Hi all, I bought online my first Petromax clone style lantern and despite it being advertised as a Primus, upon arrival, under the filth and grime I read the faint marks of Coleman COL-MAX Made in USA. I started strip it down to clean up and it seems to be missing a few bits. no pricker or jet. I presume a 300cp Petromax/Aida/Butterfly/Optimus jet will be suitable, but I have no idea about the pricker needle. There seems to be several options available for purchase online, but all confusingly different. Can anyone tell me what pricker needle i need? Does anyone have a parts list specifically for a Col-Max that might help? I presume the needle just screws down into the 'conducting rod(?)' that sits inside the genny? I have tried searching this forum and elsewhere, but no luck so far. I just want it running again.
Hi Keronut Congratulation with a rarish lamp. You should be able to use spareparts with no problems from the Petromax/Geniol/Hipolito/Petrolite and here is a link I hope is usefull. http://hytta.de/petromax/lst350.htm Easy to order and the items you need should even be possible to post in a normal letter. The lamp looks to have a fine fount and the upper Hood is not impossible to find. Good luck with this fantastic lamp. Claus C
This link shows paperwork for Anchor lanterns which are similar, but you have to be a subscriber to this website to view that forum, Jeff. http://0flo.com/index.php?threads/6203
Thanks for link Claus. The hood upper was easy. Have ordered a replacement orange enamel upper hood part. How rarish as you say, are they? Mine is dated A 41. I guess this partly accounts for it being in a poorer state than the 50's 60's models in the gallery. Will see how shiny i can get it. Jeff, the thing that confused me was getting the right parts for the cp. the 333 Col-max is apparently 300cp whereas the Anchor and a lot of petromax clones seem to be 500cp. I'll see what I come up with from these links etc. thanks for the help guys
Hi KeroNut, Ive seen ColMax on the web somewhere too but i cant quite recall. The lower vaporizer seems to me like a 300 or a 350CP type lantern similar to Petromax 826. That just has a conduction rod and a block behind the excentre. i do not think that there is a foot valve. Which means that it is possible to change out the conduction rod and block if the more common less expensive needles have a different thread size. Like the case in Picostar lanterns having different threads on conduction rods. About the nipple should be similar to the other clones? I havent seen a ColMax nipple anywhere.
There's a Coleman forum and Old Coleman parts website, might lead to something: http://tgmarsh.faculty.noctrl.edu/coleuslant4660.html Scroll down to penultimate image, there's a 333. Collectors forum. Old Coleman parts .com
Thanks Derek, I have already checked those out. What I don't understand is the lack of info on these Col-max. Mine is Made in USA (is it fair to say in a time of market domination domestically) but I guess for export only. Coleman had strong customer support services in USA, is it possible these were exported with intention of them being maintained/repaired with non-genuine parts (ie any other Petromax clone brand around)? Where was their target customer base for these?
You mean one like mine but this one is made in Canada parts are scarce and so many different models to . Bob.
All the Col-Max range were intended for export and for this reason they are hard to find in the US. They were not sold in the UK or as far as I know anywhere in Europe either. Most seem to have gone to the near or Far East and they tend to turn up most in Thailand. I would expect to fettle it with Petromax parts and I guess 350cp bits will fit and work or be easily adapted to fit. ::Neil::
Thanks again for advice from everyone. I ordered three parts - pricker (stamped petromax), jet (no brand) and a cheap replacement enamel hood cap from Korea. The hood seems to be lost in transit, but i finally got the rest together and running. The only problem I had was some initial flare-ups caused by the jet not sealing adequately into the gen, and flames from the pre-heater were somehow lighting the escaping vapour. I re-installed the jet with a tiniest bit of gasket sealant. Now no problems. EXCEPT... I cant fully rotate the pricker wheel. It works rotating to clockwise or anti-clockwise. Just not full rotations as the bulk if the needle hits the inside of the jet. I don't know if this is due to the needle/jet combination i bought (different sources), or if i need to adjust using some arcane method passed down through fettlers that I have not been privy to. My initial thought is a spacer to raise the jet. Any help appreciated. ... and could someone tell me a glass that would fit better than the glass off my coleman 282 or the primus glass it came with. both seem a bit small (diameter wise) and are a bit loose, not really seating nice on the inside lip.
