Open the valve one-quarter turn and wait for the mantle(s) to ignite. Install a new mantle or mantles on your lantern. Hold a match or lighter to the bottom and allow it (them) to burn completely. These instructions were written to help you safely light and operate an old lantern that you have not lit before, or has been in storage for a very long time. Contact our team to talk to a factory expert to help you choose the right model based on your needs. If it has a strong really sharp smell, that is varnish from old gasoline that has gone stale.
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. 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. We believe this lantern is a Model 221, a kerosene fueled version of their Model 220 above (McRae).
Coleman made this version of their L327 model for their Sunshine Products subsidiary circa 1929 based on a parts comparison to dated Quick-Lite lanterns. This lantern, in Michael Flatt’s collection, lacks embossing and stamping except for CLOSE and an arrow on the Bakelite valve wheel and the patent dates on the back of the air tube. The baffle plate (lower image) is unplated steel rather than nickel plated coleman sleeping bag brass and lacks Sunshine Products stamping. Months after Coleman – Wichita stopped making the Model 200, they got Coleman 200 parts from the Coleman – Toronto factory that was still producing this model. The Wichita factory needed parts to fill a special order for the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) (Boschen). The engraved OCD serial numbers (middle image) were apparently done in Sacramento, California.
These two Quick-Lite lanterns are unusual because the pump is only partially mounted in the fount. The check valve can be seen between the pump and filler coleman lantern cap. Air from the pump is piped up to the top of the fount. Shipping records show several hundred were sent from July – December, 1924 (Becker).
Once the mantle(s) start to burn steady (but dim) open the valve all the way and pump more air into the fount for maximum brightness. Press the pump handle down and lightly place your finger over the hole in the end. 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.
Model 220C has a yellow decal on the fount with lighting instructions. As did the predecessor 220BX/220C made during WWII. Coleman made the L220 (above) and L228 (below) for a short time in 1928.
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. This MF143 lantern is stamped Sunshine Safety Lamp Co. on the baffle plate and is a built-in pump version of Model MF125 above. By 1931 Coleman had renamed its Sunshine Safety subsidiary to Sunshine Products, however, the baffle plates are always found stamped Sunshine Safety Lamp Co. so Coleman may have been using up old parts. The brackets in the middle portion of the ventilator center the mica globe (image above).
If it smells real bad you might need to tear it apart to clean the internal parts. Remove the fuel filler cap and pour all the old fuel into an approved container for disposal. You can find a local hazardous waste recycling facility by doing an internet search. If you have no previous knowledge of the lantern you are working with, or if you do not know how long it has been sitting, please perform each step. This will help you confirm that your lantern is safe to use, and that it functions as in should. If you need to make any repairs, I will provide links to other sections of this website.