I agree with you on liking this type of equipment. I got my first lantern like this about 60 years ago and a Guy's Dropper Carbide Lamp about the same time. I used them for camping.
Hey Steve! Happy new year. I've been wondering how you were doing. I used to know a guy back in my caving days, who had a large collection of old carbide lamps.
I own one of the newer Dietz as a well as a Kirkman. They are comparable in function though I like the Kirkman a bit more as I find its brighter. I have owned both for more than 10 years and I had the same issue with both of them...leaks around the bottom after 7 or 8 years. The answer is NOT HB weld as that only covers from the outside and therefore the rust continues to permeate on the inside. The answer is to use a very runny epoxy designed to not react with fuels like lantern oil. You clean the tank out and let it fully dry, then pour the epoxy into the tank rotating it to get it EVERYWHERE inside, then turn it over to get the excess out (it will take weeks to dry if it puddles inside). I then went ahead and also painted it on the outside lip and on the bottom because I had extra. Its supposed to last...well a very long time. I treated both of mine with one small bottle, still had some left and its been years of trouble free use. The product is called KBS Coatings 5200 Gold Standard Tank Sealer and I bought mine through Amazon. Its silver, but you can't see it on the inside and I taped off the outside so it looks really good.
Wow, that is a wonderful idea! Might not be a bad idea to treat a new lantern with the tank sealer before its first use. Don't know why I never thought of that...been watching folks use that type of tank sealer on small engines for years, but of course I used JB Weld to seal my last lantern tank, lol.
It’s interesting you spoke of your first lantern. I got mine the same way. It was a Christmas gift about the time I was 8 or 10 and the globe was full of individually wrapped hard candies. That sat on my book shelf in my bedroom for years until I moved out. I still have it somewhere around here in a moving box all these 40 plus years later. I have lived all over the world since then. I’ve used hurricanes and oil table lamps quite a good deal. When we moved from down by the coast up into the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas several years ago I anticipated power outages and bought several Dietz and Feuerhand lanterns from Lehman’s just before they changed hands(and went downhill, as far as I’m concerned) thinking we would need a few more. I was right, the power has gone out but I got solar and batteries installed before we came to any need of the lanterns. Still, I keep them, the kerosene and a kerosene heater on hand. I’d like to find a couple functional perfection kerosene heaters at a half reasonable price. Maybe one of these days. I live in the heart of gold mining country and do run into good old equipment like that now and then at estate sales.
I think the Air Pilot is one of the better models. 7/8 wick, and 27 hours on a full tank is pretty decent. I recently have acquired 2 Chinese Air Pilots, 1 USA Monarch, and a Chinese or maybe Hong Kong made Junior. I also have another Hong Kong made junior on the way. 4 of these were unused units. Probably bought for emergency, camping and never used, or display units only.
I bought my N0. 80 Blizzard from W.T. Kirkman, and my No. 8 Air Pilot from the HazMat facility at my local landfill. It pays to take those folks donuts once in a while. Lehman's made a lantern that had a tray on top for cooking - I had one of those but gave it away. Very nice lanterns, friend.
It's perfectly able to heat food, but the tray for setting a pot on was terrible. I ended up passing it on to a gal who didn't have a lantern. I think you'd be better off building your own cookstand to put the lantern under. @@Possumliving
The numbers on the right side tube are very very tiny and lightly stamped. A coat of paint will hide them. I think fuel cap size is another indication of age/country of manufacture. Pre-56 USA made ones are larger. I think.
I would like to get some of my old antique Coleman lanterns out and get them working and maybe get one of these also and see which one I like the best, I have had problems with old Coleman stuff in the past rebuilding them and trying to keep the mantles from just vibrating off by moving them around too much and leaks also, Plus I think the fuel for the Coleman lantern is expensive now.
Yeah, they are definitely more complicated. Hard to beat though, if you need lots of light. I used to use them quite a bit. But now I mostly use a kerosene lantern and supplement them with flashlights and other battery powered lights for when and where I need more light.
Coleman white gas camp stove and lantern fuel is around $14.00a gallon now. Kerosene is cheaper at about $6.00 a gallon. If you buy it at a bring your own jug dealer.
@@Possumliving they are all about their website now. In fact, strange as it sounds there are items you can’t buy at the store. You have to do it online. Not sure why that is. I do know they have a warehouse remote from the store.
I agree with you on liking this type of equipment. I got my first lantern like this about 60 years ago and a Guy's Dropper Carbide Lamp about the same time. I used them for camping.
Hey Steve! Happy new year. I've been wondering how you were doing.
I used to know a guy back in my caving days, who had a large collection of old carbide lamps.
I own one of the newer Dietz as a well as a Kirkman. They are comparable in function though I like the Kirkman a bit more as I find its brighter. I have owned both for more than 10 years and I had the same issue with both of them...leaks around the bottom after 7 or 8 years. The answer is NOT HB weld as that only covers from the outside and therefore the rust continues to permeate on the inside. The answer is to use a very runny epoxy designed to not react with fuels like lantern oil. You clean the tank out and let it fully dry, then pour the epoxy into the tank rotating it to get it EVERYWHERE inside, then turn it over to get the excess out (it will take weeks to dry if it puddles inside). I then went ahead and also painted it on the outside lip and on the bottom because I had extra. Its supposed to last...well a very long time. I treated both of mine with one small bottle, still had some left and its been years of trouble free use. The product is called KBS Coatings 5200 Gold Standard Tank Sealer and I bought mine through Amazon. Its silver, but you can't see it on the inside and I taped off the outside so it looks really good.
Good info, thanks!
Wow, that is a wonderful idea! Might not be a bad idea to treat a new lantern with the tank sealer before its first use. Don't know why I never thought of that...been watching folks use that type of tank sealer on small engines for years, but of course I used JB Weld to seal my last lantern tank, lol.
It’s interesting you spoke of your first lantern. I got mine the same way. It was a Christmas gift about the time I was 8 or 10 and the globe was full of individually wrapped hard candies.
That sat on my book shelf in my bedroom for years until I moved out.
I still have it somewhere around here in a moving box all these 40 plus years later.
I have lived all over the world since then. I’ve used hurricanes and oil table lamps quite a good deal.
When we moved from down by the coast up into the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas several years ago I anticipated power outages and bought several Dietz and Feuerhand lanterns from Lehman’s just before they changed hands(and went downhill, as far as I’m concerned) thinking we would need a few more.
I was right, the power has gone out but I got solar and batteries installed before we came to any need of the lanterns.
Still, I keep them, the kerosene and a kerosene heater on hand.
I’d like to find a couple functional perfection kerosene heaters at a half reasonable price.
Maybe one of these days. I live in the heart of gold mining country and do run into good old equipment like that now and then at estate sales.
I have an old Perfection kerosene heater, but the tank is rusted out. They are great heaters when functional.
I think the Air Pilot is one of the better models. 7/8 wick, and 27 hours on a full tank is pretty decent. I recently have acquired 2 Chinese Air Pilots, 1 USA Monarch, and a Chinese or maybe Hong Kong made Junior. I also have another Hong Kong made junior on the way. 4 of these were unused units. Probably bought for emergency, camping and never used, or display units only.
@@johnnorman7708 You have a nice collection. I've been thinking about making another video to show some of my other lanterns.
I bought my N0. 80 Blizzard from W.T. Kirkman, and my No. 8 Air Pilot from the HazMat facility at my local landfill. It pays to take those folks donuts once in a while. Lehman's made a lantern that had a tray on top for cooking - I had one of those but gave it away.
Very nice lanterns, friend.
Thanks! I think the cooking lantern is a current model from Dietz. Did it cook ok?
It's perfectly able to heat food, but the tray for setting a pot on was terrible. I ended up passing it on to a gal who didn't have a lantern. I think you'd be better off building your own cookstand to put the lantern under. @@Possumliving
@@Wyowanderer Thanks! That's what I was thinking.
The numbers on the right side tube are very very tiny and lightly stamped. A coat of paint will hide them. I think fuel cap size is another indication of age/country of manufacture. Pre-56 USA made ones are larger. I think.
Thanks for the great info! I'll look closer for those numbers.
I would like to get some of my old antique Coleman lanterns out and get them working and maybe get one of these also and see which one I like the best, I have had problems with old Coleman stuff in the past rebuilding them and trying to keep the mantles from just vibrating off by moving them around too much and leaks also, Plus I think the fuel for the Coleman lantern is expensive now.
Yeah, they are definitely more complicated. Hard to beat though, if you need lots of light. I used to use them quite a bit. But now I mostly use a kerosene lantern and supplement them with flashlights and other battery powered lights for when and where I need more light.
Coleman white gas camp stove and lantern fuel is around $14.00a gallon now. Kerosene is cheaper at about $6.00 a gallon. If you buy it at a bring your own jug dealer.
Have a couple. There are some advantages to living about an hour from Lehman Hardware!😁
Indeed! I need to get their latest catalog. Haven't had one in 30 years.
@@Possumliving they are all about their website now. In fact, strange as it sounds there are items you can’t buy at the store. You have to do it online. Not sure why that is. I do know they have a warehouse remote from the store.
@@patriotpreacher43 Younger generation, I guess.
@@Possumliving yes. And they sold out/merged with Hartville Hardware a few years back.