Howdy doody, All. Here's another one of those fabulous Rockets ! After I give it a thorough re-spray & service fettle. I'd bought it off a newbie seller, over in America, telling me it was the ladies first sale, within .com It's been a labour of trial & error, has this one, because I've never re-sprayed before, using professional paints. They were only aerosol sprays, but as I suspected I'd be having to get some tinting done, the learned shop owner, had to mix & match, before he could come up with a colour, we both felt "well enough" substituted that old mottled light/sky blue, hammerite finish effect; so notice-able of the Originals. It's a Fiat Turquoise, the main base colour, then as this wasn't a two part mix, I'd to buy some expensive lacquer, that you've got to fully use up, within (pushing it, say 30 hours from opening, but it sets useless, anything over). A very expensive episode, it was, trying to get it done correctly, outdoors, with the inclement weather, constantly frosting the sheen down; but it got done & dusted, eventually; to a nice enough qualifying position, on the roster. The de-cal transfer, was a doddle to put on, because it wasn't a de-cal, it was just a sticker (therefore, much quicker)(poet, didn't know it) Fred Kuntz (nice chap, over in Ohio (USA) CrStNa Country), there courtesy of. Cheers Fred. I had some happy times, knitting all that wire wool together, to get almost all ? of the rust & gunge, free from all the metals. The brass wasn't too bad within the valves fuel runs, and because I'd managed to remove this valve, from the fount, I could take a good inspection & fettle, at the JC's Air/Fuel intake valve (A nifty bit of kit, very intricate; I will try to also add some pictures of this, also, if I've room ?) The severe pitting is more or less, comprehensive, around most of the metal components / tubing, & base tray areas. Although (must point this out, possibly some one could give me a bit of advice, here please ?) I've had the lantern, alight with a burn, there was some type of leak going on, with yellow & blue flames, just little licks really, that kept continuously vacating the burner/air mixing reservoir block, just above the Kamplite generator. I watched it non stop, for 5 minutes, outside, then decided to turn off. I could only think the culprit could be a tiny fracture, within the steel tubing, or the threads, which may have allowed this; or if not, it was the old generators fault, as I'd to just try & 'make do' with this one, till a new one arrives from over the big pond. Any pointers, would be much appreciated ? As this lanterns re-furbishment, is a favour to a mechanic, down the road from where I live (How do, Maurice, if you're there !?) as he has always leant a hand, when a tricky problem part has evaded my attention & wranglings; I'd really be best to try & get that possibly dangerous behaviour, fully remedied & solved. I'll have a closer look at the parts with a looking glass, there maybe a crack to the threads, or the M/F threads, may just now be too worn, to fit snug enough any more ? I should really invest in a newer camera, also, as I'm not too happy with the clarity of the photo's; so I can just hope that what I'm leaving, can be deemed fit to display. I hope so. All being well, there'll be more to show off, lantern wise, from myself, to the forums Gallery and fellow Enthusiasts, in a couple more months; I'm ringing my hands & not just towards Crimbo. . . . Then finally; the burner components, highlighting the damaged pitting surfaces. . . . Cheers all, for now; much more work, ahead (Good stuff) !! Regards, Jon.
OOOhhps ! Back again, through error; but just to say I'd not enough photo loading expertise, to load the Air/ Fuel pick up valve shots, in one fell swoop (I do not know what the limit is ?), so here are a few of them, not only depicting just how small, yet resilient, this apparatus is, but also how precision fine, the craftsmanship was auto/manually, cut & turned too. I've still got to give my head a shake, when ever I peer at how crisp many of these type of parts, still looks, going on sixty or seventy years on, from the point of manufacture (but I dare admit, scraping the lairs back from all those brass monkey's, scattered in the drink, nearing the sunken galleons, from centuries back; would certainly be as exhilarating, and the rest (I guess I must be a metal buff, hey ho). 16+9+4+1 = ? (too much for my toes, in one drop) Hopefully, seeing what's bringing the fuel up, will be worth a look at. Cheers again, Jon.
He He Jeff, I've a few of these still to be working on, with some more babies on the way. Just can't get enough of 'em. It's that fellow on a YouTube video I watched, going back a bit that's to blame (not that I mind, though !) He'd around ten Rockets, all lit up on his living room table (less is more, bah humbug) . They were like little pirates or smurfs, all chugging away, singing a little jinty. Just this one to let go, then I'll not be able to wave goodbye to anymore. Cheers for showing appreciation. Jon.
Really nice restoration Jon, The hammered paint job is most professional looking. Your photography is quite impressive too. If you think you have problem with that camera, get a new one and send that "bad" one to me The inclusion of the F/A system photos is appreciated, as it's always interesting to see how different makers implemented that function. Now about that small flame. If there are no blockages in the air feed, the box and the upper tube, and the generator and tubes are plumb and there are no holes in the box, I suspect the problem is with the generator. It should be shooting a vapor stream up into the tube (along with the air). If the vapor stream is shooting off to one side, it may be missing part of the upper tube opening (which extends into the box) and some of the vapor might be collecting in the box and leaking out the joint. One way to test the stream is to take off the frame and expose the end of the generator. Then take it outside, pump it up, and open the valve all the way (to bypass the F/A operation). Assuming you have fuel in the tank, you should see a nice narrow stream of fuel shooting straight up. If it's going off to the side, or is "spitting" fuel, there is a problem with the jet orifice. This can sometimes be cured by VERY LIGHTLY sanding the flat surface of the jet with very fine emery cloth. Just enough to get a shiny flat surface. I would not stick anything into the jet hole other than the cleaning needle. If that doesn't work, try another generator. Good luck. Cheers, Dan
Hiya Dan, The photo's are only decent, because the lantern looks smart, and I've tried with the back drop substrate colouring/towels. If the lanterns, were the only presence, viewable here; the pictures, especially the main lantern ones, would look grainy & dull edged. A better camera will have to be sought, sooner than later, but for now, i'll keep using this Nokia. It'd be just better, to always have a clearer picture, to re-size from, in Paint software prog, then the detail would be better seen; but was glad you see them as being easily presentable. Thanks for the advice with de-bridelling the burner unit tubing, to see how the fuel jet's leaving the genny's tip; I'll give this a try, then mix & match, between the two spare Kamplite generators (poor refurbishments, owing too general condition & age) I have as spares. If the jets, arcing off, at a less steep pitch, it may well just be that that's affecting the set up. I can't see it being the metal or tubing parts, most probably just the generator ? The height of the support pillars, have had to be extended, further north, space wards, to clear harm, being made to the globes top rim, whilst keeping the bale arm, in-situ, for carrying purposes. If I've highered it too much, even with it still all being tucked in, by atleast a good two mil, yet this is still presenting, there just could be a tiny fracture that opens up, with the rising heat expansion, building from scratch ? Delicate indexing/orientation positions, are new subjects to me, bye and large, it's trial & error plus patience, PLUS the cost of the Naptha, checking for the culprit Cheers then, Jon.
I have one of these. I am looking to sell it. It is very dirty. Any suggestions on how to clean it and for how much?
I just want to know, if and how to clean one of these. What types of products are best to be used on the lanterns?
It depends how dirty your lantern is. If it's just dusty, use a soft bristled brush to knock the dust off. If it's covered in grime, try warm soapy water. No need to go crazy, for most collectors, cleaning is part of the enjoyment of restoring an old lantern. Henry.
That’s a very nicely restored lantern and well documented. Well done and looking forward to seeing more of your work. Cheers Pete
