Hello everyone, Would like to introduce myself and my first pressure lamp. I was fascinated by vintage kerosene for a few years now. It started with a wick lamps, then camping stoves and blow torches caught my interest, and finally, pressure lamps. I was looking for a fair priced pressure lamp, with no luck, as where I live they were historically rare and are quite rare and expensive now. But a few weeks ago I was able to find just what I was looking while visiting Estonia! As fas as I found on this forum, the lamp is Radius 119 from around 1934-1937 (with cracked ring of course ) After a quick clean up I started fettling. First of all, the lamp was not pressurising. As I have some experience with stoves I changed the leather cup on the pump and checked the NRV, which seemed to be not working at all. I decided to remove it and change it to a repro for a primus stove that I had on hand. It took me almost a week to remove it . First of all, I made myself a quite crude NRV tool out of a nut, but as the NRV was really stuck, it didn't work that well at first. Then I saw the method of using the tube cut to length of a pump together with NRV tool and screwing cap on top of it. Can't find that post now, but thanks to the person that posted it, it helped me ALOT. I messed up the head of NRV, but it finally came out! I screwed repro in and it fit well. Another issue I noted, was a safety cap that was seemingly not working too. To my surprise it came apart quite easily. I suspect that previous owner did something with it as it have pliers marks and a cracked brass disk. Both rubber gaskets are rock solid too. I had no mens to repair any of these issues, so for a quick pressure test I just screwed a cap from a Primus stove and was able to pressurised the lamp! Now coming to the parts that I don't have much experience in. First of all, the needle assembly is completely missing, but I think, I'll manage to fabricate new with the new one with the help of posts in this forum and the spare parts from Fogas.se. Secondly, a few questions: 1. How do I check jet nozzle without setting my house on fire? as I understand they are usually enlarged (I'm guessing mine is enlarged too). I saw there is a spare ones from South Korea on eBay, are they any good? I also saw a few examples of closing jet hole completely and then drilling it out again. Is it worth trying? If so, how small the hole should be? Maybe someone have experience with that? 2. is the distance between jet nozzle and J tube is important? if so, how do I regulate it? 3. What mantle I should choose for this lamp? For now, I'm looking forward to order spare parts from Fogas, like globe, repair kit for safety valve, small bits and needle for a needle assembly, a packing gasket for needle wheel. If anyone have experience with Radius 119 or just any other insights, please comment! Help is much appreciated! J.
Welcome aboard! That's a fine restoration project and as you have fettled pressure stoves before you should be able to fettle that lantern too and you have made a good start. In my opinion, your lantern needs a new vapouriser. I use a bulbous shaped mantle on that type of lantern, so that when the mantle burns off it forms close to the vapouriser, that keeps the vapouriser hot and ensures that the fuel and air mix burns properly and that in turn keeps the light bright. There are Swedish members of this forum who will have more advice for you.
Hi. Very cool lamp. If I found one at a reasonable price, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Congratulations on your find. You did a good job with the NRV (clever tool). I hope your next work ( needle, nozzle, adjustment) will be successful. I don't have experience with lamps so I'm unlikely to advise you, but I'm sure the guys here will give you many hints. Good luck and I look forward to the light. Greetings Stanisław
Welcome to CPL @Jack LT 1. The jet is a nominal 0.2mm dia. If a 0.2mm wire will fit in the jet it is enlarged. If you are getting parts from Fogas they should have a replacement nipple. Might be worth getting a new one with the other parts ordered. 2. The distance is fixed. Not adjustable. 3. A 300C.P globe style mantle (forms round rather than tubular) The generator looks like it has had a repair. Assuming it was good work it should be OK. But it will probably need the carbon cleaned from inside. These are a good lantern and should clean up nicely.
@JEFF JOHNSON @Knee @ROBBO55 Thank you for a warm welcoming! @ROBBO55 Thank you for your answers. I would love to buy it from Fogas, but as I mentioned, they are out of stock and after contacting them, they said they are not going to have them on stock again For now Korean on eBay was the only option I managed to find. fingers crossed on that repair, but it looks quite decent. What is the best way to clean it?Carburetor cleaner?
@Jack LT Hello. Jet and dowel is the same as on some Hasag lanterns. 10 Nadeln und 5 Düsen für Hasag 551L / 10 needles and 5 jets for Hasag 551L | eBay Tom
A couple of methods described here. Heat and quench but I prefer to heat then use a stranded cable to break up the carbon. Trouble with Radius 119 Vaporiser Anchor No.385 generator de-coked If using a drill, remember not to damage the threads in the top of the generator.
Some update on my radius fettling. While waiting for the new jet nozzle to arrive and I decided to try fixing the safety valve. As I mentioned before, both gaskets were rock solid and the brass shim was cracked. I managed to find the ,,lower” gasket in my spare parts box, so that was easy. For the gasket with six holes I grabbed 2mm rubber sheet from local hardware store as it was the thinnest they had. I traced the old gasket on it and simply cut it out. Then traced the holes and punched them out with hole punch. As it was too thick about 1mm I used my dremel tool sand it down to 1mm. The bigger problem was the cracked brass shim. At first I decided to try my new gasket with cracked shim. That didn’t work and I got a leak. As I had no such thin brass, I decided to try cutting new shim out of soda can: I had doubts about it working, as original shim have bent rim and seems to be hardened(?) I assembled everything and gave it a try. To my surprise it seems to hold pressure! Another interesting point I noticed that after a few tests the six hole shim. formed itself into same form as the old one: I guess I still need to ,,live” test it with lightning lamp on extended period, but for now I’m happy.
