doing a run of old parts.

 

I think if it was possible it would already have been done. There are some quite senior people in Wichita who are members of the ICCC and the demand for the Q99 would surely be greatest in the US amongs those guys. So the interest will be known by the right people in Wichita but I suspect the demand is just not enough and not worth the R&D work to find and test a suitable packing for a short run. I agree that R55s to run are the way to go although I prefer a good working Q type if possible. One problem with R55 is in a lantern with a mica globe, which has a door, it is not easy to operate the pricker. OK in a lamp but lanterns are difficult. ::Neil::

 

Hello Dan & Neil, you may well be correct as buisness has no soul.

So we shall have to keep our eyes open for that unused old stock.

 

Hi all: Thanks for jogging the memory banks. Does anyone know if they are still making the Q99's in South America? They as I remember were not made by Coleman but worked great. They were not imported to the U.S. but have shown up at swapmeets from time to time. I last saw them about 15 yrs ago. A Southern Calif. Big 5 sporting goods store even had them for a short time. When contacted they said it was a shipping error and they had been returned. Never was able to find name of maker or country of manufacture. Fortunately for those living in the U.S. there plenty of used 99's to clean and put back in service. Mike...

 

Jeff Coleman has a soul but they remain on the razors edge of being profitable or going under. Though a lot of things would be nice to have. A company has to think of cost to produce versus monetary gain. Dan

 

Do you know whic country? Juan.

 

I did something different to restore the only q99 I have; this was indicated to me by Mr. McRae. I heated the generator until red dull, then I straightened completely and I was able to remove the asbestos string. I was about to go for asbestos to make a new one but I tried to burn it; this renewed it succesfully and the colour turned from black to light grey, having burned all the compounds once clogged it.
I re inserted the asbestos string. Until here it was a very easy and quick operation but I didn't think that to make the loop again would be not so easy. I did it but now you can say my little boy did the job as it is a bit messy, but it does work very well. I guess the secret is to have a stick with the same diameter than the loop to re do the loop around the stick; I have to try but I haven't got any other q99 by now.
I bought some used but they did never arrived here.
Juan

 

Hi Juan: Have done that my self but recamend against it. In my opinion the procedure is potentially very dangerous.(please see posts in reference gallery under America/Coleman "1922 LQ327") Would transfer or link here but do not know how. Thanks Mike...

 

Hello Dan, I do realise that, i was only having a joke,

 

Ok and agree. Juan.

 

What is the purpose/function of the asbestos fill in a Q99? Why does it need to be in there?
Cheers,
Gary

 

It acts as a filter, slows down the passage of the fuel through the generator ensuring complete vapourisation and prevents back-pressure into the tank - not necessarily in that order!

Most generators/vapourisers will have some form of restriction to prevent back-pressure. If it isn't in there, it'll be somewhere else in the fuel path...

 

Ah. I see. Thank you.

Will the Q99 generator work without an asbestos fiber packing? What would be the issues with no packing in place?

Could a braided stainless steel cable be used in place of an asbestos packing to accomplish the same roles as the asbestos packing?

When you mention it's role in preventing "back-pressure into the tank", are you suggesting that it is a safety device? Does this mean that it's absence in a Q99 would allow flame back into the tank in your estimation?

Cheers,
Gary

 

Um, getting out of my depth here...

I wouldn't have thought a safety device as such - the chance of a flame passing through the gas tip, vapouriser and fuel/air tube must be infinitesimal, surely...

There just needs to be a gradual reduction in pressure from the tank (i.e. fount) at about 2 bar (~29psi) pressure to the gas tip at around 1 bar (#14.5psi) to ensure fuel flows steadily in the correct direction.

As the fuel vapourises, it expands greatly so the pressure at that point must increase. If the restriction wasn't there then that increase in pressure would stop fuel flowing from the tank and the lamp would go out, or at least, dim. As it is, assuming there's a much greater pressure in the tank, there's a rapid fluctuation in pressure so the fuel flow and, therefore, light output pulsates, also rapidly, at a frequency the human eye doesn't detect.

If the tank pressure is allowed to fall markedly, the back pressure is able to overcome that pressure for relatively longer periods so the frequency of the pulsations decreases until it can be detected by the human eye. This is why lamps pulsate if the tank pressure is allowed to fall.

At least that's how I visualise it, anyway, and it fits into my idea of physics...

 

Thank you David.

- Vertice summo opus habere prodest pedes de faecalis. - Pliny the Elder (23 AD – August 25, 79 AD)

 

Jeff I quess I should use more emoticons. After seeing Wichita it amazed me that they were still surviving. I come from New Jersey and our history has been major manufacturing. All of which is pretty much gone now. We were rich with Lantern related factories as well. I did some vending work in A clothing retail store in Hoboken NJ that was an old aircraft factory from the thirties. Most of the over head cranes and compressors were still there. I found it sad that this once great factory was reduced to selling Vietnamese and East Indian made clothing.
to avoid the wrecking ball. Dan

 

The packing in an old match lighting generator performs three functions. The restriction against back pressure is covered above. Second it provides an aid to heat transfer from the mantle to the fuel. Most may well work OK without a packing but you may find the heat transfer is poor and the lamp may flare as the fuel temp is not high enough. Third function is a filter. Quite important in a lamp where there is no pricker and access to the gas tip difficult or impossible when the lamp is running.

Short answer is yes a Q99 will work empty and give the same light but it will work better and longer between pricking with some packing. Braided SS may work. I don't know. I do know a rolled brass mesh works but the mesh needs to be small with the "holes" under the size of the gas tip so around 0.005". Brass will transfer heat and the mesh will filter. Neither function is as good as asbestos but good enough. ::Neil::

 

Hello Dan, yes, I can understand your point of view.

The Coleman company has survived for over 100 years now, when most, if not all of their USA., competitors are gone.

WC Coleman knew the importance of research and development and marketing; I do not know if Coleman still have an R&D division, but marketing must still be very important.

 

Just thought I'd let you know i followed this advice and have had no problems! thanks flivver!

 

I've used zippo lighter wicks in place of the original innards (I'm not sure if I've posted this here before or not!).

 

I have been testing strands of carbon -fibre(flax like) I wrapped some strands of toaster wire around a cigar made of carbon fiber strands with flakes of crushed mica. I have only had 4 liters of 98 Octane petrol through the thing though and light output has dimmed already....i feel that I may have packed too tightly and small peices of the mica may have been carried upstream where they have assisted in making things too tight!....I shall dissect the Generator and post photos soon. The Generator is a straight brass tube from Nu-Lite , God Bless them. I am annoyed as I put the pricker away to install anew wire and I have lost the body which carries the needle....i have a few places left to look, before I start making one from scratch....I shall be so glad to have a working prickerat last ....also the carbon -fibre Generator fettle seems very promising thus far....
Regards to You....May you all be bathed in golden glow!

 

(EDIT: THIS REFERS TO POST ABOVE ABOUT FACTORIES AND COMPANIES DOWN ON THEIR LUCK)
I grew up in an area which had loads of metals Foundering, Dennypace...Stirlingshire,Scotland....we had the massive Carron Works at Carronshore, After whom thefamous oil for burns, Carron Oil, was named , and who produced the Cannon for the Napoleonic Wars. They also produced a lot of the old Post and Phone Boxes Worldwide!One of the Biggest Marshalling Yards In western europe....Now..that company proudly celebrated their Bicentennial in 1959....by which time Bathtubs and Stoves were their Staple...I mentioned the Napoleonic wars...Carron also armed the Enemy in that war, Having supplied Cannon to the Young United States - They also made a stove according to Mr Ben Franklin's Design.....By 1982....receivership...massive railyard wasteland!! So Sad.....Now they Rose again as Carron Phoenix....based at the much smaller works with a lot of the work "Made In China!"....Daily I lament the squandering of our Ancestors hard won Infrastructure.....The Railways , even the Destinctive Cast Iron Lamp posts of Everytown.....the amount of Embodied Energy in all that Cast Iron And Quarry stone ......Thankfully there are good things happening and good people....Bless You!