Petromax mantles

Just an idea: when you pump the presure up, without pre heating: where does the kerosene/petroleum come out?

 

You took the inner hood off the lamp in order to tie a mantle on the burner nozzle; are you sure you put it back on the right way round ? It seems to me that the only way you're going to get flames four feet high is for the jet to be pointing directly skywards rather than into the mixing tube.

An even better idea would be to stick with it and learn how to use it. If you do, you'll have the satisfaction of making something you got out of a skip work as it was meant to work and then you can go round to your neighbour and ask him "who's laughing now ?"

Check-out the Lamp Action Gallery to see what other enthusiasts use their lanterns for.

 

No you don’t.. that’s why you’re here..
You know that getting that old Petromax going will be a good thing to do, that’s what you thought when you saw it there, too good to throw away..
Yes, it’s a challenge but these lamps are built to last..
I know you’ll get it working..

 

Best answer at the moment ;-)

 

You guys kill me lol its a lamp guys just a lamp well right now it's a sticky mess in a box
The paraffin came out of the jet thingy into the mixer tube and even though I preheated it twice with the spirit cup the fuel ran into the lamp down the glass etc then whoosh and when I let the pressure out it began to roar and got worse luckily the fire extinguisher was close at hand quite funny now looking back at it .
As I've said in previous posts I found this lamp in my neighbours skip and all I saw was cash I have no connection with this or any other lamps though I appreciate you guys are dedicated and fair play to that .
What bugs me most is it should work but doesn't and I'm the same with many things I get curious as to why they don't work that's all and that's why I came on here .
I mean someone somewhere made this lamp many moons ago .I hope I've answered a few questions and thanks for your interest guys I still think a big drill and some three core cable is the answer stay safe

 

Well it is not just a lamp, it is for many of us a piece of history and at this moment I think someone from here should pick up the lantern from your skip and open a fettle topic after getting home.

I am pretty sure it is or will turn out to be an operator error.
Worn jet/needle combo, wrong needle height, blocked J-tube or something along that line.

 

@WimVe everything has a price

 

Unless you're trying to light the lamp where the ambient temperature is well below zero, one filling of the spirit cup (approx. 50ml.) is more than enough to get the vapouriser hot enough to do what it's supposed to do i.e. vapourise the (liquid) fuel and provided that all is in working order, the lamp should light without drama.

Is the fuel that's running into the lamp liquid ? Where is it running from, the burner nozzle / mantle or running down the vapouriser ?

A flare up is usually the result of
1) insufficient preheating - hardly likely since you're doing it twice.
2) too much pressure too soon.
3) an over rich mixture caused by
a) not enough air - the gap between the jet and the bottom of the mixing tube should be nominally 14mm - certainly no less than 13mm.
b) too much fuel, the usual cause being an oversized jet but it is also possible that the jet is not sealing properly where it screws into the vapouriser. A smear of either copper or nickel based grease on the threads should cure that problem.

Edit:

In one of your earlier posts, you've included an image of the lamp working reasonably well and you say

The control wheel is there to raise or lower the needle, it is not meant to control the amount of fuel going through the jet. If the jet is worn, partially raising the needle will restrict the flow of fuel and enable the lamp to burn as in the image you posted, "A slight turn of the wheel . . " lowers the needle and allows an excess of fuel to flow through the jet resulting in the flare-ups / fireballs you're experiencing. Get yourself a new jet as suggested by Martin

Petromax Spares Price List item 50/5 Nipple 500cp.

 

@Henry Plews
Thanks Henry for your input its certainly interesting however I've had my fill of the lamp and this site to be fair not everyone one here is here to help just criticise so I have a buyer coming to view the box of bits the weekend and hopefully a deal be struck.
I've responded out of courtesy to you and the others who have given help but this will be my last post .
Cheers
Pete

 

Makes it all seem worthwhile

 

Ok guys this is the state of play the buyer turned up and didn't want to know so its down to me to get it up and running.
I've placed the parts into a citric acid bath then into a soapy water bath then a fresh water one ,dried off then onto the buffing wheel for a polish I'm determined to get it running right .

 

Well it's a blooming pretty lantern, that's for sure!

Lanterns are extremely frustrating sometimes. They're essentially simple devices... you pump paraffin through a heated tube where it becomes a gas, through a little jet and it burns in a mantle - easy, but it doesn't always go to plan.

I'm glad you're back on the case because they're really great devices once they're working and absolutely brilliant in a power cut! That's why I got my first two, because in the highlands you never know when the lights will go out!

Let us know how things go.

 

I will do Colin for sure .I'll order a service kit tomorrow from base camp and take it from there. Thanks for the comment

 

You've certainly got a shine on that. Well done.

There's a bit that puzzles me though, normally I'd expect the top of the vapouriser to look like this



yet when I look at your example, I see this. Is it attached to the lamp or is it part of the building?


Happy fettling and don't forget to include a new jet when you put in your order.

 

@Henry Plews
That's part of the greenhouse Henry it looks like yours .
There's less than one millimeter of needle showing at the moment but obviously I'll make sure it looks the same when the service kit is fitted .
The new jet is top of the list .
Thanks for your comments

 

Well good to see you don't give up.
Although I normally would first get a lamp working before polishing all the soot off again...

 

Ah, I thought it might be but the brassy appearance (to my eyes at least) cast a shadow of doubt.

Optimum height for the needle is between 0.5 and 1.0mm so as long as it's within that range with the new jet fitted, it's good to go.

 

@WimVe hi yes your probably right but looking at it in a box covered in sticky fire extinguisher and pouring with rain it seemed a positive thing to do .
Thanks for your comment.

 

@Henry Plews my eyes are no better to be honest .
I'll keep you informed as things develop.
Thanks

 

Hi Peter,

Glad you’ve stuck with it, it will be very satisfying when you’ve got it up and running. You are right to keep walking away from it though at times, I’ve made mistakes when I’ve got frustrated with mine and ended up snapping needles and stripping threads. Just keep chipping away at it. You might end up a lamp guy yet! I’ve also scientifically proven that your beverage of choice will taste at least 50% better when sampled sat in your garden by lamp light. Trust me, I’ve done the research. Enjoy!

 

@Scott D your absolutely right Scott walking away and sleeping on it then looking at it with fresh eyes is definitely a good thing not everything goes to plan first time or second come to that .
Don't think I'll ever be a lamp guy though I fully appreciate the work all you guys do in keeping history alive.
I'll take it as read that your research is correct and I'll definitely try that out when the silver lady is up and running.
Thanks Scott.

 

To get it all working, you might really have to be a lamp guy first .

 

@MYN well I can see your point and I seem to be reading an awful lot at the moment about the lamp so who knows .

 

Great to hear

 

That's what most normal people do but not me. Several times I've actually cleaned, sprayed and polished a lamp and only then thought about making it work!!! I can't help it, I'm just a visual person I guess! Thankfully I've been lucky so far apart from one time with a very stress cracked Bialaddin tank!

 

That is so true. I got so despondent with an Indian lantern - a Prabhat - that I left it for months before I could bear working on it again! I got it working in the end but that was hard!

 

@ColinG totally right Colin if you polish something first you can see it's potential and it inspires you to spend cash and time on it or not as the case may be.

 

Just a quick question guys the generator control wheel if I turn it anti -clockwise it's nice and smooth and the needle peeps through the jet at 12oclock as it were.
But if I turn it clockwise then by quarter past it locks and won't go any further is this normal? Any ideas ? .
Oh by the way ordered my service kit and new jet today so just have to wait now .

 

G'day Peter, just an thought, you are using paraffin (kerosene) as fuel? Not the stuff sold as lamp oil / fuel as it's good in wick lamps but not pressure lanterns.

 

@ROBBO55 yes it's paraffin