Coleman 237B, July 1944

Discussion in '237, 237A, 237B' started by Cigarman, Jun 20, 2015.

  1. Cigarman

    Cigarman Subscriber

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    I dont run across these much so I figured it would be nice to have one for the ever growing collection.

    1434764857-WP_20150619_003_opt.jpg 1434764872-WP_20150619_004_opt.jpg 1434764891-WP_20150619_006_opt.jpg 1434764908-WP_20150619_007_opt.jpg

    I haven't seen any with the optional reflector like this for this age so perhaps its slightly unique. A little de-rusting of the parts and vinegar soak for the brass bits helps it look better. Looks like the burner nozzle is steel instead of the usual brass. Pumps up nicely and fired right up first try. If you look close you can see the wavy glass from those days. I like it, lots of character.
     
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  2. Matty

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    G'day,

    Nice lamp.

    I can't say I have noticed the red "use only kerosene" before. How typical is that?
     
  3. Cigarman

    Cigarman Subscriber

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    I believe the history on these was that they were made for the US Army back then. I figure if you spell it out clearly there's less chance of putting white gas in it and the resulting poof.
     
  4. phaedrus42

    phaedrus42 Subscriber

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    I's in amazingly good condition, Cigarman. The pump cap looks like it screws on, like on the '30s 118 lamps. Did they come with the straight sided globe rather than the large bulge 660 globe?

    I think that it would run safely on white gas, just with a lower light output. Not good for the lantern as the fuel-air mixture would be very lean.
     
  5. Cigarman

    Cigarman Subscriber

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    Yes you are right it does screw on. The quality of the pump is first rate. Doesnt give you a lot of push back but still gives plenty of pressure. I looked in the tank and it really wasnt bad so I didnt dismantle the plumbing. Think I got a good one. :)
     
  6. JEFF JOHNSON

    JEFF JOHNSON United Kingdom Subscriber

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    A fine fettling project! :thumbup:
     
  7. george

    george United States Subscriber

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    Yes, these are great lanterns. They were made during the war. Some where used by the US Armed Forces and others were exported. I have one still in the box and it looks like it was for the export trade since there is no mention on the box of military specifications. These are not easy to find but they do show up on ebay now and then; in fact, I think there is one on there now.
    These models have the straight sided globe. The later one had the bulge globe.
    This is only an opinion, but the US had over sixteen million men in uniform and a good number of them had little education so they made it a little easier for them by making the "warnings" on the tank BIG so no one would have trouble seeing them. The orange color would indicate there was some kind of warning and even if you had trouble reading you take it to someone who could.
    At any rate these are built like a tank and put out some kind of light!
    Great find!
     
  8. Cigarman

    Cigarman Subscriber

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    1438837385-WP_20150806_001_opt.jpg 1438837410-WP_20150806_00_50_15_Pro_opt.jpg

    Added a new generator/vaporizer and it did improve the brightness. However it still seems to have a halo with these petromax style mantles. Still, love that thorium tho ;)
     
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