I was fortunate enough to recently trade with a member of this forum in the US for this Thomas Kerosafe M1004. An interesting model due to the burner assembly and air tubes and baffles protruding from the mica chimney. Gives it a great shape particularly without a collar. A reasonably easy fettle, the NRV ball bearing was showing it’s century of service so swapped it out for a new stainless BB. Really roars on light up before quietening down when the valve is fully open. Running on white gas rather than the kero as the name would indicate. Thanks again for the trade!
I presumed so given the name but the previous owner ran it on naptha and its construction is very Quicklite-esque. As it has a fuel valve I went with the naptha. Would always rather run paraffin though for safety so may give it a go. Even an Amish mix would be preferable.
Would need to figure out a preheater that could enter through the base plate ifI switch to paraffin. Think I remember seeing something when reading up on these but I can’t find it again. Wondering if a modified Tilley preheater would do the job.
This link shows relevant information. https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/diagram-of-a-thomas-kerosafe-lantern.1831/
Thanks Jeff. That looks simple enough. Are there any downsides to running a paraffin lamp on naptha bar the general naptha flammability safety/failure concerns, given this lamp has a shut off valve? Would I damage the lamp in any way?
Hello Scott, you are welcome. The build quality of that old lantern is splendid, but I would err on the side of caution and stick with paraffin. One point about using Coleman fuel etc., is not to release the pressure whilst the lantern is hot, that may seem obvious, but when one is used to paraffin lanterns it's easy to forget that Naphtha based fuels are far more volatile.
Nice lamp, Scott, and very well fettled. What size is the ball bearing you used to repair the check valve? Tony
