I've been getting withdrawal symptoms from not having any new lamps. So I went to an auction tonight and picked up a fairly dirty but sound looking 237. I don't know anything about this type of lamp so any info would be greatly appreciated. I have managed to work out that it runs on paraffin because of the spirit cup and also the presence of some old fuel in the tank plus it ran when I gave it some pressure and heat. Got to do some cleaning now.
Hello Matt, I have 2 examples of that lantern and they do work, but I find the light output disapointing. Coleman rated them at 500cp., and perhaps they work better on Coleman fuel than on paraffin. Your lantern will clean up well enough, Jeff.
Hi Pete, yes that's exactly what I thought. I'll get it all nice and shiny and then stick one on and see how it works. Hi Jeff, the light output seems reasonable but I didn't know what top expect so I guess I can't really judge it. When it's all clean and together I shall give it a good long burn and see how it performs. P.S. I forgot to say that it only cost me £9 plus premium.
They are supposed to be 500 cp kero lanterns although they will run on gasoline but still need pre heating as there is no fuel/air valve. I have yet to find one that does much over 200 cp and generally they are dissapointing in light power. Good solid well made and reliable lanterns though and my lamp of choice for general lighting. ::Neil::
I've got a nice boxed one of these. Neil, do you mean petrol or Coleman fuel? If they'll run ok on Coleman fuel I might fire it up. Cheers Trevor
Hello Trevor, I reckon that Coleman fuel would be better, because it does not have all of the additives that modern petrol has. Which means that the lantern will not carbon up so quickly. I have found that the 237 likes plenty of pre heating and plenty of pressure too. Do remember to check all of the seals and washers before putting fuel into the tank. Neil may have some other information for you, Jeff.
Thanks for all the comments. Tonight I have had the generator stripped down and after about 30 mins in vinegar and 3 or 4 cycles in the ultrasonic cleaner, that removed most of the dirt before I finished everything off with fine wire wool. I've put it all back together and I think I can safely say that it is easily burning 2 if not 3 times brighter than in the pictures. It now hurts to look directly at the mantle, so a good nights work. I had it running for about two hours at work today before fettling and it needed regular attention about every 5 mins I had to prick it and as time went on it got duller and wouldn't pick up with pricking. It's got a proper good roar now.
Thanks Jeff, I thought this model was paraffin only. Just taken it out of the box. Though it might have been fired up once or twice I had previously dismantled it to check everything was ok. I've got some Coleman fuel sitting about doing nothing so I'll fit a Peerless mantle tomorrow and fire it up.
Hello Trevor, it's stated on the collar of my 237, that kerosene or gasoline can be used, but no matter which fuel is being used, the lantern must be pre heated! My example is shown via the link below, Jeff. http://0flo.com/index.php?threads/952
I've used a Peeless #111 with mine with good results. I own several, some are not so bright, others very bright. Dan
Just finished cleaning the lamp up. I started off with a peerless 111 but it got a massive hole in it before it had finished burning off. So I removed that and fitted a 24-C. I think the problem was that it didn't burn off evenly so it curled up one side. To make sure that didn't happen again I soaked the next one in meths, filled the spirit cup and set fire to the lot. This resulted in a very quick even burn and the lamp is now running flawlessly and the mantle is free of holes. I shall take some more pics later when it gets dark, although it is surprising just how bright it is in daylight.
Here's my '61 running on Coleman fuel with a Peerless 111 mantle. Believe it or not the pic was taken in strong sunlight. Very bright, but maybe not quite as bright as I'd expect (especially since it's seems virtually NOS), and even with a lot of pressure in the fount it flickers a lot. I wonder if it would run a bit better on paraffin. One thing to mention, even if I shut it off tightly I've noticed that once the lamp cools, fuel is getting back into the vapourizer. So I'm having to tighten the valve again once it's cooled. I wonder if that's because the needle valve hasn't bedded in properly yet.
It should perform better on kero. They are a lanten which Coleman said may be run on gasoline but the prefered fuel is kero. ::Neil::
The valve may leak. There is no fuel air tube-just a straight pickup, and sometimes the brass cone/seat on the valve get a groove worn in them and will not seal properly.
