I've just won this Coleman kerosene lamp on a famous auction site... (Image courtesy of the seller's original listing) Looking through the reference section it looks like a 201. Am I correct or could it be a different model? The tank will need some work - does anyone know of a close match for the green paint?
I haven't got the lamp yet and the model no. isn't visible from the photos - I guess I'll just have to be patient.
Yes I noticed that but I wanted to make sure someone hadn't put a different one on. People do weird things sometimes!
As far as I know, Coleman only made two models using that design: the 200A for Coleman Fuel (white gasoline) and the 201 for kerosene (paraffin). The 200A was available in all red, all green and red+nickel. The 201 was available in all green and red+nickel. Mechanically the differences are: The fue-air tube on 200A vs simple brass pickup tube on 201 The wording on the valve wheel disc The short blank/un-threaded shoulder on the inner end of the valve spindle on the 200A to actuate the fue-air valve The internally threaded lower end of the valve body on 200A The spirit cup fitted to 201 only The restriction on the top of the burner tube on the 200 vs the unrestricted burner tube on the 201 The 200A generator with 7 thou jet aperture, thin steel wire coil and papery tube vs the 6 thou jet, thick gauge aluminium coil of the 201 gen. The collar is marked with the model number and the 201 vinyl decal on the fount has Kerosene below the Coleman name. Please feel free to amend or add anything I may have overlooked.
Thanks, Phaedrus42, this is exactly why I'm a member of this group... the amount of cumulative knowledge is astounding!
Thanks, Neil, I had forgotten about that one. Is that the 202 "Professional" which has the stainless-steel cage?
Yes and it was more expensive of course so now they are hard to find. Looks like the lantern in question here has a little rust so I don't think it's a 202. ::Neil::
I received the lantern a while back but didn't have time to do much with it. The pump washer has spent the last couple of nights in oil to get it functioning, but now that's fixed, I fitted a butterfly No41 mantle, primed it, pumped it and after a minute or so I lit it. Holy cow is it bright! It has to be the brightest lantern I've got (OK, I haven't got many so I have no baseline to judge) and you can't look at the lit mantle without getting spots in your eyes! I'm not sure the pricker mechanism is working properly as it goes round and round, but as it stands I'm more than happy! Here's a few photos... So happy with this lamp!
The pricker or cleaning lever does rotate all the way round on Colemans. After the kerosene 201, 339 and 639 models of the 1970s I think Coleman's materials and build quality deteriorated markedly with the next model, the 214. You have one of the last of the good ones!
If it goes round and round without any noticeable effect, it's not working. Otherwise, as Phil says, that's how it's meant to operate - the bend, or sometimes, crank in the handle is the clue. Logically, it's easier and quicker to just keep turning the knob rather than turning it one way and then having to quickly flick it back in the reverse direction - there's less chance of extinguishing the lantern with continuous rotation. As an aside, Bialaddin/Vapalux use both types of pricker control so don't be surprised if some of them rotate continuously too...
Thanks Phil. I left it on for a bit of a test while I got some food, made tea etc and it started to get a bit dull so I messed with the pricker lever and hey presto it's now even brighter than it was before! How bright can this bloody thing go? Anyway, it's obviously working fine,and the Butterfly mantles are the dog's dangly bits. Which reminds me, did you get the needles yet? And thanks David, that answers another question as the Vapalux goes round and round just the same. I haven't lit that yet but I was told it worked so I'll have to give that a go as well now. All I want now is some decent snow and a power-cut or two and I'll be happy as Larry reading my new mushroom book :-)
