Many years ago, I got these three beauties as part of a batch of five lanterns for which I paid the princely sum of around £18.50 - maybe $30US? IIRC, they came from the Liverpool area (from where I've also had milspec stoves, oddly enough. Maybe there's a big warehouse around there packed with U.S. military items from WW2... ) I can't remember now what the other two lamps were, but they were the ones I'll have wanted, so the three above were hung up in the garage roof where they've been quietly mouldering away ever since. I recall they were described as 'Primus' lanterns in the eBay listing, but when they arrived they clearly weren't that make at all. Anyway, I got them down the other day because something needs to be done with them quickly. Looking at the burners and generators, they're obviously all milspecs of some kind, which is where the mystery begins. The centre lantern has no markings whatsoever but notwithstanding that, hopefully someone can attempt an identification. Maybe the pattern stamped through the collar will be some sort of clue. The other two lanterns are identical and each bears a plate on the collar. The one on the right is completely illegible due to the ravages of time, but the other one can just about be read and gives the make as American Gas Machine, Albert Lea, Minn., USA. However, the model number is almost certainly 3927, which is where the second mystery arises. My PLC gives the AGM 3927 as a twin-mantle lantern - which these clearly are not. So what gives there? The PLC does list AGM milspecs without a model number (only Coleman did that) and says they're the same as the equivalent Coleman version. Clearly, however, that's not the case here:- So what are these lanterns I have?
Update - I've been checking over these lanterns with a magnifying glass and they all have inscriptions under the tank. All are extremely difficult to read due to the paint and corrosion so I'll wait for some daylight tomorrow to get a better idea of what's written there. The centre lantern has 'Akron' just about legible and resembles a hybrid of the 132-S-42 and milspec model shown on Terry Marsh's site - 7th and 8th images down. Also there are some gaps in the collars of the AGMs, through which a pricker control could have passed. Again, see the relevant page on Terry's site - final image. It's too late now, so tomorrow...
Further update - I see from page 62 of the PLC that there was a military conversion kit to transform civilian spec Akron Diamond and AGM lanterns into milspec ones. I suspect that's what has happened here...
Sorry been chasing family stuff on the web and it got complicated so took for ever. You got there anyway. Your mid lantern has diamond shaped holes in the collar. A sort of give away that it was an Akron Diamond. Hybrid military lantens are nothing new. We know very well how complex Vapalux can be. The US used all manner of civillian lantern models before WW2 and during. Earlier models were often converted from the original twin mantle to the single milspec burner. Trouble is the tank will then tell you one thing and the burner another. Some of those burners are stamped as Aladdin. The markings in the base will probably be a big U. S. and then the company and a date. ::Neil::
Thanks, Neil - I'm calling these 'AGM 3927 with Milspec burner conversion' and 'Akron Diamond 132-S-42 with Milspec burner conversion and later hood'. Seems reasonable to me. I'm getting an electrolysis bath at the weekend and the Akron's going in it first - steel and aluminium parts separately. Once the rust and other corrosion is gone, I'm hoping to be able to read more of what's stamped on there - it's Mission Impossible at the moment. The AGMs will follow it in due course. Surprisingly, the Akron and one of the AGMs still have their wrench and pricker held in a spring-loaded clip under the burner.
