Hi Everyone! I’m a newbie to all this, so I beg your patience. Among my stored and hidden flea market “treasures” I just found an Optimus 930. I seem to have purchased it in its original (beat up) cardboard box. The mantle and stuff appear a little charred, but the glass globe looks geat. So here are my two questions and I hope you can help me find their answers: How do I determine the year this 930 model was manufactured? How do I (dare) go about learning to restore this lantern? Thanking you in advance for your help, Mike
Welcome aboard! This link shows relevant information, but the library is only open to subscribers. https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/optimus-930-930a.6143/
Greetings @mikehayward , you've come to the right place (not necessarily the right person) for information, help and advice. In answer to your first question, because Optimus didn't date stamp their lanterns like Coleman do, it's almost impossible to pinpoint a specific year. If you can post a picture it will provide clues for the "period" your lantern was made but in the meantime, have a look in the Lamp Reference Gallery here 930 you will see that some versions are slightly different to others which should help you determine a timeframe for your lantern. For your second question, there is no need for trepidation. Although perhaps a mystery at the moment, you'll find the Optimus 930 to be a relatively uncomplicated lantern which is not too difficult to restore but before I ramble on unnecessarily; how much do you already know about lamps and lanterns in general ?
I have some knowledge about how they work, but no knowledge about how to do things like cleaning out an old, gunked up fuel tank, how to replace a mantle, how to replace (insert part name here).
@mikehayward , hello and welcome to CPL. Your 930 optimus is a very cool lantern. There is a few simple steps. Take pictures of your lantern, remove the top part, globe put somewhere safe out of the way. If you say your tank has gunk in it , it will mabe all the way through the valve fuel pick up , shut of valve and generator, all of which can be removed for better inspection. Take pictures as you go so you have reference. There are threads on this site about cleaning and sevice and where to find parts if needed. Dont be afraid to ask the fellas here are willing to share their proven knowledge. In the reference library you will find your lantern and read up. Remember if it is not broken dont try and fix it. Enjoy getting your lantern to work. Then if you want you can give it a real clean and polish .
Take many pictures, and post it all in the Reference Gallery. As already said by Henry, it will then be possible to narrow it down to the most probable period of manufacturing by some details that has changed over the year. People in here can help you with that, so just go ahead and take pictures of all details, and show us. On the contrary! It's a very hot lantern... Sorry. Couldn't resist. But it might actually be worth mentioning, so don't be afraid when you eventually will get the lantern running, and find out that the tank gets very hot. It's normal for this one.
Thank you. You guys are most kind and helpful. I hope that, in time, I can return the favor to someone else.
I’m going to wander over to YouTube and do a little research on “Optimus lantern” and “gas lantern repair”. I’ll report back here on what I find. [emoji here of guy with magnifying glass]
Found about a dozen or so “show and tell” videos (well, some a little more ‘show’ than ‘tell’) and having the lamp owner talking you through what he’s doing (e.g., firing up the lantern) is a big step toward understanding what’s going on and in what order things are done. I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know what all this print jabber about “200CP,” “250CP,” “300CP” was about until someone in a YT video said,”Well, you can see on the side here it says three-hundred candle power...” Oh... another note: it’s kinda cool that the videos are showing *different* Optimus lantern models... different but the same, if you know what I mean... so it’s very helpful learning lamp architecture and operation. The first video I watched, the guy fired up a 930 by pouring fuel into the bottom well and setting it on fire with a mini blow torch (!) Scary as - well, you know the word. I thought the lamp was going to blow up with the amount of fire he had going on inside the globe! But then (all this without a word of explanation) he finessed the fire, starting pumping the fuel pump, opened something or other, and it looked like the mantle(s) bloomed into operation and took on a life of their own. So that was my first video experience watching someone fire up a 930. Here’s the link:
I'm pleased to hear that you watched more than one video on YouTube. Quite often you will come across a "how to . . ." video and in spite of what the guy says, it is exactly how NOT to do what is being demonstrated. The video in your link is a reasonable demonstration but a demonstration is not necessarily a tutorial ! Hopefully, you will have learnt a few basics about the correct operation of your lantern which will ensure you stay healthy whilst enjoying a nice bright light. First and foremost is the correct fuel for your Optimus 930 is kerosene. NEVER use gasoline ! Gasoline lanterns like Coleman have special features which make them safe to use with Coleman fuel / camp fuel / gasoline. These features include a needle valve which more or less guarantees a positive shut-off for the on/off control, your 930 does not have this feature, to turn it off, you simply release the air pressure. Although this method is perfectly safe for kero lanterns, it is potentially fatal when using gasoline. After use, the lantern will be hot, by releasing air pressure you will also release fuel vapours which are easily ignited by the heat from the lantern.
Hi @mikehayward - welcome to the group. I am sure that you will get your 930 up and running in short order. And you will not forget the rush of seeing it light for the frst time after you have fettled it. Like others have said there is much knowledge in this website and even more in the 'lampies' that inhabit it. BUT beware one lamp begets another and so on... Lastly - Youtubers get paid for views, not for accuracy ! - nobody here is lucky enough to get paid for sharing their knowledge and opinons. If I may humbly suggest corroborating what you see against a trusted source. cheers Chris
Thank you Chris! Advice taken. Your gentle admonition begs the question: okay, forget YouTube... Is there anyone doing instructional/JFTHOI* videos here on CPL? That would be both interesting and fun! *Just for the heck of it
@mikehayward We're not saying forget YouTube, more like, be aware that some methods shown / demostrated in some "instructional" videos are not necessarily the safest. Here's some good advice from @Fireexit1 which could be construed as a modest way of saying, ask somone here. You ask "Is there anyone doing instructional/JFTHOI* videos here on CPL?" Indeed there is, our very own @X246A has some excellent tutorial videos under the name Broadlander. They are mostly specific to the English Tilley Lamp but still, it may be worth your while to watch a few. Although quite different in appearance to your Optimus, they work on the same principal and you may pick up a few handy tips along the way.
