It all started when my Coleman was stolen. A friend gave me a cheap hurricane lantern to replace it. Now I really didn't want this crappy thing but I got it going and liked the soft flame and quiet operation. I burned it allot on my deck.
Then I found a bunch of rusty Dietz '76 lanterns being given away. Kept one, gave the rest to a friend. Got mine going. I liked the quiet! I bought a larger DIetz Blizzard. Then I bought a cheap Lamplighter. Now I have 4 of these old style hurricane lanterns and I like them allot.
The problem is the flame is very bright and goes 360 degrees. It hurts/blinds my eyes if I use it as I would a flashlight to look at something. So I made a simple reflector out of a beer can that worked so well I had to tell you guys.
It is easy to cut an aluminum beer can with scissors just stab with a knife to get started. I cut the top and bottom off the can and cut through the side. This left a wide ribbon of aluminum that snaps around the globe of the lantern. I was lucky and my can had a label that came off leaving shiny silver on both sides. It works better if the reflector is put on 'backwards' to grab the supports that go bottom to top.
I love easy projects that work.
Tt