[Michael Piziak]

Thanks so much for the useful and interesting information! I enjoyed reading your post!


Regards,

Michael


On the gas subject, unleaded gas has changed alot over the years with additives.. The unleaded gas your father and the old farmer you mentioned used is not what we use today.

[ProfessorBuzz]

Be aware that if you have old mantles lying around that they may be the old ones with radioactive thorium, and you don't want to handle those a lot.

[robtcorl]

I stopped reading posts once I finally saw someone warning against using regular gasoline in a vintage Coleman product.
Coleman, or equal type, fuel only!!
At one time I had a bad case of VCLBA, Vintage Coleman Lantern Buying Addiction.
Here's a few, the gray one is a Sears.

[robtcorl]

As a side note, not sure if it's still the case but there used to be some serious vintage Coleman product collectors in Japan.
In the past I've made some good money selling some on eBay, mostly lanterns.
One learns how to pack well when shipping a lantern to Japan from the USA.

About mantels, I've used Coleman and other brands, no difference in performance.

[trixtroll]

I have a VERY addictive personality and went through a CBA (Coleman buying addiction) and had about 4 lanterns and 2 stoves fully disassembled in my basement. The smell drives my wife crazy, but I've been known to light the backyard with the lanterns when we have parties.

There's a site called oldcolemanparts.com that I snatch buy NOS 1980s Mantles from. The old ones have some kind of radioactive element in them, but they seem to burn brighter and last longer.

[brewmaster15]

You guys rock.. kindred Coleman spirits, lol. Truth be known I too have that addictive personality..When I get into something its generally going to be 100% in. I think that if I dug out all my coleman treasures you all might report me to "Horders Anonymous" Theres got to be at least 20 suitcase stoves in my shed ..all in good working order now.. some were pretty nasty when bought them. I got so bad I ran ads on craigslist that Id take any free ones no wanted anymore.. actually scored alot of coleman gear that way.

Al

[reeftool]

My Coleman lanterns are the propane variety and I have been using them for years. I always use the 2 mantles. They are cheap enough and I always carry spares. I do however have a very old 2 burner Coleman camp stove which is a white gas burner. I have never used gasoline in it. This stove is darn near indestructible. It's over 50 years old now and every time I camp, somebody wanders over to look at my antique. I've repaired the pump a couple of times through the years. I've found that a squirt of WD 40 swells the pump rubber and get them working again quickly.

A funny story about radioactive mantles. A friend of mine worked at a GE nuclear facility just west of Saratoga. He was going on a weekend camping trip with his kids right after work and had a couple of spare mantles in his jacket pocket that set off every alarm in the place. After 2 hours of evacuating buildings and sealing everything, he remembered the mantles. Kind of an embarrassing moment since he was the main safety guy.

[StiffLegged]

I only saw a mantle lantern used when I was a teenager, during the power workers' strikes – thanks for that comrades. It always impressed me how much light they would give.

[brewmaster15]

A funny story. The Coleman gas lanterns with Mantels are so bright, they can literallly attract every bug in the forest. On one particular camping trip years ago we had the tarps up expecting rain and a coleman lantern going. It was getting late and out of no where we had 3 huge Lunamoths fly under the tarp and start flapping around. When I say my girlfriend screamed her lungs out I am not kidding. She was not a fan of bugs then and is not now.... still 30 years latter I tease her about this.... I am surprised she married me after how hard I laughed that night.
al

[robtcorl]

The Coleman gas lanterns with Mantels are so bright, they can literallly attract every bug in the forest.

Their amber globes were supposed to help un-attract bugs. I never had one, so I don't know if they worked.
The hissing sound of a Coleman lantern is forever etched in my mind.

[ChrisPlatt]

Lately I've been thinking about getting a Feuerhand oil lantern for emergencies.

Chris

[brewmaster15]

Lately I've been thinking about getting a Feuerhand oil lantern for emergencies.

Chris

Are you planning on using it outdoors or in. I don't have one of that brand but those type of oil lamps generally are best outdoors.

I have a few oil lamps we light inside the house that were reasonably priced and work well.. with the oil lamp its all about the fuel and trimming the wick right or they can smoke alot.

We light ours from time to time for ambience and for storms.

We use ones that look like this
..https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VMJT14/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_MHVFTD8XDZ3HQW9S0JJD

I think I also have some cheap $10 ones from walmart that work pretty well "Florasense" brand.. I use their oil too.

[ChrisPlatt]

Feuerhands are made in Germany and better quality than brands made in China.
I read that using highly refined paraffin lamp oil reduces smoking.

Chris

[stevebrot]

Yeah, it'll burn fine with one mantel - though you're wasting a little bit of fuel out the other side I suppose (and of course it won't be as bright).

It might also explode...all that fuel venting out and all.


Steve

[brewmaster15]

Feuerhands are made in Germany and better quality than brands made in China.
I read that using highly refined paraffin lamp oil reduces smoking.

Chris

True.

Lehmans sells these..Ive been tempted a few times to buy one to try but what I have works well enough so I havent yet. In any case at least some of the Feuerhands are not recommended for indoor use...

Feuerhand Lantern | Lehman's

If you do get one I would love to hear what you think.

Al