Hi all. Just found you guys but having trouble negotiating the forums. I have two of these wretched lanterns which I bought new around 12 years ago. Every 2 years or so I battle with them. Last night by the fizzing light of my 50 year old Tilley (which works like a Swiss watch) we re mantled the petromax ,set all controls and hey presto! White light for almost an hour when as usual the mantle went red then black . On inspection this morning (after retrieving it from the scrap bin) the whole mantle assembly is loose and wobbly as is the mixing tube. These lanterns have never seen more than 4 hours hot life and appear utterly useless. Mackburner has posted alot of good stuff about these being possible knock offs from China . If I were to invest in new stainless vapourisor heads will this cure them ?. If I have owned endless and faultless Tilley products all my life so it's not me !. If they are destined never to work it's e bay next. Hope to hear from anyone who can offer some permanent solution. Jon.
Welcome aboard! Fettling all of the Petromax genre of lanterns is a learning curve. In my opinion, once they have been properly set up they are excellent working lanterns which are very bright.
Jon, If you like Petromax lanterns, and they are a very good lantern, then stay away from the knock-offs, i.e. those made anywhere but Germany. No genuine Petromax lantern was made much after the mid-1970 in Germany. Therefore, if your Petromax is newer then it's not a true Petromax. If you check the tank you will notice it's usually stamped "Registered Germany". That simply means it's registered there (the name only). If it is stamped, "Made in Germany", then you have an original. Also, if there are numbers on the bottom of the tank more than four digits long it is not a true German Petromax. Exactly what these numbers mean is debatable. I won't go into that here. As far as spare parts are concerned, I have used newer parts more than likely made in China and have had good results. So I think it's safe to go with newer parts. I have several Petromax lanterns: 821, 827, 828 and the 829, all made in Germany and all work very well. I might also add, for safety, all burn Kerosene and NOT gasoline, no matter what the seller says. Even some of the Petromax and even Aida lanterns made in Germany will indicate you can use both fuels - you can't!
Hello Jon and welcome to the forum. Petromax lanterns have been made in China for some time now and as far as I know, the earlier ones where made strictly to "Petromax" standards. However, as time has gone by these standards have slipped and the lanterns are much like modern Chines made clones which whilst capable of working well giving a good light, more often than not, they need fiddling with in order to achieve optimum performance. Many of us who have had years of experience with perhaps only one brand of lantern quite often have problems with something different. Have you reviewed the instructions ? I have no experience with steel burner nozzles so the only comment I can make is that you can screw them in tighter without breaking the threads. Alternatively, a little Exhaust Sealer paste on the threads should stop the clay burner nozzle working loose. Whilst the lantern is cold, check the gap between jet and mixing tube, ideally it should be 14.2mm., check this using the blade end of the wrench which came with the lantern. If it needs adjusting proceed as follows: Make sure that the cleaning needle is down, loosen the screw which clamps the mixing tube in place and adjust the tube accordingly before tightening the screw. Also, make sure that the slot in the mixture adjustment screw (on the short leg of the mixing tube) is vertical. There are plenty of others here who are able to offer further advice based on knowledge and experience. Henry.
Many thanks for your help George. I bought them new from a shop in the U.K. so I suspect they are "moody knockoffs " I think I will just sell them on and get out what I can. I have seen adverts suggesting that they are only suitable for people who wish to twiddle them, I think they know they are not genuine. But at least you guys have unravelled the truth so I'm not going mad !. Happy new year. Jon
Thanks so much for your advice, I had thought about fire cement or gun gum so I'll try it. We set it up as per the book but the gap set up is useless due to a wobbly top allowing at least 4mm of error ! Combined with this the tube comes loose all the time due to heat. I might be tempted to silver solder it together. Interestingly we just looked and it is "registered in Germany" N. O. 268359. So likely Chinese. Thanks again to all of you who have helped. Jon.
Petromax type lanterns are more a machine then a tilley. They don't like to be put in the barn and taken out only once or twice a year. Especially filled. Metal burner heads don't belong to a petromax, ceramic head sometimes get loose but after all the years collecting and using, only after a long bumpy ride in the back of the van. Cheap after market stuff floods the market so make sure you get the oldest available, that fit ! Also they loved to be loved, so tickle them with the needle every now an then. Yes I believe you use the cleanest fuel but still just use the needle. Then for some strange reason the pressure drops when using the light. Well this is accepted as normal and you should pump it up to 2 bar every now and then. So in a nutshell: every now and then they need attention.
These Chinese lanterns often need some attention from new. Compared to Tilley they are more complex and tricky to fettle at first try. You are less than an hour from me so we could see about having me, you and the lamps in the same place and we will make them sing again. ::Neil::
That's really kind Neil and I would be very interested in taking you up on this kind offer, I had hoped you would see this post !! . I'm currently available most of the time as I'm working part time flex. Can you message me and we'll exchange numbers etc and talk dates. Jon
I disagree with the statement that no true Petromax was made after the mid 70's. Yes, production moved from Altena in Germany to Casa Hipolito in Portugal, but the same tooling was used and the quality is as good the German lanterns IMHO. As long as it has four digits stamped on the base it's a European lantern and of good quality. The Chinese made lanterns have a six digit number and eleven points on the sun that forms parts of the Graetz logo instead of ten as found on European lanterns and are IME junk. They can be fettled to work well, but the plating is poor and the brass is thin. HD
Thanks H.D. I reckon I was sold a couple of monkeys. Six digits on base etc. Mackburner has offered to help. Thanks to everyone for all the help. Jon
HD you have a good point and I should have caught that before I posted my last. The ones made in Portugal under the Hipolito brand were just like ones made in Germany and with the same quality.
Off coarse pictures and a story what happend with the lantern would be nice. So : what is done, with what kind of result ?
Point to note. Some German made lamps didn't have the code on the tank bottom such as those made for the German Federal Army.
If all fails I will demonstrate the art of "lantern kicking", followed by two barrels of N.0.6 shot from my father's 12 bore shotgun (circa 1890). That will teach them not to work ! Jon.
I had a NOS of the 6 digit P'MAX variety and as soon as I took it out of the box I could tell it simply would not do as a working lantern so I put back in the box and sold it on ebay. Of the vintage/new P'Max and clones I have had all have been poor candidates for a reliable lantern I could use regularly around the house or camping. Too much maintenance , repair , troubleshooting to be worth all the effort with this style of lantern.`The brilliant brightness of these lanterns did not compensate for repair, parts cost and frustrating break downs that made me want to fling the darn things out the nearest window. Only luck I have had has been with vintage German made Picostar lanterns which have worked consistently well for me. Only lanterns I know that combine 500cp+ with Coleman , Vapalux, Tilley dependability and ease of use are the Amish lanterns produced by HC Lanterns and Lancaster Lanterns here in America. Problem here is they are small production heavy duty work lanterns and cost a lot, $325 and $360 respectively. HC Lanterns has one model for $200 that uses a Coleman fount .
Thanks so much for your amusing post Hanzo. I've grown up with tilley lamps and even the old radiant heaters. In fact two of mine were my father's and must be 50 years old. They work perfectly and reliably. I'm very disappointed and wish I'd found you guys earlier. And don't worry everyone I'm not going to shoot them as I have bigger fish to fry on account of starting the bench saw with a roofing square on it. That's the end of the saw, the blade and the square which you could now pull a Cork with its so twisted !
