So, last night after a couple of homebrewed ciders I bought a Coleman multifuel lantern on a whim on EBay as I thought it was a great price, and because I was under the impression it was a paraffin lantern. I know, I’m an idiot. Anyway……. now I’ve realised the errors of my ways and will have to get some Coleman fuel, or some unleaded from the garage. I’m not wild about the idea of petrol, but it’s a lot lot cheaper than the Coleman stuff. So….what should I know about using either fuel, and which one do you favour??
It seems Holts break cleaner is a good alternative in the UK. Search Results for Query: Brake cleaner | Classic Pressure Lamps & Heaters Or Aspen 4 Search Results for Query: Aspen | Classic Pressure Lamps & Heaters
Sooner or later, the ethanol in unleaded petrol will destroy the tank lining and other additives will clog the vapouriser/generator. Coleman fuel is basically naphtha and is ridiculously expensive. Tried and tested alternatives include Aspen 4 which although cheaper than Coleman fuel, is still rather expensive https://aspenfuel.co.uk/ Panel wipe can be used but it must be naphtha based. Another naphtha based product is Holts brake and clutch cleaner. Coleman recommend the use of Coleman fuel. It is my opinion the flammable fluids I've mentioned work just as well but using them is your choice not mine.
Thanks - I’m definitely wary of using petrol, for a number of reasons! I think I’ll try a small bottle of Coleman fuel, which I can probably sneak into the house without too much drama, but a 5 litre can of brake cleaner might arouse suspicion!
I have been using the brake cleaner for a while now. Nothing adverse to report and I have gone through 6 five litre cans in 4 lanterns. It makes the Coleman lantern feasible for garden light ups and gets them off the shelf.
I don't have experience with other brands so I can't comment on their suitability. The key word is naphtha. Keep and eye on eBay, occasionally there are offers e.g. Holts Brake Clutch Cleaner 5 Litre Professional Pure Solvent Mechanic Cleaning If 5 litres is too much, check with your nearest Aspen stockist to see if they have 1ltr. bottles. Aspen Fuel :: Stockist Locator
Ideally, use light naphtha-based fuel. Examples are Coleman Fuel and Crown campfuel. Zippo lighter fluid is also suitable. Holts brake cleaner is suitable. Same goes for WD-40 brake cleaner. Some brake cleaners use heptanes as the fluid. They should be good as well. If any of the brake cleaner is available in non-aerosolized form, they are good candidates. Just about any cleaning fluid or panel wipes that contain only light alkanes, heptanes or light naphthas would do fine. Check the ingredients and make sure they don't contain any methanol, toluene, xylene or any chlorinated hydrocarbons. Some brake cleaners contain chlorinated solvents. These are not suitable. The recommended ones would burn clean with hardly any problems of gumming, coking, clogging or sludging. They have nearly indefinite storage lives if properly sealed in suitable containers. None of the above is available in my location except Zippo lighter fluid. However, the small packing quantity and its relatively high price per litre makes it unpractical as lantern fuel, (at least for me). It'd burn cleanly too but through my pocket instead. There are people in many parts of the globe that do not have a convenient access to the ideal fuels stated above. Myself included. In most cases, I'd have no other choices but just unleaded petrol. In my location, unleaded petrol is the least costly and the most available flammable liquid around.
No, definitely not! There are a number of different types and only the naptha based ones will work, whereas the others are water based... I think. Holts brake cleaner in 5L cans works very well and I use it in my Coleman Fuel lanterns. Alternatively, you might consider converting the lantern to run on kero. It's not particularly hard to do and only really needs a change of generator and a preheater cup.
Thank you all for the information! A think a trip to the local car Wilco is in order, to read the labels on their brake cleaners!
A swift trawl through eBay will get you what you need. Holts Brake Clutch Cleaner 5 Litre Professional Pure Solvent Mechanic Cleaning 5010218003316 | eBay You should be able to get it cheaper if you look around but this should point you in the right direction. I've used it in my non-kero Coleman lanterns and several other 'petrol' stoves and it works great!
Thanks! I’ve found that my local car spares place stocks Holts at a reasonable price, so I will be getting some and giving that a go! Amazingly, the seller has posted the lantern to me partially filled with fuel, which although being rather terrifying has proved to be a good test of the seals in the lantern (!!) and should get me started until I can get to the shop.
Well, the lamp is working perfectly on first lighting, with the remains of half a tank of petrol that it came filled with!! My next question - what’s your favourite mantle to fit to a 285? I’ve currently got a pair of Anchor mantles fitted, which unfortunately stuck to the generator and then tore when I got the lamp fired up so had to replace them.
Cool, thanks! Just found some 21 instaclips on Ebay at a reasonable price. This lantern addiction certainly catches up on you, doesn’t it??
I might get shot down in flames for this, but try these... 4.36￡ 48% OFF|50pcs Camping Hiking U shape Gas Lamp Lantern Mantles Replacement Covers|Outdoor Tools| - AliExpress They're so cheap you really can't go wrong. Delivery might take a while but even if you only use them for testing I've found them to work well. You might get a few failures but at pennies each, who cares!
BTW, the listing above isn't the only one, there will be loads of them and on Wish as well... eBay tooost likely.
Ha! I think I’ve got some similarly cheap ones off EBay! I’ve fallen out with AliExpress, as their ‘tracking’ information is blatantly fake
Another question - the instructions recommend 30 pumps before lighting, but should I give it a few more pumps once it gets going??
I always stop pumping if it stops making any difference to the light output. If it's not getting brighter there's no point in pressurising the tank more than is necessary.
Have you got a Tilley torch? Fill that 285 with kero, paraffin whatever you call it. Start with the valve open and no pressure in the tank. Preheat it with a Tilley torch or fit it with s spirit cup and pump it up when your preheat is about finished.
Good shout, it might just work fine although the current jet may allow a little too much fuel through because gasoline/Coleman Fuel jets are slightly larger than kerosene jets. If it does work, you can buy or make a pre-heater cup easily enough.
I've found it easier to put a bigger mantle on rather than change the tip if it's getting too much fuel.
if you have extra strings from other mantles laying around do this. Take the insta-clips off and with a needle insert the spare string through the holes the clips left behind on the 21 mantles. One thing with insta-clip mantles it’s they don’t last long because the metal clip expansion during the temp fluctuations.
