I have had one of these on my list for a while and finally found one that had made its way across the Tasman. It didn't need a lot of work as it was in great shape and hadn't been run much I would say. These are well made bright little lanterns that have a few really good features and a few odd ones as well. I love the o-ring pump as it gives positive pressure the entire length of the stroke so no waiting for the leather cup washer to "catch". The stainless steel collar looks like it will last forever and it has a brass tank chrome plated. I do not particularly trust the plastic pressure release and of course, as stated by others, the bail that will only fly at half mast is a puzzling idea and really annoying. All-in-all a great little lantern which I am thrilled to have acquired.
You can make an “old” bail from stainless steel steel rod. I think I gave the dimensions here some time ago. If you want the measurements I’ll dig them out. I’ve probably got a metal air release screw, too, if you’re interested. Cheers Tony
Thanks for the kind offer Tony, but it was born like that and so it shall remain. I have had a good look at the plastic pressure release screw and I think it is made of Nylon or something along those lines so may be more durable than I give it credit and it does work really well.
The “plastic” knob works fine… except when the lantern catches fire. So… here’s a safety tip for all Austramax and small pressure lantern users: NEVER tilt your lamp on the side to fill it, and replace the filler cap in that titled position. Why? There’s a member here who has a heat etched print of an Austramax bail on a table in his house. —> Overfilled, the tank becomes very hot and highly pressured with resulting atomised kerosene being forced out of any place it can escape. I think also, another member had a worse encounter for the same reason. Cheers Tony
Thanks for the tip Tony. I never fill any of my lanterns (0ver 60 in total) to anything more than a little over half-way. I have had and used a Coleman 242B for 55 years and have always followed this policy for pretty much the reason you have outlined. My first lantern had belonged to my father and he did not follow this policy and we had some terrible conflagrations when camping as kids. His method of lighting the lantern was pretty much just set it on fire until it settled down!
