Anyone into old lanterns? (The Sequel Part 4, The Epic Project)

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To meet my July 22 lighting deadline, I pulled the lantern our of the molasses for the last time. It gets one soak after the last Brillo rub down to get any left over Brillo residue off the surface. Dried the lantern and cleaned the font using a foot of sash chain and a cup of white vinegar, twice (the second cleaning resulted in clean vinegar.

Dried it and used acetone to get most of the water out of the font. Using a vacuum and hair drying did a good job of getting the acetone and any other water out of the font. Will sit for a day to dry and will put the first coat of POR-15 Tank Sealant in it tomorrow, a second coat 3 days later. That is going to be a 10 day process to completion.

When I dumped the molasses, I was amazed at the amount of "dirt" that settled to the bottom. Everything that was on and inside the lantern.

The new burner fits nicely one the rust was removed from the burner mount and the outside ring was made round and enlarged just enough to get the burner to slip in and out. I should be able to adjust the holding tension by merely bending the points where the wick adjuster fits on both sides to hold it but still allow easy removal. The lantern people told me to put a coat of Vaseline in the burner mount just to make sure it does not start to rust tight again.

While it was in the bath, I clipped wires onto the brass and tin parts of the lamp and used a solid pure copper rod as the reference electrode, measured 0.482 volts on either metal, or about 0.2 volts less than the zinc/steel spring set up measured above. So, there is a potential difference between the zinc/steel and the lantern metal causing the turnbuckle to dissolve. Interesting.

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The final chapter, sort of.

Finished the restoration tonight, one day before the lantern's 103rd birthday, so took a few pictures. I don't know if it's an optical illusion or if the lantern was indeed dropped or hit at some point in the past slightly bending the air tubes to one side. Handling the lantern for  months and it took the final photos to point that out. Actually, it's not as visible in person than it looks in these photos.

Anyway, the tank is sealed, the wick is in the new burner and there is nothing left to do other than fill it with fuel and light it tomorrow. As for the air tubes, I'll have to study that and see if they can be bent back. Don't know.

The photos were taken using Edison bulbs with diffusion filters in front of them. It really does look this gold in person, in any light. Turned out better than I expected. The total cost of parts and materials, including that nice, new solid brass fuel cap, turned out to be about $110. It is a very nice piece of history and the only thing more I would like to have, but never will, is the history of the lantern itself.

[19and41]

Excellent job!

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Excellent job!

Thanks, much appreciated.

And, went down to look at the "bend" and came to the conclusion that that is the way the lantern was made. The way the lantern fits into the fuel tank is included in the "bend" so that's the way the lamp was assembled, probably a good example of early manufacturing techniques and equipment.

As such, this is the final chapter - nothing more to do other than use it.

[Dennis Markham]

Beautiful job on restoring that lamp, John!  It looks fantastic.  We need to see a photo of the lamp burning to celebrate its 103 birthday. 

~Dennis

[Doug Rose]

I agree with Dennis......a wonderful refurb!.....Doug

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We need to see a photo of the lamp burning to celebrate its 103 birthday.

We had a bit of a party here tonight, just the lantern and two of its contemporaries. Really hard to capture a lit lantern and with just room light is doesn't look as good as it does in person, so here are two shots. Looking good for 103, I'd say.

Was told by the lantern experts that the frame can be straightened by placing the base on a table and pushing the tubes in opposition to the slant, to make it straight. Tried that and I just don't have the strength. Can get it to move but not enough to retain a new position. Don't want to loosen anything, damage it, so will most likely leave it as is. I learned my lesson with removing the burner.

[Dennis Markham]

Looks great, John.  You should be proud of that project!

[19and41]

Nothing like the real flame. 

[RotarDad]

John - Great job getting that lantern looking, and working, so nicely.  For me the interesting part is thinking about how many years have passed since this was last used......  Thanks for showing us the "action photo"!!!  Question - Are these safe indoors in terms of the burned fuel exhaust??

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Question - Are these safe indoors in terms of the burned fuel exhaust??

In short, yes, they are safe to light/use indoors, and for hours at a time, as long as the right fuel is used. All of my lanterns are used indoors without problems including unwanted exhaust/odor issues. Since others may be interested, here is the long answer to you question.

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While these were made as kerosene burning lamps, they were also intended for outdoor use. Kerosene should never be used indoors. Regardless of fuel, it should have a flash point of about 140-145 degrees F for proper kerosene lantern operation.

All types of fuels (indoor, outdoor and never use) are discussed at length in the FAQ answer to Question 3 at the W.T. KIRKMAN® LANTERNS web site, the indoor approved paragraph copied here:


QUESTION 3:   What type of fuel can I use in a tubular lantern?

ANSWER:  Standard Lamp Oil, Synthetic Kerosene, or Kerosene Substitute are recommended for use indoors.  Clear K-1 Kerosene with a flash point of 124 to 150 degrees is recommended for outside use.

The approved fuels for indoor or outdoor use in Tubular Lanterns and Flat Wick Oil Lamps are: 
1.  Lamplight Farms® Clear Medallion Brand Lamp Oil, (#60020, #60003 aka #6300, #60005 aka #6400, and #6700 Only ) Flash Point: 145 Degrees Fahrenheit
2.  W.M. Barr & Co. Klean-Heat® Kerosene Substitute (#GKKH99991, 128oz, sold by Home Depot SKU #391-171) Flash Point: 145 Degrees Fahrenheit
3.  Crown® Brand Clear Lamp Oil (#755946)  Flash Point: 141 Degrees Fahrenheit
4.  Genuine Aladdin® Brand Lamp Oil (#17552, 32 oz., and #17554, 128 oz.) Flash Point: 141 Degrees Fahrenheit
5.  MVP Group International Florasense® Brand Lamp Oil (#MVP73200, 64oz. and #MVP73201, 32 oz., Sold by Wal-Mart ) Flash Point: 142 Degrees Fahrenheit
6.  Recochem Clear Lamp Oil (#14-573, 710mL, Sold in Canada)  Flash Point: 124 Degrees Fahrenheit

"Copyrighted Text by W.T. Kirkman Used With Permission, Courtesy of www.lanternnet.com "
W.T. KIRKMAN® LANTERNS
Ramona, (San Diego County,) California 92065

The full answer to Question 3 includes a lot more information on indoor, outdoor and never use under any circumstances fuels. A Google search for "Medallion Lamp Oil" provides quite a few sources. There are several manufacturers of 145 degree indoor lantern fuel but I've always used the Lamplight Farms products because of its local availability and my past experiences using it.

Medallion Lamp oil has virtually no odor and is available from several sources but you have to look for sellers - it's a low sales volume product, not a common shelf item, but it can be found at reasonable prices. This is one current source showing the clear bottle at a reasonable price and another source with the dark plastic bottle, but a bit high in price.

Lamplight Farms Medallion Lamp Oil 60003 - Clear 64 Ounce Bottle - for a reasonable $10 per bottle

Lamplight Farms Medallion Lamp Oil 60003 Dark Plastic Bottle example