Need help with my Optimus 1200. The Problem: Mantle just burns with a large flame no light just flames. What I Tried: different mantles( optimus, Peerless & coleman silk lite), replaced Jet & cleaning needle. properly spaced with tool distance from jet and tube. Cleaned Lantern Help what am I doing wrong PeterD
Michael, I tried to 1- open valve all the way screw up&down 2- valve closed screw vertical. 3- 45* angle. Same large flame no light. Can you come up with anything else. I'm at the stage of the Hammer!!! PeterD
Optimus are among the most reliable lamps I know of. I start to wonder if it's not a fuel problem. What fuel do you use. Do you really use kerosene? Someone that are better on fuel than me maybe can tell you more. Michael
Have you cleaned out the vapouriser thoroughly? To me it seems like people often skip this the most important step on Preston looped lanterns. No point in changing the jet if the vapouriser still is all coked up, and on these lanterns they need to be pretty clean. How did you preheat it by the way? With the quick starter or with alcohol, and for how long on the method you used?
All, I use K-1 Kero & filter funnel. The vaporizer was soaked in White Vinegar 24Hrs than Brushed out. I start the Slow way with 2 fills of Spirit cup. I'm still stumped!!! Question: Should I pressurize than pre heat than open valve OR no pressure pre heat than pump. I tried both with same results. All flame no light What next??
Hi! When starting with spirit I would suggest that you begin without pressure and open fuel valve. Once the spirit is nearly burnt out then do some careful pump strokes and see what happens. If the lantern is OK it should gently sound "plopp" and you see the flame within the mantle. At this stage you can then pump until full brightness. When starting with the rapid preheater then you must of course completely shut the vaporizer's fuel valve prior to pumping (and hope that it's tight). Once you think that the vapourizer is hot enough you can slowly open the fuel valve while still preheating and see what happens. When the mantle comes to a bright glow you can shut off the preheater. Good luck, Martin
But how did you brush the vaporizer out? It's sometimes hard to get a wire inside the preston loop, but it is doable, and if that's how you did it it might have been good enough. Vinegar does not much to coke in my experience, so I doubt it help much except for making the outside look better. I would recommend you to insert a screw in the restricted area, heat the vaporizer well, but not too much so the brazing will flow, and apply compressed air through it. Not too much. You'll see what will work best because then you'll get some nice showers of sparks, but perhaps 1-2 bar? The loose screw is just there to force the air to go through the loop, and not just straight through and shall therefore of course be inserted in the same end as you apply the air. The air will seat it good enough. Alternate the air blowing with quenching in water when really hot. It works like a charm.
Thanks All, All good stuff. Lets say I do all that and I still get just Flames and no Glow. Than What? I own many )Optimus, Tilley Aida's Petromax'es and converted coleman's. BUT my 1200 has a mind of it's own. Has anyone out there had this problem. If so how did you fix it Like I said earlier it's almost time for the Hammer!!! Please help me save the 1200
Sometimes they really seem to have their own mind! But the hammer won't make things better for sure If you own other similar lamps, could you swap some parts between them? Just begin with the hood, then try burner, vapourizer etc. until you have located the problem.
Hi Echo Did you messure the distance between the top of the jet and the bottom of the mixingtube, I think it shall be 12 mm, somebody correct me if im wrong. It is adjustable and could have been fettle wrong before you got it of course and some lamps are very touchy about this. The holes in the ceramic nozzle should also have clear passage and is to be cleaned easy with a toothpick even though you have a burned mantle on. Claus C
All, Thanks I have the 1200 stripped down to the bone. I'll definitely check the distance between the jet & mixing tube "12MM". I'll let you know how it works. As for swapping parts If all else fails I'll try that. All have been a big help!! Not many Fettlers on this side of the Pond. I'll put my Hammer down and try again Will post after first Pre heat & light Again Thanks !! PeterD
All, O.K. I cleaned and reassembled the 1200. 12MM Gap with mixing tube new Jet, needle, cleaned out tank & filtered K-1 Kero. my first Pre-Heat and fire was a no-go. All flame no Glow. Changed mantles 3 times 1-silk 300CP 2- Peerless 2C-HG 250CP 3- coleman Silk Lite 500CP. ALL flames no Glow. All mantles blackened. I adjusted the restrictor in the mixing tube with each mantle change while it was burning to see if it made a difference. NO. Am I overlooking something?? Someone must have had this problem ! I can't find a solution I am reaching out or you'll see it on the Bay for sale---- or in pieces on the floor of the basement!! Any Ideas are welcome PeterD
Now you seems to have done most of what you can. Seems to be to much fuel and to less air or to low temperature in the vaporizer. Is the jet the correct one? The model 1200 use jet number 2670 but the 1550 jet number 2672. Have you tried any other quality of kerosene? It is not the right fuel for the lamp but have you tried to make a test run on Coleman Fuel? The lamp is not build to run safely on gasoline but a test run to see how it perform would probably go. Do not get rid of the lamp or destroy it. Sooner or later you will solve the problem. Michael
The jet for 1200 and 200 is called 50 in the old catalogues, but I see both Base-Camp and Fogas use 2670. Normally it only says 200 or 250 on the jet itself. As Michael implies, you could get the problems you describe if using wrong jet. After I asked about the vaporizer cleaning you just said: "Lets say I do all that and I still get just Flames and no Glow..." Did that mean that you actually had cleaned it correctly or did it mean that you hadn't? I can't stress this enough, but if your vaporizer isn't really clean you'll normally get black spots on the mantles and some outer flames, but in worst case I can imagine just flames as you describe. Can't you use a vapo from another (working) Optimus and try. And perhaps also the jet. A tip is to not put any mantles on until you actually know all is working as it's supposed to. Just try it without one first. You shall have a nice, blue torch flame. some tiny elements of yellow can be accepted, but mainly blue. Just don't run it too long on full blaze. It can be very hot at the bottom plate.
Christer you are right. The old numbers are 50 for 1200 & 1200G, 50a for 1300 & 1350 and 50s for 1500 & 1550. New number 2670 for 1200M & 1200G and 2672 for 1550. Michael
to All, First Yes I cleaned it properly. I think than it is getting to much fuel! I will order the new jet and see what happens. I can't stress enough how much ALL of you have helped. Thank You just doesn't seem to express my gratitude. When I receive the new Jet I'll Start up the conversation with All of you again Talk Soon PeterD
Problem can be caused by worn out nozzle/nipple. In Tilley lamps that is quite common problem and change of vapouriser tube (that contains the nozzle/nipple) will fix the problem. With Tilley's you can see from the thickness of the fuel spill if nozzle/nipple is worn out. This can be checked with pressure on tank, removing top part of the lamp and let the fuel spill out into air. Same test will show if fuel spill is no directly up or if there is some other oddities. You could try this for your lamp also. Also check that nozzle/nipple has that above mentioned size marking (250 or 200). Time to time "on old days" they used parts that where available so somebody might have fitted 500 cp or 350 cp lantern nozzle/nipple to the lamp. When you order new nozzle/nipple/jet also order needle for it. That will ensure that it will be correct size (if someone have changed needle in lamp). Also if needle is damaged and will cause nozzle/nipple/jet damage new needle will not cause same problem. (nipple/nozzle/jet and needle are so cheap that few extra of them is not too big cost)
Hello Afterburner and welcome to the board. I think you have mixed up the part names. Jet is the same as Nipple. Optimus called it Nipple but it is commonly called Jet here. Nozzle is the ceramic part that you tie the mantle to. Not the same as Jet/Nipple. Michael
Thank's! Originally I was on the other side(stoves) but as play with both I registered here also. I am not sure what is correct term for that small part that has (very) small hole in the middle and where fuel comes out in liquid form. English is not my mother tongue... In varius places that part is named as nozzle, nipple or jet. Even Optimus seems not to be consistent... I just bought new Optimus Nova+ stove and in the user manual they name that same part as "Nozzle"
Just few weeks ago I found two new unused Optimus 1200 stoves both packed together with service tools, reflector, 12 mantles, funnel, spare seals and spirit bottle. They seemed to be some Swedish army or Red Cross old stock since they that instructions printed in Swedish on plastic card that had Red Cross sign and three crowns on upper corners. Both lamps are without preheating torch but in one lamp bottom parts of glass holder have holes for preheating torch. Has anyone else seen these lamps build with preheater version parts but without preheater itself?
The way I see it is that the jet is the hole in the nipple from which vapourised (not liquid) fuel is emitted into the burner...
I think you should put up some photos of these lamps in the reference section here. Personally I have not seen this version. They seem to be a special order for someone. All Swedish Army ones I have and have seen is with preheater. That they use parts intended for preheater but without preheater is logical. It should cost to much to make new tools for a small special order. Michael
I'll take pictures of them when I have time to take photos. I would think that they are just normal Optimus 1200 lanterns with "extensive parts kit" to operate lanterns in remote places without change to get spares/supplies on regular basis. Surely it is logical to use all parts that they had laying around in factory. The thing that I was wondering is that one of my lamps has holes for preheater and other one doesn't have. Both have type marking "Optimus 1200 Made in Sweden". Shop also had one lantern with type marking "Optimus 200 Made in Sweden" and it was without preheater and there was no holes for preheater. I'll have get back to shop and buy it also.
The Optimus 200 did not have a preheater, but the 1200 had. I suspect that the 1200 you have without holes in the lamp frame are from a 200. Michael
When it comes to the 200 / 1200 Optimus lanterns used by the Swedish military, there are many variations. I believe Optimus used what they had on the shelves at the time and weren't concerned about everything being "correct". The military wasn't concerned either as long as they worked. I have seen ones stamped 1200 but without even a hole for a preheater, others with blocked off preheater holes, a 200P that doesn't have the P stamped on it, etc.
Nils, You are probably right but we can never know what is Optimus alterations and what have happened in the military stocks. I have seen a lot of odd "repairs" made in the military stocks. Michael
Most probably that is the "case". Neither of my 1200 lanters have hole for preheater in the tank but one lantern has place for preheater on glass support cage bottom part and in plate that is inside of the glass (bottom plate?) Packing list has a text "Försvarets Sjukvårdsstyrelse" which means some thing like "Army's Healtcare/Medical department/unit". So maybe lanterns were meant to field hospital use. Date in packing list is 1. July 1976. So from seventies is has been in storage and eventually they were sold out for surplus stores since they thought that they will not be needed any more.
I think that they have come from Optimus as they are now. Lanterns were unused and they were in sealed plastic pack together with spare parts, tools and instructions.
