Question about a 220B

[Kevin & Sandy]

So this lantern follows me home from an auction, ya ever had that happen? BUT, I am a complete lantern restoring novice.
I tore it down, and there was a rattling inside. When I shine a light thru the fuel fill hole and look down thru the fount, I can see a small brass tube that is just rolling around on the bottom !!!

The tube is maybe 1/2" in diameter, 1 inch long and threaded on one end. What is this? Did something break loose? Or did somebody drop this in there? Do I need to fish it out?

HELP !!

[PresTx82]

Yes, fish it out.

Also take out the plunger and see if the tube the plunger is housed in broke off in the lantern. I've never heard of this happening, but ....?

[Kevin & Sandy]

Okay, fished it out, still don't know what it is?????

I put the lantern back together and got it fired up. I ran it for an hour in the garage, looks good!

It seems to work okay, but the restoration site I looked at suggested a new generator. How can I tell if the generator is bad?

Also, the framework around the globe is rusty, what do you guys do to make that look nice?

To take a lantern that is 70 years old and get it working, I could see how a guy could get hooked on these.

Kevin

[starleen2]

If it's running for a n hour and putting out decent light - then leave it alone! Usually a plugged generator will cause a "yellowing" of the light - the mantles might not be quite as incandescent. To de rust the frame - you might want to try navel Jelly

[Wolffarmer]

To take a lantern that is 70 years old and get it working, I could see how a guy could get hooked on these.

Kevin

You noticed that also? A Nov. 1927 got my addiction started.



Randy

[PresTx82]

Yea, naval jelly and some sandpaper, then get yourself some silver paint (not sure which color code off the top of my head) and repaint it. It'll look just like new!

[doug hodder]

So this lantern follows me home
HELP !!

Just don't feed it...kinda like a stray cat...next thing you know...you'll have a ton of them hanging around...ask me how I know. You're lucky it wasn't an old suitcase stove...they take up more space.

Rustoleum high temp silver kinda gives more of a light silver finish. The other high temp paints are more "chromish", I think they show more rust issues and show use faster. I like the Rustoleum. Just my opinion. Doug

[Kevin & Sandy]

Thanks for all the help guys !! With your suggestions, I got the 220B cleaned up and going again. I put it all together and it works like a champ.

I pumped it 25 times, lit it, and it was still going strong 2 1/2 hours later. I wanted to see how long it would go before it just plain went out, but I had to go somewhere.

It says 11 1 on it, I am thinking November of '41?

[Zollinger]

Gotta love the chrome big hats! They sure do shine when lit up.

[Darren]

Nice Kevin.

[PresTx82]

Did you ever find out what the piece was that was in the fount? I'd be interested in seeing a picture.

Nice looking lantern.

Wait until you buy a steel pot to boil your lantern parts in vinegar on the stove; or when you paint and bake your fount in the oven for an hour in between coats. Oh, and then you need BBs to shake in the fount. Replacement stickers to purchase to put on the newly painted fount. Wait, ...... you'll need to make sure the lantern has the "correct time period" globe - that white Coleman globe Made in China just can't stay on the 1960s lantern, and then ......... You get the picture.

I've had over 15 lanterns follow me home in the last 60 days and/or show up on the doorstep. The mail man just keeps dropping them off.

[Kevin & Sandy]

Mark,
Here is the part I found in the lantern, sorry for the bad pic. Is is brass, threaded on one end, about a 3/8" ID and about an inch or so long.
I had a heckuva time getting it out, finally got it by shining a light down the center, then putting the small end of a little Allen wrench in the part, then tipped over the fount and and snuck it out.

It does not thread into ANY threads found on any parts on this lantern. And the way the end looks, it was cut off with a hacksaw at one time??

Maybe someone made a homemade filler and this fell off?

[Wolffarmer]

Kind of like the time I pulled the oil pan off the motor from my pickup and among the parts in it I found one that didn't fit anything. And as I was the only person who had done anything with that motor since I had overhauled it, it was a real head scratcher. I finally decided the only way it could have gotten there was if it had been in a bottle of oil.

The other parts was bits of the cam chain guides that regularly come off. Motor doesn't seem to miss those parts so now I just cut them off and modify the guides a bit. Hey, I have 290,000 miles on the pickup despite the things I do to it. And the reason I had to overhaul it in the first place was the air filter passed dirt one dusty fall. It passed dirt because the sides of it was a hard plastic that the seal did not "bite" into. Now I only get filters with nice soft sides.

Randy

[rainjer]

Just wondering. In all of your posts you call it a 220B but you have a 228 lantern. Is the collar marked 220B?

Jeremy

[Kevin & Sandy]

Yeah, I wondered about that. The bottom of the fount definately says 220B, do you suppose there was some parts swapping between fount and ventilator?