Gasoline lanterns

[orygun]

I still have a couple of Coleman gas lanterns, a stove (maybe 2?) I guess I keep them for nastalgia....
I also have one of these, WW2 vintage. Coleman! Still works! It's compact but weighs a ton!

View attachment 2276944

I checked. I have the exact thing and it is not nearly as light as I remembered!

 

[Barefootdog]

That's it. Can't take it anymore. Pulling out the Coleman lanterns and stove and it will be dinner on the back patio tonight. Chicken probably.....No...make it fish fillets.

 

[The Heretic]

Now we have "clear gas" for those who don't want to burn contemporary gasoline that contains ethanol. That's another issue.

OTOH, there are alcohol stoves, including those you can build yourself. I read there are alcohol lanterns, not sure how available they are, especially those that use a mantle.

There are Coleman kersene mantle lanterns: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-1-Mantle-Kerosene-700-Lumen-11-meter-Lantern/29178137

One of the advantages of alcohol is that it does not smell as bad as gasoline/kerosene/diesel when it is spilled or leaks.

 

[Ura-Ki]

OTOH, there are alcohol stoves, including those you can build yourself. I read there are alcohol lanterns, not sure how available they are, especially those that use a mantle.

There are Coleman kersene mantle lanterns: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-1-Mantle-Kerosene-700-Lumen-11-meter-Lantern/29178137

One of the advantages of alcohol is that it does not smell as bad as gasoline/kerosene/diesel when it is spilled or leaks.

The biggest downside to Alcohol fuels is LOW BTU output per unit of measure, your lamp or stove will never match the output of Gasoline or Kerosene, or other high output units! The other issue most people don't know about it altitudes negative affect on the output, and once again, alcohol is the least efficient fuel source, as are others such as Butane, or other gasious fuels like Propane or Natural Gas, here is where heavier liquid fuels really shine, like Gasoline and Kerosene, especially in units that pre heat and gasifie the fuels before ignition!
The old Primos systems and later MSR Wisperlite International systems are vastly superior, same with the Colman and others that run on White Gas, very high output per unit of measure, low cost, and the ability to mix fuel types to match the area your operating.

 

[The Heretic]

The biggest downside to Alcohol fuels is LOW BTU output per unit of measure, your lamp or stove will never match the output of Gasoline or Kerosene, or other high output units! The other issue most people don't know about it altitudes negative affect on the output, and once again, alcohol is the least efficient fuel source, as are others such as Butane, or other gasious fuels like Propane or Natural Gas, here is where heavier liquid fuels really shine, like Gasoline and Kerosene, especially in units that pre heat and gasifie the fuels before ignition!
The old Primos systems and later MSR Wisperlite International systems are vastly superior, same with the Colman and others that run on White Gas, very high output per unit of measure, low cost, and the ability to mix fuel types to match the area your operating.

All true, but I typically use any lantern at its lowest usable setting; just enough illumination to allow me to do what I need to do.

Also, I always go for fuel diversity; I have electric, diesel, kerosene (probably the best fuel as it burns clean and stores well and is safer than gasoline), and gasoline & propane. Whatever fuel is out there, I want to be able to use it.

 

[Oxygen Mask]

Radiant

Making Nuclear Power Portable

www.radiantnuclear.com

This is the way....

 

[gmerkt]

There are Coleman kersene mantle lanterns: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coleman-1-Mantle-Kerosene-700-Lumen-11-meter-Lantern/29178137

Interesting, I didn't know they made such a thing.

 

[fstdraw]

Am I missing something, a lantern that uses gasoline? Isn't that like using a Molotov cocktail to light your campsite? Sounds very dangerous. White gas, kerosene, Coleman fuel, even coal oil sounds safer. Not to mention propane.

 

[orygun]

Am I missing something, a lantern that uses gasoline? Isn't that like using a Molotov cocktail to light your campsite? Sounds very dangerous. White gas, kerosene, Coleman fuel, even coal oil sounds safer. Not to mention propane.

Yes. I don't know if they are still available, but Coleman slightly altered the white gas fueled camp stoves and lanterns so they would run on unleaded gasoline, as well as the Coleman fuel (white gas).

 

[Oxygen Mask]

Am I missing something, a lantern that uses gasoline? Isn't that like using a Molotov cocktail to light your campsite? Sounds very dangerous. White gas, kerosene, Coleman fuel, even coal oil sounds safer. Not to mention propane.

Yep!
All those Coleman pump up "Coleman fuel" stoves and lanterns run on gasoline. All Coleman Fuel is, is unleaded ethanol free gasoline.
And they still make them today.

Loading…

www.coleman.com

They are quite ingenious for such a simple device.

They burn most any kind of fuel, and operate in weather from −60 to +125 °F.
From the web:
The fuel tank must first be pressurized by using the small hand-pump on the side of the stove. After pumping, the control valve is opened just slightly, allowing a mix of fuel (drawn from the bottom of the tank) and pressurized air (drawn from the top of the tank) to reach the burner head. There, the mixture is ignited using a match or lighter. Once the flame burns steadily for 2 to 3 minutes and the burner head is sufficiently heated up, the control valve is opened as far as possible. This cuts off the air from the tank, changing the mix to pure fuel.[citation needed] The heat of the burner head is then sufficient to vaporize the pure fuel prior to combustion. The size of the flame depends on the amount of pressure in the tank, which must be repressurized periodically using the hand pump.

 

[arakboss]

Yep!
All those Coleman pump up "Coleman fuel" stoves and lanterns run on gasoline. All Coleman Fuel is, is unleaded ethanol free gasoline.
And they still make them today.

Loading…

www.coleman.com

They are quite ingenious for such a simple device.

They burn most any kind of fuel, and operate in weather from −60 to +125 °F.
From the web:
The fuel tank must first be pressurized by using the small hand-pump on the side of the stove. After pumping, the control valve is opened just slightly, allowing a mix of fuel (drawn from the bottom of the tank) and pressurized air (drawn from the top of the tank) to reach the burner head. There, the mixture is ignited using a match or lighter. Once the flame burns steadily for 2 to 3 minutes and the burner head is sufficiently heated up, the control valve is opened as far as possible. This cuts off the air from the tank, changing the mix to pure fuel.[citation needed] The heat of the burner head is then sufficient to vaporize the pure fuel prior to combustion. The size of the flame depends on the amount of pressure in the tank, which must be repressurized periodically using the hand pump.

Sounds like a lot of work.

 

[gmerkt]

Am I missing something, a lantern that uses gasoline? Isn't that like using a Molotov cocktail to light your campsite? Sounds very dangerous. White gas, kerosene, Coleman fuel, even coal oil sounds safer.

My reference to "gasoline" in this thread is to "white" gas, unleaded pump gas, or Coleman fuel.

Leaded gasoline hasn't been available around here for a long time. But even when it was, we weren't supposed to use in in Coleman "gasoline" lanterns. Only white gas.

The newer "multifuel" lanterns have company approval to burn unleaded pump gasoline. Unleaded can be used in older lanterns, but the company doesn't recommend it due to fuel additives that white gas doesn't have. Which supposedly aren't dangerous but are harder on the lantern in terms of wear.

Since unleaded pump gas came into common usage, I don't know that I've seen "white" gas as we once knew it for sale. Anybody know? Of course there is the stuff that Coleman sells in the gallon cans.

 

[The Heretic]

Am I missing something, a lantern that uses gasoline? Isn't that like using a Molotov cocktail to light your campsite? Sounds very dangerous. White gas, kerosene, Coleman fuel, even coal oil sounds safer. Not to mention propane.

AFAIK, "white" gasoline is no less volatile than pump gasoline. Also, I believe "Coleman fuel" has a lower flash point than gasoline, making more flammable than gasoline.

 

[Oxygen Mask]

Pretty sure Coleman fuel is simply overpriced regular gasoline with no additives (no lead no CH 3​CH 2OH etc) i.e. white gas. There are 2 places within a couple miles of me that sell it from gas pumps.

Safety thought: Gasoline simply burns. Propane can explode. Violently.
(OK propane and natural gas are not the same, but close enough...)

 

[orygun]

Since unleaded pump gas came into common usage, I don't know that I've seen "white" gas as we once knew it for sale. Anybody know? Of course there is the stuff that Coleman sells in the gallon cans.

AFAIK, "white" gasoline is no less volatile than pump gasoline. Also, I believe "Coleman fuel" has a lower flash point than gasoline, making more flammable than gasoline.

In the 80's I worked at a gas station that had white gas, kerosene and solvent stored in hand crank dispenser tanks in the back room. Other than that I've only8 seen white gas in Coleman cans. Dad use to stretch how far he could go on a tank of gas and I remember more than once he would pour our Coleman fuel into the wagon. It doesn't have the same energy as regular old gasoline and no knock additives, but it works.

I also use it to soak the paper under the kindling when I start a fire in the firepit. Stand back and light it with a weed burner. She comes to life quickly.

 

[The Heretic]

Pretty sure Coleman fuel is simply overpriced regular gasoline with no additives (no lead no CH 3CH 2OH etc) i.e. white gas. There are 2 places within a couple miles of me that sell it from gas pumps.

Per search engines, "Coleman fuel" is naptha based. I always thought it was just "white gas" (gasoline with no lead or other additives).

 

[DirectDrive]

My father used to buy white gas at the Amoco gas station for our camping stoves and lanterns.

Amoco (and American) gas stations famously sold a premium, unleaded gasoline from the 1910s through the early 1980s
that was widely known as "white gas" or Amoco Super-Premium. This high-octane fuel was clear and uncolored, as it did not contain tetra-ethyl lead, making it popular for camping stoves, lanterns, and high-performance engines.

Key details about Amoco "White Gas":

• Availability: It was a staple of American Oil stations in the Eastern and Southern U.S., serving as an alternative to leaded fuels, which were the industry standard at the time.
• Characteristics: It was a highly refined, high-octane (often around 92–100) fuel favored for its clean-burning properties, which helped prevent deposits in engines, as discussed on Facebook.
• Usage: Beyond cars, it was commonly used by campers for stoves and lanterns.

 

[wired]

I still have some pretty good scars on my ankles from a coleman gas stove and those lanterns can piss up a tree. Completely obsolete and dangerous.

 

[fstdraw]

Good Heavens, as a kid we used the pump up lanterns. I still have 2! I never knew.

 

[Angie]

We have a 1954 Coleman lantern still. I will never get rid of it. I also have a number of kerosene lamps and several bottles of lamp kerosene. How long does that stuff last if unopened? We have battery-powered stuff for camping, but may break out the coleman this summer. It lives on a shelf in the garage.