Belly Button 228E - Adding to my collection

[KCStudly]

Worked on the big hat some more tonight.

Used a piece of green abrasive pad, 320 grit paper, and Never Dull to clean up some more.




Got it all back together, pumped up great, hissed good, too (at least I think it sounded right). Forgot to take a pic.

Fueled it up and tried to do a test burn w/o mantles. I could see the flame of my barbeque lighter getting pushed around but it didn't light. Good thing, too, because I had a fuel leak from under the main valve collar. When I took it all apart initially I didn't see any evidence of any sealer on the threaded joints at the pipe threads at the font, but there may have been a little shellac or lacquer at the straight threads on the fitting with the little lifter lever (sorry, I don't know the proper part names yet). I guess they didn't have Teflon tape back in '54.

Also, I wasn't thrilled with how the alignment of the little jet cleaner rod crank ended up right on top of the main valve knob.

The greenie pad was probably a bad idea, as the grit from it made me nervous of a clog. So I checked everything thoroughly. I dropped the little generator spring before I even knew it was there... heard it hit the floor (I'm assuming that the emulsifier tube under the main valve is the generator, but I guess it could be the tube up in the burner tree that has the jet in it... I really should look at the parts exploded view some more!), and had to look for it then figure out where it came from. Lifts the generator rod when the main fuel valve is opened, right?

So I broke it all down, added some Teflon tape to the thread joints and put it back together. Checked everything at each step. Had fuel up thru the main valve, then up thru the cleaning rod lifter mechanism (I think ). The leak ended up being at the main valve stem packing; snugging the packing nut up fixed that. Checked the jet. The only thing that I did not take all the way apart was that little jet cleaner rod lift mechanism, but I did blow thru every part in the path and got flow through each part (very little thru the generator orifice and jet, but that is to be expected, and I did confirm fuel flow; at least thru the main valve, if not the lifter.

Got it all back together with no leaks and it still would not light. I thought maybe it wanted the mantles on it to help disperse the fuel vapors, but that didn't work and I am now regretting using a good set of my old style mantles w/o getting to the bottom of the fuel delivery problem.

What is the fibrous white looking tube that the jet cleaner rod rides in inside of the jet tube? Does that need to get saturated before fuel will come out of the burner tubes?

Hmm, can't really remember if I was getting a good hiss at all after adding the fuel. I know I had it when tested empty.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Wolffarmer]

Take the generator off and open the valve to see if you get any fuel out of the fount. Generator, That is the thing with the whit fiber sleeve and cleaning rod in it. You should get fuel spitting out pretty quickly. A dry Generator can take 2 matches to start spitting fuel on these things.

Randy

[KCStudly]

Check. Thank you, Randy. Aye, aye. The generator is the tube with the wick and jet in it. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to presoak that by squirting a few drops into the wick(?).

I'm sure I held the lighter trying to get her going for much longer than two matches worth.

Other things on the agenda tonight, so will have to wait until tomorrow.

[Zollinger]

I also have a 228E and noticed that it seems to take longer than the average lantern to hear the hissing fuel. I usually open the valve until I hear the hissing sound, close valve and then light the match and open the valve to light. You can also do a test without mantles to make sure that it will light. Just don't run it too long without mantles because it will overheat. Good luck! I hate it when a lantern worked before I took it apart and won't when I put it back together.

[KCStudly]

Oh no, this one was bone dry and had flaky rust in the font. I didn't dare try to run it w/o going thru it. Just took me a while to get a round 'tuit'.

I'll get her going. She's just a little shy.

[wagondude]

Check to make sure the cleaner rod tip isn't bent up. If your careful, they can be straightened, but it's easier and pretty cheap to just replace the generator if it is bent. I straightened the tip in my 200A to get it going for the test burn, but replaced it with a new one so I wouldn't have to wory about it.

[KCStudly]

Thanks wagondude. The tip was not bent. I ham fisted the rod and bent that, but it was easy enough to roll it out on a flat surface and make it straight again.

Next time (probably tomorrow) I am at the shop I will go over the generator with a fine tooth comb (so to speak) and will verify that I am getting fuel up to that point.

Thanks to you and everyone else for the help.

[KCStudly]

It’s alive!!!



She still had pressure in the font (fount?) when I checked before lighting. And after removing the generator, I found wet fuel in the mesh and fuel squirting past the generator rod lifter.

Managed to remove and reinstall the generator w/o hurting the mantles. (whew)

Pumped it up again, cycled the jet cleaner rod a few times until I could hear it sputter (leading me to believe that I had not gotten all of the crud out of the tank) and she lit up. (woo-whooo!)

Then died.

Cycled the rod again, pumped some more (though I don’t think that was the issue), and eventually she lit again. (Yeah !)

While this was going on Karl was visiting and I was explaining to him what I had learned about the function of these lanterns during the rebuild (for those of you who are not following my build, Karl is the proprietor of the shop where I am building my TD).

She ran for a good long time while I was working on some other things, but at some point she died leaving a piddle of fuel that had run down the generator and collected on the generator compression nut and below.

I mopped that up with a paper towel, cycled the jet cleaner rod a few times (maybe pumped a few more times?) and got her to light again, one mantle at a time.

She ran even for another hour or so. When I thought I saw a dimming, I pumped her a few more times (doesn’t seem to pump as firmly as the 275 turd) and cycled the needle, which inadvertently put her out (I think… this is a learning curve for me). Fiddled with her a bit to see what she wanted and managed to get her going again (with a big pop/puff of flame) and then ran fine for another hour or so before I shut her down for the evening.

Karl was somewhat impressed and asked what I had into it so far (money wise). I said, nothing so far except the $5 and change that I had spent on carb cleaner, but had not actually used, and he seemed to be silenced by that. He had previously asked what a new lantern went for, and I think he thought that I had spent too much time fiddling with this old lantern, but maybe he is starting to see the light, so to speak. I guess I paid for some donuts.

I am pleased as punch to have another lantern, and to have saved one from the 50's is just icing on the cake. She does seem a little more finicky than my 275 turd, but I’m OK with that.

[Wolffarmer]

Often with a used generator you do have to spin the cleaning tip when it is running to get the brightest light possible. Then when you move the lantern or tap it a bit something will plug up the jet and you have to spin the cleaner again. Little bits of crud up in the generator just waiting to play devil with the light.

Randy

[KCStudly]

Yeah, I could have done a better job of rinsing out the font more than once, and that does seem to be what she is telling me.

I really appreciate you helping and encouraging me, Randy. I am so happy to have even this moderate success after (almost) totally blowing this lantern apart and putting it back together again.

Zach (Absolutsnwbrdr) was also an inspiration because he did such a good job documenting his success as a first time lantern rebuilder.

Anyway, I hope Kirk is just off obsessing over his next hobby, and is doing okay. Would hate to think that he has left us here to our own devices due to circumstances beyond his control.

[Zollinger]

Yay! You got it to light. I love those old big hats.

[wagondude]

Nice.

[KCStudly]

Thanks Dawn and Bill for following along and the acknowledgement. I appreciate it.

[KCStudly]

I've been using the 228 lantern for light and heat while building TPCE, and it cut out a couple more times today. I didn't notice it out at first, but when I could smell the fuel I would look over and it was dead. It seemed like it was losing pressure. The first time there was a damp film of fuel all around the collar at the top of the font. After wiping up the fuel, pumping it up again, cycling the cleaner tip and relighting, I could not see any active leaks while shining my Fenix LED flashlight in, so I wondered if it was just vaporized fuel coming out of the vent after it had snuffed out. When relighting it seemed to want me to cycle the clean out needle at least once before burning bright (did it a few times just to be sure), so I’m thinking I did not get the tank as clean as I should have. But the fact that it is losing pressure makes me think that something else is wrong, too.

Any advice. My Turd runs true and steady, while the big hat cuts out occasionally. Is this just an idiosyncrasy of a 58 year old lantern, or is there something that I should do to fix it?

Thanks in advance for your support.

[wagondude]

Last pic shows a three piece cap. Did you replace the cap seal? Try swapping the cap from the turd and see if the problem swaps with it.