Hi everybody, My name is Giorgio and I'm from Italy. Congratulations for this fantastic forum, you guys are very wise! A few months ago I got my first lantern from my grandfather, a 1963 petromax hk500, I restored it, and after having Iit it for the first time, I fell in love with these old smelly objects! Now I have 2 petromax, a solex 200c, a new coleman dual fuel and a very rare (I think) solex hanging donut lamp. This lamp is in perfect condition, apart from the absence of the glass and the hand wheel. Can you help me restoring this lamp? Thank you in advance Giorgio
Hi and wellcome Giorgio I like think the Solex stormlamp look nice but I have never seen a hanging Solex. Do not hesitate showing pictures here of this, what must be a beautyfull lamp, as the Petromaxes of course. Claus C
Wow Giorgio That enamel looks mint from what I can see. I believe I can see rests of Black paint on the tank. It already looks like a beaty to me But when you are finished restoring then .. wow Claus C
Yes Claus, it seems that this lamp has never been used! Now you wise men have to teach me how to light it without the hand wheel
Hi Giotty, unfortunately it seems that not only the handwheel is missing, but also the gland nut which holds the packing of the valve shaft tight. So you may be able to light it by opening the fuel valve with pliers, but it will probably leak at the shaft. If you are able to measure the thread you will likely be able to get a replacement for the nut. M10x1 is a common thread for Petromax lanterns, so a spare could be obtained. And if the valve shaft is an M4 thread you can try a Petromax handwheel as a tentative replacement. You should also check any gaskets and replace them if they became hard with time. Good luck with your fettling Martin
Solex sold 5 different do nut lamps. Model 255 came as 200, 300, 500 or 800cp. There was also a 400cp model that I don't have a model number for. All are rare lamps. I only know of maybe two with collectors although I dare say there are more out there. ::Neil::
Hi Martin, are you the Martin I think you are? Thank you all guys for your help. Which glass should I have to buy? The petromax 835 one? Which gaskets? Here's my fettling, I hope you like it
Hi Giotty, looks good so far, should work. Some fine tuning can be done later... For the size of the globe you should measure the seating ring within the reflector. The rim at the globe shall be slightly bigger than that so that it has a loose fit but cannot fall out. This way the glass can expand a bit without breaking when the lamp gets hot. Could be that the one for Petromax 835 will fit, seems to be the nearest. About the gaskets I can't tell you, because I don't know the lamp. Simply try to get them out for inspection and/or take some measurements... BTW: who do you think I am? I've not heard from you so far, and I live in Germany. Perhaps we met before at a gathering?! I can't tell... BR, Martin
You're not the Martin I know thank you for the advice Martin! I don't wanna run the risk of choosing the globe... If i make other measurements and I post other pictures, can you choose the right globe for me? Thanks
Another question: which is the pre-heating procedure? Do I have to put some spirit into the little hole near to the nipple? What is the function of the rope? Is that made for absorbing the spirit? Tell me if I'm not clear
Hello giotty, to preheat your lamp, you must put about 10 ml. spirits in the hole next to the nipple and then light it, you can do this by putting a lighted match down the same hole. The rope will absorb the spirits so that they do not spill if the lantern gets knocked while it is being preheated. Henry.
How can I clean the vaporizer? It's a little dirty inside. Maybe I can use ultrasound cleaning, is it a good idea?
Hi Giorgio Using ultrasound is a good idea, but most people dont have such one in the pockett. You can also disolve the fuelrest by leaving the vapourizer in acetone or paint-thinner. That should do the trick. Claus C
I washed the vaporizer using caustic soda. I hope now it's cleaned inside, but who knows?? Some black chips came out... Now I have to wash the donut tank: can I use caustic soda again? What about the glass, guys? Can I order the petromax 835 glass? Tell me please, I can't wait to finish fettleing this fantastic toy!
If you go here http://hytta.de/zubehoer/435.htm you can probably find a glass of the right size. JUst measure your glass holder ring and see what they have in stock. ::Neil::
Good night guys. I read somewhere that caustic soda is a bit too aggressive with brass. Can I use it for cleaning the tank of my lamp? Talking about the leather pump, could be right this one ? http://www.pelam.de/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=105 Tanks
Hi guys. I have another question. Which mantle do I have to buy? The petromax hk 500 or 800 mantle? I don't know the power of this solex, I suppose it is 500 cp because it seems to be similar to the petromax 835, but I'm not sure. Thanks
Hi giotty, Have you examined the nipple? There may be a number on it which tells you the power of your lamp. If you have spare cleaning needles for your Petromax 500HK and Solex 200HK you can try them in the nipple of your hanging lamp. If the 500 needle is a nice fit in the nipple, then your lamp is probably 500 HK. If it feels a little loose, then it could be 800 but I think that at 40 cm. high, your lamp is too small to be 800 HK. If the 500 needle is too big for the nipple, your lamp could be only 300 or 400 HK. Try the HK200 needle from your Solex lantern and see how it feels. Henry.
Thanks Henry, I did the nipple test and I'm pretty sure it's a 500 cp. I've just ordered some 500 cp mantles, the glass and other spares. What would happen if the mantle is not right for the output of the lamp? Does it work anyway?
Yes it will work OK. I would try the first time without the glass. Once it is running OK you can then fit the globe. If the mantle is too small it may burst but this is not likely. A 500 mantle will always work on a smaller burner but may not fill properly. Does no harm though so there is no reason not to try that first. It sounds like you have a 500cp lamp anyway. ::Neil::
Yes Neil, I think so too. Do you remember when you told me that Solex sold 4 models of donut lamps? How do you know that? I read in "the lamp reference gallery" about only a few models of lamp (including the solex 200c, that i own).
