Coleman 201 mantles

Hi all.
Can anyone suggest where i can buy a couple of mantles for my Coleman 201 at a decent price in the UK please? i believe i need #99's as apparently the #21's are not great but please correct me if i am wrong,
Thanks.

 

Hi MG,

The correct Coleman mantle is 21 A and providing the generator (vapouriser) is in good order, your 201 will give a very good light. Coleman 99's fit and work well on most single mantle Coleman lanterns and because they're a bit longer, give more light for the same amount of fuel.
Peerless 24 - A mantles are the same size as 99's and are reputed to be very good - I haven't tried them myself.

Where to get them ? http://www.base-camp.co.uk/Wicks.htm is one scource, or you could also try eBay but don't jump in just yet as someone else may be able to give you other scources.

Henry.

 

Hi Henry,

That's great, thanks for the info, i have just found a post elsewhere that said Coleman don't make the 21 A's anymore due to the Thorium content? and that the 21 supersedes it and i found a pack of 4 on ebay for just under £6 delivered, hopefully they will be ok and the seller said they will be ok, i have never burnt one before, do i fill the cup with meths and let the mantle burn through that way or should i use a lighter? apparently its meant to burn till there's just ash left or something, let it cool down and then i can light the lamp is that correct before i destroy all my mantles?

 

Personally, with the lantern still partially disassembled, I'd light the mantle & let it burn until it's all ash, i.e. no glowing red bits and no black patches either, although a bit of black where the string is, will be O.K.
If there is anywhere that hasn't turned to ash, apply a flame to that particular area.
By the time you've filled the spirit cup, put the glass, hood and handle back where they belong, the lantern / mantle will have cooled enough to start preheating.

Are the lighting instructions on the lantern collar still legible ? If yes, you'll see it says give thirty pump strokes but for me, with a NEW mantle, this is too much (I've had new mantles split), so, with a full tank of fuel, give 15 to 20 pump strokes and when the spirit is almost burned out, open the valve slowly all the way (just short of 4 full turns on my 201) and then you can give more pump strokes to total 30.
Once the mantle has filled out to its proper shape, the next time you light the lantern, you can follow the lighting instructions to the letter.

There are as many ways to light a lantern as there are to boil an egg but if you're new to pressure lamps, this should point you in the right direction.

Henry.

 

That is an excellent description, thank you, yes i am very new to pressure lamps so that will be a great help, the lighting instructions are still legible but i've also found some on the net to just in case, i've got to clean it up over the next few days and then i can test it once my syringe and mantles turn up,
Thanks for the help Henry.

 

You indicated being new to lanterns, and you have a Coleman 201. 201 is not a common model in the USA.

You can try white gas in the unit if desired. I typically run white gas in my Coleman kerosene lanterns.

The 201 is a lot like the 200a. One difference is the 201 may have a slightly smaller jet for kerosene.

Good luck with it.
Have you got it running?
Do you like it?
Jody

 

Hi Jody,
Yes i am brand new to lanterns, i have got three now, two Tilley X246'S an A and a B, i have changed the rubber washers, pump leather, mantle, flushed the tank etc on the B and am hoping to do the A tomorrow and then i need to clean up the 201 and fit a mantle next week when they arrive so all going well i will be lighting them all next week sometime, which i am looking forward to, i have just been watching a few videos of people rebuilding and lighting 200a's,
Thanks i might need it i do like it but i may move it on once i've got it sorted to make room for some more.

 

According to the manufacturer, the Peerless 24A is actually not equivalent to the Coleman #99. It is a longer 500cp rated mantle designed for high pressure LPG lamps. The drop-in replacement for the #99 is the new Peerless 22A.
On white gasoline lanterns like the Coleman 200A, there is enough space below the burner to use a Peerless 24A as there is no spirit cup. On paraffin lanterns like the Coleman 201, 241, 249 etc. this is usually not the case. The 24A does work well on the 350cp Coleman 335 and 339, though.

 

Jody-Florida said "try white gas". DON'T!

The Coleman 201 is a kerosene lantern, not a "gasoline" lantern.

Cheers

Tony

 

Don't worry i will only use what each lantern is designed to run on, i'm accident prone as it is thank you very much
Cheers Tony

 

The biggest difference, between 201 and 200a is that the 200a has an instant light feature (open 1/4 turn and light). This is possible with gasoline because it vaporizes easily at low temperatures. The instant light feature is enabled by the fuel pick up tube on the 200a.

Kerosene must be pre-heated.

If the lantern is new to you, you might think about running a dunk test on it. Perhaps this is not so important with Kerosene, because if kerosene leaks it will not be a big problem like it could be with gasoline. But if you are waiting on mantles and so forth to arrive, it could be a good opportunity to run a dunk test.

Good luck with your 201 and other lanterns.
Jody

 

Great minds and all that, i dunk tested the Coleman today and it passed swimmingly so i cleaned it up and t cut and polished it and it looks quite smart now, no such joy with the Tilley X246, it was leaking from the gland nut and the pump area so changed the gland nut washer and eventually i sussed out the raised area the NRV seats onto has got a tiny recess on it and air is escaping from there and i'm not capable of repairing that so have put a wanted add for a pump in the wanted section. i read a post earlier saying i should try and fire things up before i fit a mantle so may try that first.

 

I DO fire up gasoline lanterns without the mantles for testing, with the glass removed because the glass is off when I am fiddling with the lantern.

I like to see a blue flame - which tells me all is well without risking a mantle which costs a few coins. Sometimes I find lanterns will not run right without a mantel, but run with mantles, so it is not a definitive test.

State-side almost all lanterns I find are gasoline lanterns. I would be curious to know if this works with Kerosene.

Jody

 

I presume i would still need to pre heat the vapourizer to test one without a mantle?

 

Yes. Pre-heat the kero or you'll get an awful mess.

Cheers

Tony

 

If you try this, you will definitely need to pre-heat.

I do not recall ever trying this with kerosene...

Jody

 

Jody and MG

I test all my lamps (kerosene or gasoline) without a mantle first - it helps you judge how well your vapouriser and burner are functioning.

Cheers

Tony

 

Thanks gents i will try that over the weekend on the Coleman and the X246B if i can get the new mantle back off,
Sorry for more questions but whats the best way to burn the new mantle on the Tilley? the Coleman should be easy as i can do it without the glass in place.

 

Hi Phil,

Thanks for correcting my mistake. I obviously copied the wrong number from the just mantles page on Old Coleman Parts website.

Cheers, Henry.

 

MG

With the Tilley, most instructions say to soak you pre-heat torch in meths as normal and light the lantern with the new mantle as normal.

But: I find that sometimes, especially with an old vapouriser, going through the normal routine ends up with a misshapen mantle (which isn't really a problem - just aesthetics).

So, my usual procedure is to tie the mantle on (globe off), then spray it with methylated spirits (carefully) and light it and let it burn out. Put the globe back on, and go through the normal light up procedure.

Your mantle won't assume its final shape until you have the lantern running at full pressure.

Cheers

Tony

 

Tony that is great advice thank you very much,
I don't suppose you could recommend another member on here that might be able to supply me with a Tilley X246 A? pump? mine is leaking i think from a little recess on the raised circle that the NRV seats onto, NRV and spring are new so think that's the problem,
Thanks Mark.

 

It would be unusual for a leak there that's not simply a problem of the NRV seating properly.

Here is what I would do:

Make sure the pip is sitting flat it the pip-holder and clear of rim. Make sure the pip is clean, and that the recovering area is clean. Stretch you spring just a bit. Put it back together and test it out.

Cheers

Tony

 

Hi MG,

According to a Tilley instruction pamphlet, you procede as you would with an existing mantle. The flame from the pre-heater torch will burn off the new mantle while the vapouriser is getting hot.
When the spirit is almost burned out but still licking the bottom of the mantle, you can start pumping in air but go steady Tilley (and Vapalux) don't like a lot of pressure too soon. If the spirit goes out before the mantle lights, simply apply a flame to the mantle.
With a full tank of fuel (just below the filler / approx. 1.5 pints), give a MAXIMUM of 100 pumps.

Practice makes perfect and you'll gain experience and confidence.

Henry.

 

Tony
I did try that but i will give it another go, i bought a pack of pips and tried two different ones, how much should the pip protrude from the holder? the original did seem to sit slightly higher but had a circle worn into it so i changed it, i can feel a slight knick on the recovering area hence why i thought the pip wouldn't seat properly there and would let the air escape on dunk test,

Henry,
Thanks for the advice its much appreciated, i bought a pack of four mantles just in case, once the mantle is burnt and used is it safe to tilt a lantern (unlit of course) say to empty the tank without damaging the mantle?
Cheers Mark.

 

Just had another go with the old pip turned over and a new pip and stretched the new spring its slightly better but still leaking, there is a definite indent or bit missing from the recovery area and both pips sit flush with the holder and not proud and there is a full circle indent on both pips after i tried, i did a pump test earlier under water with the pip end removed and my thumb over the hole and there was no other leak so all i can think is that its coming from that indent on the recovery area.

 

Sorry, if you've covered this, but it's late and I can't concentrate enough to read. The NRV pip that you're changing, is it in a brass holder? Later x246b's had a shaped pip with no holder. If yours has a brass holder, when assembled, you should see the brass holder sticking through the hole at the bottom, give it a gentle tap on a hard surface just to seat it a little. You may find that the seals in the kit you bought are past their best, if they've gone hard then you'll never really get a proper seal. You might be best to order a newly produced set, the fettle box has full kits.

 

No problem, Henry; I think the OCP page still has old info as the 22A has been on the market for only about a year. Before that, the 24A was the only mid-sized mantle made by Peerless. For gasoline lanterns without alcohol pre-heat cups that are ubiquitous in the US, the longer length of the 24A is not a problem.

I explained the problem to Sam Blank from Gasman Mantle Mfg who make the Peerless mantles, and asked him to to make me a shorter version of the 24A which would fit properly in the available space on the 201 and 249 lanterns. He sent me a bunch of different length samples which I evaluated for him. The final result was the 22A for 300cp lanterns.
It was also tested by CCF members who gave it a mostly positive reception as some, never using kerosene lanterns, could not quite see the point.
I still think it should prove very popular given the vast number of 300cp lanterns in use around the world.

 

Hi Matthew,
Yes it is the version with the brass holder and i bought a pack of twelve viton pips off ebay which should be ok as he seems to sell a few, i will try giving it a tap which is another good idea, thanks,
I ended up buying two pumps a vapourizer and a cock assembly off ebay last night so if your idea works (which it probably will now i've bought extras ) i will have some spares anyway,
Cheers Mark.

 

Spares will be handy, once you've got these lamps going, you'll want more lamps. My collection only started because I was curious about how a Tilley lamp worked, I'd been buying wickie lamps. Once that lamp pops into life, you're hooked.