Hello fellow lampies ! Found me this Coleman Col-Max out of Thailand, it looks very much like the US or Canada made ones, but has imprints in Thai on the fount and no made in Canada stamp, so i guess it was made in Hong Kong for the Asian market. Very well made lantern indeed and it works well ! Unusual features on this on compared to other Petroclones would be the use of porcelain on the inside bottom plate, and on the inner vent, and the use of a fount where the glass stand goes in to a grove when assembled, as on many Petromax lanterns. Best regards Frederik
Oh yes in my part of the world too, Btw i was in South Africa last week. but i found no lanterns Fred
Hope you had a good visit, whereabouts were you? Yes any lanterns or lamps are scarce, the few I have was given to me by friends, I have only found an Aladdin lamp that I purchased, they are out there....somewhere, that makes the hunt so exciting. Jaco
We'll i'm working for Atlas Copco so i get to see underground mines, this time in Black Rock close to Kuruman, and Jo-burg of course.
Hi Fred @Tive , that looks like an unfired one! Nice! Last year I found a used one on a Belgian internet sales site, sadly it leaks through a pinhole in the lettering! As far as I know, all Colmax lanterns were made in China, as Coleman wanted to get onto the Asian market with a lantern the people were used to and knew how to operate. Having them made "at home" would make them to expensive. I might be all wrong though. Enjoy yours! Are you going to light it? Best regards, Wim
Hello Wim ! Actually these Coleman Col-Max 333 lanterns where made in US starting in 1946 and Canada from 1948. First they were badged 300cp on the valve wheel and later 350cp. The US and Canada made ones, normally have date codes stamped on the founts, whilst the Hong Kong made ones seems to lack that feature, apart from that, the early Hong Kong lanterns are very much the same as the late US/Canada made ones. The only thing i can see that differs from mine compared to the late US/Canada made ones is the fact that the valve wheel has a very light red color, and lacks the date codes. The Coleman Col-Max 333 Is not produced after 1954 in the US, and not after 1955 in Canada, so the one i have is likely to been produced sometime after 1955. This one is not unlit in anyway it's well used but in good cleaned condition, it's actually running on one of the photos in this post. Regards Frederik
Hello Frederik, thanks for putting me right, I learn something new every day! I had another (closer) look at mine, first cleaned the found some more and, other than a series of stress cracks there are a few differences with yours. First the red knob, mine reads Col-Max 350 C.P. . Then on the fount, the stampings are the other way round, the Thai(?), Chinese(?) and Arabic(?) lettering is between pump and filler cap, the Sunshine logo & etc. is under the red knob. Mine also has the white enameled parts just like yours. I have not yet decided what to do with mine, maybe I can find a better fount, or I'll have a go at POR15 or similar (not yet tried before). Best regards, Wim
I tried POR15 on a Coleman 220 slant and it worked quite well. I used it about four or five years ago and the 220 is still holding. Good stuff but a little on the expensive side.
Hello, This COL-MAX 333 made in Hong Kong was first with brass tank and later with steel tank. But outwardly they were identical. On both lamps I had the pump cylinder was torn. Regards,Reinhard
I have a Col-max 333G just like yours Frederik. still in the box, unused, has the oil can and funnel with it. just wish I knew what it was worth.
I'm a sucker for a pretty lantern and that's one cute lady! Fount repair: @Wim I recently used a standard epoxy resin thinned to a pouring consistency with methylated spirits/denatured alcohol and so far it's performed perfectly. I fixed a stress crack on a Veritas Superb before Christmas and keep checking how it's doing each week. The product I used was called Z-Poxy and cured in 15 minutes leaving me plenty of time to thin it down and gently swirl it around and over the crack. I imagine any two part epoxy would achieve the same result. Acetone can also be used as a thinning agent but I've heard the results aren't as successful. I used a fuel dropper to add a few drops at a time until the resin could be poured. Hope this helps.
@Tive Would it be possible to post a link to the closed eBay auction. I am not able to locate it on eBay. Thank you Andrew
