Fresh Caught

[IndyTom]

Well, I just happened to be browsing C'slist today when I thought I spotted something in a picture of a lot of camping equipment. I called and arranged to stop by right after work. It has been mistreated, but it has a good home now. Only thing is, I'm not sure what I have. It is still in fresh caught condition, and we know they don't come out of the wild in pristine condition usually.


One of the first things I did was to turn it over and look at the bottom of the fount:


Thought it was unusual that is was for leaded gas, I had never seen one like that before.

I removed the vent and the globe(which appears to be original) :


I cannot tell what model I have. I am not that familiar with these things yet, and on this lantern, the model is buried under a very thick layer of gold paint that I will not have time to remove for a while, but I wanted to share, because this is my oldest lantern, and I found it in the wild.

Tom

[Joamon]

Well I don't own one yet and I don't know that much about them but that is a mil-spec.
Great spot and graet save!

Keith

[Wolffarmer]

That is the original WWII mil spec ( or shortly there after ) and I just happen to have the correct globe for it.



Randy

[IndyTom]

OK Randy, so what is different about the correct globe? The one that is on it seems to fit in the cage pretty nicely.

Oh and I forgot to mention the best part, the asking price was 3 dollars.

Tom

[doug hodder]

When you clean the globe...it should have US stamped on it, if it does...take extra care of it. I've got the 2nd edition...from the 1952 contract, but it's a 1 piece globe, same as what you have. I think the quadrant glass didn't start until the mid 60's. Too bad someone shot it with rattle can gold.....excellent find! Doug

[Wolffarmer]

The multi piece globe did not start until the 60's something? Seems I have seen mil specs on ebay in the early 50's with the later system. I could be wrong there. I got a 1958 in almost new condition with the 220 style globe, always thought it should have the newer one. The frame is the same as the later ones I have, those just added the rails and the glass. Might have to ask around. I took the US globe out and am running a made in china one. One thing I have wondered is. Where did all these Mil Specs come from? seems to be so many of them running around.

But I do have a good supply of the generators and a few other parts now.

Randy

[Wolffarmer]

I did a bit of digging on the ICCC forum before asking stupid questions.

Mil Spec globe info

Has some more info. But not definitive. Another thread gave me an idea for something to do with a 4 glass Mil Spec. Get some nice shinny aluminum or stainless sheet and cut and bend to replace 2 of the glasses and have a reflector with out a big honking thing hanging on the out side.



Randy

[campmaster-k]

Fresh Caught! I love it.

[IndyTom]

I did a bit of digging on the ICCC forum before asking stupid questions.

Mil Spec globe info

Has some more info. But not definitive. Another thread gave me an idea for something to do with a 4 glass Mil Spec. Get some nice shinny aluminum or stainless sheet and cut and bend to replace 2 of the glasses and have a reflector with out a big honking thing hanging on the out side.



Randy

That's great info Randy. I never had a great deal of interest in milspec lanterns until this one dropped into my lap. Now I can't wait to start the rebuild. I agree that it is too bad that someone felt the need to take a gold rattle can to it, and you can see in the picture that shows the funnel, they didn't even try to do a good job. Luckily, I would have been planning to repaint anyway.

Since I have never taken one of these apart before, I am sure that I will be asking lots of questions when I do get started. But think I will try cleaning the globe first just so I can see what I have got, and the paint should come off the glass pretty easily.

Tom

[doug hodder]

Thanks for the education on that Randy.....trying to keep up with all the different variations of these products is a challenge. I always thought the Vietnam era lanterns were the quad. glass. Doug

[IndyTom]

I didn't have much time to work on the lantern today, but I was really interested to see if the globe was original or not, so I took some lacquer thinner to it and luckily the paint seems to want to come off really easily. Well, there is no US anywhere on the globe. It looks to be pretty old, but just not mil spec. The markings that survive are really faint, Just the word Coleman in green on the one side, and Pyrex/Made in USA on the other. It cleaned up really nicely, with no cracks or scratches. Now I just have to figure out how to get everything apart. I am thinking about getting a gallon of WD-40 to just soak the whole thing in before I start trying to take anything apart, well, after cleaning as well as I can to get off as much of the dirt and corrosion as will come.

I do have one question though, the plunger for the pump is missing. Oldcolemanparts.com has a plunger for a mil spec lantern, Is there really a difference between the plunger on the mil spec lanterns and the others? I was under the impression that most of those were pretty much all the same.


Tom

[Wolffarmer]

You are right, not a Mil Spec. but and oldie any way. Unless they didn't use the mil spec occasionaly. Naw the gov-mint would not let them do that.


Randy