How to Light a Liquid Fuel Lantern: 10 Steps with Pictures

Shipping records show several hundred were sent from July – December, 1924 (Becker). They were the first Coleman model to have a pump as part of the lantern. These lanterns are in Shirley Willard’s (left)& Dean DeGroff’s (right) collections. Ian Keates, who bought this lantern in Switzerland for his collection, does not believe that it had been disassembled before. This early 220D has all the same features as the 228D above but is date stamped B 47.

The two piece stamped burner (lower image) was used on a number of lamps and lantern models for a short time after WWII before Coleman returned to cast burners. If you need a lantern that burns really, really brightly, this is your product. It’s a large, heavy propane lantern that can put out some heat. The model we tested came with a plastic base that has stabilizing feet and a hard plastic carrying case that makes transporting it easier than it otherwise would be.

This lantern was made for the military to help direct planes to airfields in or near enemy territory. These lanterns, dated June ’59, are in Mike Rainey’s (left) & Dean DeGroff’s (right) collections. By November, 1951, Coleman’s Model 200A had been introduced, replacing Model 200 above. These earliest 200A lanterns had green painted steel founts and, by November, also had the Coleman decal. Coleman stamped Model 220C on the lanterns they made from 1944 until 1947.

In “A” (Jan. – June) 1951 Coleman was making the 220D and 228D with green painted brass founts rather than nickel plated brass; compare to the Model 200, above right. The valve wheels on these lanterns are brown plastic and there is no decal on the side of the fount. Coleman also made these LZ327 (left) and LZ427 (right) lanterns, known here by their coleman lantern Coleman numbers, for several retailers including Sears and Montgomery Ward. These lanterns have a separate post to support the burner; the air tube, which is curved in these models, opens below the mantles. The lantern on the left is in Doug Dwyer’s collection. The lantern on the right lacks its generator and is in Don Colston’s collection.

If the pump raises, you need to clean or replace your check valve. Make sure that the valve wheel is turned fully clockwise to the closed position. Rotate the pump handle counterclockwise one full turn, place your thumb over the hole in the end and give it a few pumps. If there is no resistance when pressing down on the pump, you coleman camping will need to repair it before continuing. Coleman 237 lanterns with an American Optical film strip and slide projector (left) and a Society for Visual Education Inc. slide and film strip projector (right). The potential markets were missionaries and rural communities that lacked electric power, according to a 1949 Coleman News.

You may be able to clean it, or new ones can be purchased. Just wanted to see if anyone here has any expertise with Coleman fuel – Coleman lanterns… Mantles (the little white things that illuminate when you light the lantern) are super cheap, so stock up to be sure that you never run out. They only last for a few uses, and if it has been a while since you last lit the lantern, you should swap them out for new ones.

Fill the fount at least half-full of fresh gasoline or camp fuel. Tighten the filler cap and give the lantern 20 pump stokes. Allow it to sit for a few minutes while you watch for leaks. Any leak is unacceptable and must be located before you light it. This Model 220D, in Deems Burton’s collection, is almost like new and is dated B ’48, which we think means it was made in July-Dec of that year.

The lantern on the left is in Jim Fulmer’s collection. Monte Dodge’s 202, running (right), is dated Mar. ’57 and has a metal burner cap. In 1900, William Coffin Coleman was selling high pressure gasoline fueled lamps. These lamps, notably ‘The Efficient’ Pendant Arc lamp No. 6, were manufactured by Irby & Gilliland in Memphis, Tennessee.

We used it practically every night for over ten weeks and didn’t have any problems. The plastic base is not very durable nor does it stay on when you lift the lantern by its handle. Model L227 is a Quick-Lite model with a wide ventilator. This version, in Dwayne Hanson’s collection, is the most well known with a flat capture nut to hold the ventilator and several indentations in the ventilator (right). Coleman made the L220 (above) and L228 (below) for a short time in 1928. To accommodate the pump, which is mounted into the center of the fount, the fuel pickup tube had to swivel for removal (below the 2nd set of threads).