Petromax 809

Hi.

I don't know much about it. I just know that it is a petrol lantern with some kind of instant light in the Coleman style.

It came without any globe, I added this one made of mica.

On the bottom there were scratched two nr "3" spearated just by a space.

As I received just a few days ago I still couldn't work on it. There is some fuel inside the tank.

Juan

 

This is the Argentina PETROMAX style.

Wish I could find some here in Europe.

 

What do you mind with this? It is a German lantern, not an Argentine one.

Juan

 

That's a very interesting Petromax. It looks like a gasoline lantern. Juan, could you post more photos?

 

Yes, Piotr. With petrol I wanted to say gasoline: it has a tank cap without any pressure reléase, a shut-off valve, a straight generator. Yes, I'll post some more pictures.
Juan.

 

Some other pictures.

 

Hi Juan,

I have never seen German Petromax lanterns, built in this style.

 

I saw a paper a lot of time ago and I have a copy of the patent or something like this. Of course I can't understand anything because it was written in German language...

 

The patent is DE556033 applied for 16th May 1931. I don't understand fully either but I believe this patent is for the instant lighting features. ::Neil::

I have just added the patent to the reference gallery ::Neil::

 

Yes, Neil, this is the patent I was talking about. You can't see the complete lantern on it but it is clearly the same tank, burner and valves.

 

Odd thing is they don't seem to have patented this in England or the US. At least I can't find an equivalent in either patent databases. ::Neil::

 

Not that strange at all.
I have seen at least four of them. One on ebay many years ago, one partly in argentina, one in my shed, and now the one of Juan.

And I have seen a picture in a catalogue at some time.
It is a real gasoline design.

 

Where was the other part - in Uruguay?

 

It may have been on the border, at the checkpoint perhaps....

 

I have just seen two of them: yours and mine. I'd say they are very rare!

 

If I understand right, there are two differnt types of valves and my lamp matches fig nr 3.
Yesterday I tested it. I changed the check valve and the tank cap gasket, poured some petrol and lighted.
When the valve were completely close, there were an air jet coming out from the jet; is should be completely close. When I opened it just came petrol instead of an air - petrol mixture. So, the device doesn't work at all.
So, I preheated the burner with a torch and the lantern shone all the dinner. Again, when I tried to shutt off the valve, it came off air from the jet which finally extinguihed the flame.
Finally, I found this picture on my computer; I don't remember where I got it.

 

I found this. It seems it is from the UK patent database and there it says Apllication country: US. It is a translation of the German patent.
Juan

 

And this is the valve, the real thing. When you turn to right for close the valve, as it is a left thread, the piston settles on the valve body closing the way to the generator / carburetor (a couple of holes on the body valve, you can see one), but opening a hole on the end which connects with the air chamber on the tank. When you turn to left, the valve closes the air chamber and allows the mixture air / fuel first and then only fuel to go to the generator. I could fix that the valve closes completely but the "instant" lighting still doesn't work.

 

That is not from the British Patent database. Those classification numbers are from the European patent office Worldwide database. If you go back to the original list there is no suggestion of a US origin. I searched in the European database for an English language patent for this lamp from 1930 to 1933 and there is no equivalent patent. It seems therefore that Graetz only patented this in Germany. ::Neil::

 

You can find it under:
DEPATISnet and download the PDF.
In German only, but I can translate to those who like to know.