For our purposes quench in water is the way to free up frozen threads. Oil quench is normally done to case haden steel, a quite different process to add carbon to mild steel surfaces. ::Neil::
Thanks Colin. I've got the Rothenberger Mapp Gas outfit... probably overkill, but the heat worked a treat on the varnish build-up.
Hullo All. Thanks for posting those photos of your Aladin, Darryl. I've just had a battle dismantling mine, which I bought in Kiama ten years ago. All threads stuck, and the entire insides severely carboned up, worse than an old two-stroke. Very thick black deposit on the pricker shaft, the outlet at the font totally clogged, and the block which supports the shaft choked up and stuck as well. Some lamp oil in the font, so no wonder it's all choked up with carbon deposits. Questions: After taking off the brass outlet at the font, I saw that the hole was completely blocked with black carbon, so it was carefully cleaned out. Was there a small mesh filter there originally ? If so, I can soon cut one and pop it in. The pick-up tube - is there one ? It stays in the font ? The control wheel - is it supposed to have a small, slotted washer either side ? The straight generator tube can be easily cleaned inside, but how to decarbonise the Loop ? Heat & Quench ? The cap nut on top, with the hole through it, is jammed on so tight I can't move it, so I can't dismantle the hood for cleaning and painting. Again, heat and quench ? The ceramic burner is loose in its ring, and the ring is loose on it hollow tube/shaft. I guess that will be o.k ? There's a large nut, about 23 m/m across the flats, which holds the burner on. Of course I don't have a very thin spanner, bent / joggled to suit. Otherwise, it's cleaning up well. Oh, and I'm still waiting on leather pump cups for other lanterns. Is there a specific sized pump cup for this lantern ? I suspect that this Aladin has a smaller pump tube than a Coleman lantern, or Companion Stove, though it does seem to have a longer pump shaft. Since there are no air tubes supporting the top, where does the air get in, to mix with the kerosene vapour ? Must be up top somewhere, but I can't see it, unless it's under the channel pieces. And no apparent mixing chamber ? Many thanks for your help and advice. Regards, Paul.
@Paul Aslanides , you have a very cool restoration lantern there, it dose look like it has been well used and used well. Yes there is a small fine brass mesh. you can make your own if you have the resources. The fuel pick up tube is part of the font, it is soldered in, don't try and remove it. Your control wheel looks in very good order, it can be removed , small nut on the end, BUT it may very well be corroded on/in, it would be better to remove the eccentric control all in one, this way you can clean up the control, and soak the wheel as it will snap off at the little nut quite easily, the wheel has two washer things that are made to grip the wheel, it will all come apart , wd 40 works well, maybe a gentle heat and quench. the small notch in the wheel is to indicate if the pricker is up or down. The generator, not that it matters is it steel or brass? soak the whole thing in vinegar, vinegar works wonders in cleaning up lanterns you can clean the inside with a brass wire brush , I use one I got from the local gun shop for clearing barrels. I do have nylon pipe brush I got from hardware store as well, The Preston loop, if you get bicycle break leaver wire , this works well, flexible and as it is ribbed acts as a cleaned as well, remove the jet at the top its a bit fiddly but you can get it , use the vinegar as a cleaner. you can heat and quench to help budge hard stubborn carbon. The cap nut, this will snap off if you force it, heat and quench, repeat, heat up to red hot if needed, or you can soak it in 50/50 acetone and transmission fluid, it a very affective penetration oil. The ceramic burner cap etc are commonly loose, unless your ceramic tip is cracked or broken it will work fine, you can remove it by unscrewing it, it is a small gap, I made a tool from a car window handle remover, or a small wood chisel that I used to get into the big nut and tap it so it bit into the nut as I tapped, it may need some soak in wd40 will help. The top when it dose come apart, you will notice a hole along side the ceramic burner, this is where the jet goes, and is the air intake for mixing, it is all preset the whole thing easily comes apart and will benefit from a good cleaning, Do you have the pricker needle in good order ? the pricker rod unscrews from the eccentric block and the pricker unscrews from the rod, it will all clean up good in vinegar, DO NOT put your pricker in the vinegar it will eat the wire rendering it useless. is your font brass or steel ? not that it matters but good to know, submerge the whole thing in vinegar, undiluted, it will strip off al the paint and other carbon, tar it will also clean the inside if the font,. do not leave it to long watch and tend to it regularly remove anything that comes of easily. all the lantern parts can be soaked and washed in vinegar, clean up with a brass wire brush was and rinse in water when you are happy with how clean it is. you will need to remove and service the Non Return Valve NRV the rubber pip inside will probably have had it and will need servicing, you can get NVR service packs from the fettle box, I've used lots of them and they are ideal and have never let me down. do you have the globe? you can get reproduction globes from eBay if you need parts google associated kerosene lanterns tw sands and co. they will be able to help you I hope this clears up a few things for you, happy fettle, if you need help just ask.
Thanks, Darryl. I have the dome nut off the top - heat and quench did the trick. Still to get at the big nut, no hurry for that. The Globe is o.k. The pricker is o.k. no need to dismantle it. The font is brass, the generator steel. There is no coil inside the generator - Is that right ? The small fine mesh filter sits in the font, before the brass casting goes on ? Or in the brass casting, before the generator goes on ? I have some fine brass mesh, just have to cut the right diameter. Pips for the NRV, I have two sizes. Leather pump buckets arrived today from Fettlebox - Yippee !
Some progress - trial assembly. I made a mess of painting the fount, so don't look too closely. The next one will be better. I like the colour, (Indian Red, by brush), but it wouldn't last on the top. There is generally not much choice of colour with the VHT cans in my area. The pricker wire is fully extended when the wheel is at 11 o'clock, and it's only a very short wire, so I'm sure that the rod is striking the inside of the jet, as the wheel won't go any further, i.e. right through 360 degrees. So now I know why the pricker rod is adjustable for length. (The rod is already bent, probably from excessive force). Will adjust the threads. Does anyone know what thread that is ? (In case I need a tap or die). The pricker wire can be seen protruding by about 2 m/m. The copper top is waiting for a can of VHT - can't decide on colour. The securing clips are badly rusted, one badly bent. The jaw marks can be seen on the uprights, where they were clamped to be riveted, or staked. Some are loose, which makes the lantern a bit wobbly when carried. Be a tricky job to tighten them. The glass is fine, it won't be installed until the lantern is finished and proved reliable. The large nut above the burner, I couldn't undo, so had to leave it as is. Question: What is the procedure to renew the packing around the eccentric shaft ? 1. Dig out the old packing ? How ? 2. Wrap the graphite strip around the shaft ? 3. Poke / Jam it into the casting ? 4. Tighten the nut gradually, checking the shaft for turning ? Thanks to Tony and Darryl, and everyone. Cheers.
G'day @Paul Aslanides your lantern is coming along quite nicely. The thread on the pricker rod is close enough to use a M2 x 0.4 tap/die. They can be cleaned and straightened. 1 - 2 - 4. I use a metal scribe to pick it out. But any sturdy steel rod with a point that fits will work. The seal is usually a fibre not graphite but graphite is fine as a replacement. If 1-2-4 doesn't work go for 1-3-4. Also consider not removing the seal unless you have too. A worn seal can be topped up with graphite 3-4 .
Adjust the needle rod so that there is between 0.5 and 1.0 mm showing when the needle is up. If it sticks out too far when it's up, there is a possibility that it will restrict the flow of vapour when it's down.
You are doing fine with your lantern, nice colour. You are asking all the right questions too. As you have found out the fellas are alway eager to help out.
Left to Right: 242 B (12/55), Aladdin A 1, 249 Scout (04/47). The 242 emits a mild roaring sound, the Aladdin is very quiet, and the 249 has a loud roar, much like a roarer stove, and has the brightest light. Had to use a small mantle in the Aladdin, forgot to order large mantles. What size / make to ask for ? I was reluctant and apprehensive about repacking the gland, never done that before, but some graphite strip worked very well, and stopped the small kerosene leak at the gland nut. It's running well, but I'm not certain that it's passing enough fuel to drive a bigger mantle. That Aladdin lantern has been waiting at least ten years for attention. And there should be a special punishment for people who run these lanterns on lamp oil ! Next up - a Solex 200 C lantern. Any reference to a Solex thread here, parts list, or a website ? And lastly, I have an original Handi A4 leaflet which is in need of attention, i.e. it's splitting along the seams, tearing, and just age deterioration. Anyone have any advice on the correct materials to use in order to preserve this old document ? Certainly not the usual sticky tape. Thanks for all your assistance.
Paul My advice about the Handi document is to have it scanned and leave it as it is. There is no tape or other material that will last on old paper. Can you photograph the mantle cold on your Aladdin? It looks ok to me. I suspect you might have a bit of carbon build up in the vapouriser. Cheers Tony @Paul Aslanides
Thanks, Tony. There seems to plenty of room there for a longer mantle, that's why I was thinking that the current one is too small. The vapouriser I have thoroughly cleaned out (I think !) with a vinegar soak, multi-strand cable in a drill, and emery paper wrapped around a rod. Got the cable into the Preston loop too. Two restrictions I can see are 1. the threaded sleeve near the top of the pricker rod, and 2. where the eccentric block slides up and down in the casting, there are just four small segments of a circle (spaces around the square block) to pass the fuel up into the vapouriser. It appears to be a red fibre insert, a bush or sleeve. Again, I've used emery on a rod to remove any carbon. I must admit to be quite pleased with the result of all the cleaning etc., didn't expect to have much success with this one. I've grabbed a few of these S 2 mantle packs, $3.90 per pack of three at Tentworld, $1.30 each mantle. Cheers. Paul.
On second thought, I have not been able to dismantle the top, so the gooseneck may have carbon buildup which could be restricting the flow. Any rate, the Aladdin is not as bright as the Colemans.
Thank you. The usual problem here is that not one shop stocks the full range of the S type mantles. S1, S2, and double tie are easy to find. I may have to wait for mail order. BTW, have found some references to the Solex. Cheers. Paul.
