Here is my new acquisition; a good friend gave it to me today, and I’m very happy. I don't know the year of manufacture; the rapid-start lever seems to be missing its Bakelite cover, though I'm not sure if it was originally like that. I’m going to clean it up a bit and try to light it, then give it a proper cleaning and polish. I’d like to find the knob—or perhaps a 3D model to print one. There are some characters engraved on the bottom of the tank; could they indicate the year of manufacture? I appreciate your valuable comments and advice. Greetings to all the fellow lantern dreamers! Cesar
Congratulations on finding a Primus 981. They are one of my favourite Primus lanterns. AM = 1948 You have a couple of issues to sort out to get it back to original condition. As you have guessed, the quick start lever is a replacement. It is not easy to tell, but maybe it is only the bakelite section of the lever that has been replaced and the screw section is original. The quick starter is also missing the flame tube. This could be an issue, as I am not sure there are spares available anymore (havn't looked for a long time). Then on a cosmetic point, the top cap is not from a Primus. You can check out what they look like in the gallery. When cleaning, be careful with the nickel on the hood. It is very thin and comes off easily.
