Friday, May 15, 2009

So I keep thinking about the Kerosafe lamp, how could I not? It sits in the living room and mocks me...
I've done more research, its interesting that there is actually very little info on kerosene pressure lamps available. Most of what I've found relates to the Petromax and Butterfly lanterns.
In the meantime I've gotten the Coleman whitegas lantern Angie's pepre gave me working. The gas cap leaked but the one from my grandfather's whitegas stove works so I used that. I need to get some replacement seal rings as I've got a couple other stove caps that leak. That experience reminded me how cool whitegas lanterns (and pressure lanterns in general) are. My grandfather had two which both still hang in his garage. I'm on vacation next week (starting now actually) and I'm going to try to get those going.

I'm going to get a couple of the Petromax mantles in the Kerosafe. Apparently kerosene lamps burn at higher pressure and the Petromax mantles supposedly have a larger mesh which keeps them from blowing out. They're also supposed to be very bright and are only a little more expensive than Coleman mantles. With any luck I'll find the pressure pump for the Kerosafe where I found the kerosafe (in my grandmother's house) originally. If not I have a complete spare pump assembly from a Coleman stove I was trying to get working, I wonder if with a small piece of tubing I could make a pump. Thats the kind of can-do spirit this country was built on!

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