# Fuel powered lanterns?



## BatteryCharger (Nov 3, 2005)

I need to buy a new lantern, and I'm deciding whether or not to get fluorescent or fuel powered. What kind of lumens do propane/kerosene/coleman fuel lanterns put out? I can't find any of that kind of info on Coleman's website. How long do the mantles generally last on liquid fueled lanterns?


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## WildRice (Nov 4, 2005)

while I cant give you any lumen comparisons, I can offer what I have. Alot also depends on where you will use it, ie inside and or out. I have a coleman spiral CCFL lantern. It is nice and bright and has 2 brightness settings, but 8x 'D' can be pricey. I also have a single mantle coleman lantern that screws on top of the smallish protable tanks. This one IS brighter, and has a warmer color. For outdoor use I preffer the gas lamp just for the cost of the fuel. The mantels are pretty rugged. I keep mine in a case in a molded foam cutout. The mantle has been is use for about 1 1/2 years, about 10 camping trips. Since you can get a tank of fuel and a 2 pack of mantels for about the price of 8x batteries, it is more efficient. Now if you want the choise of using indoors or in a tent, get the CCFL.

Jeff


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## BatteryCharger (Nov 4, 2005)

It would be used mostly outdoors for camping, but I may want to use it indoors too. (power outage?) Can the liquid fuel lanterns be used indoors? I think propane lanterns can. I like the idea of the dual fuel coleman lanterns, as they can run on gasoline, which I always have lots of around. I imagine you can't use them on gas indoors, but what about with the cleaner coleman fuel?

Does anyone make an alcohol powered lantern? (with mantles like the others)


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## WildRice (Nov 4, 2005)

IIRC the clean fuel ones can be used indoors, but as I have 3 boys 3,8,11, I will NOT use the fuel one indoors. The glass bulb is only about 2 1/2 " in diameter and gets HOT. its not worth the potential burn and fire hazard. I am not sure about the white / multi fuel units. Obviously you wouldent use gas indoors, but not too sure of the clean fuel.

Jeff


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## turbodog (Nov 4, 2005)

I've been using all sorts of these for many years and will offer what I can.


Coleman dual fuel OR white gas only:
1. brightness seems to be the same on either fuel
2. white gas leaves less deposits behind, the generator seems to last longer
3. white gas doesn't have the nasty smell of gasoline
4. white gas, although more expensive, really doesn't cost much more in real dollars. I mean, you're hard pressed to burn a gallon or two of this stuff a year in any case.
5. white gas evaporates and doesn't make everything smell like gasoline
6. but, yes, gasoline will work just fine. i suggest premium though

No experience with kerosene lanterns, but from messing with liquid kero I can't imagine why anyone would want to use it. Especially the casual user. It doesn't give off vapors at room temp so it and the lantern requires preheating. Usually alcohol is used to preheat with.


Propane lanterns:
1. convenient
2. no pumping required
3. more expensive
4. MUCH higher center of gravity, tips over easier
5. practically no smell


Any lantern CAN give off carbon monoxide. Be warned. But in reality, you're fine if you have some cross ventilation and don't do something stupid like let vapors collect in a basement.

I just happen to have some specs around. These were aggregated off the net and from talking to Coleman's tech dept.

Light output:

exponent
229-725 model #
dual fuel
80 candlepower
equiv to 65 watt bulb
(web site says 75 wall soft white)
single mantle
backpacking size
DO NOT BUY! I have this one and you have to pump it up about every 20 minutes due to the small tank size. It is good for backpacking though. It's pretty darn small.

2 mantle propane
175 candle
100 watt bulb
I have this one also. It's a good light. Propane seems to work better if you are going to dim the lantern. The gas/white gas models don't usually dim too well w/o going out or sputtering.

295-???
Powerhouse dual fuel
300 candle
160 watt bulb
There are 2 different dual fuel dual mantle models. One is bigger than the other. These specs are for the larger one. I highly recommend it. It will go about 45 minutes to and hour between pumping. Even then, you only have to pump it about 20 strokes. This is the flashaholic's lantern. It's a monster. Expect a tank of gas to last about 6 hours. This model is a heck of a lot brighter than any other coleman model. Probably lights up an area 100'+ in diameter


I have the softside padded cases for all 3 of these lights. They are great. I am able to toss the lantern in the back of my truck and drive anywhere I want to. I usually get a year out of a mantle.


Note: there are 3 different size mantles for coleman that I am aware of. The single mantle exponent takes a small mantle. The propane and smaller gas one take a medium size. The big boy takes a large one. The only ones you're gonna find at wal-mart are medium and large. I had to order ones for my exponent.


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## turbodog (Nov 4, 2005)

This shows the size of the 3 I have. The propane model includes a plastic base. This adds about an inch to the height but helps prevent tipping *some*. It's still top heavy.


The turbo-powered one is in the middle. It's gotten a LOT of use. In the year I've had it, I have put about 6 gallons of fuel through it.


I have an adapter that screws into a "barbecue grill"-type propane tank. See it at: http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=5115-775T&categoryid=27401

It allows me to put the lantern head assembly on top of the tube. You can get a week or more runtime out of a 20lb propane tank. This likely gets the nod for car camping with the family. The tube puts the lantern at a pretty good height. It also has 2 taps on the side of the tube so you can hook up propane stoves/etc. This is what I usually use when we go to the bike races. It supports 6 people for 4 days on a 20lb tank. And we do a LOT of cooking during race time. Finally, bulk propane is a lot cheaper than the disposable cylinders.


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## bexteck (Nov 4, 2005)

As for using liquid fuel lanterns indoors, my family has used them many times in our kitchen and other places around the house during long power outages. A few recomendations though:

-If you have small children or pets, put the lantern somewhere out of their reach.

-Fill your lantern somewhere away from where plan to use it. This will reduce the chance that any spilled fuel or fuel in storage containers will ignite

-Start the lantern and allow it to warm up outside. This is because these lanterns can flame up above their tops when they are first started and the vaporizer has not yet heated up.

-These lanterns can give off a good amount of heat, make sure it is a foot away from material on the sides of it and 2 feet away from anything over the top of it.

-Allow the lantern to cool enough so you can touch the globe without hurting yourself before you refill it. This is not to prevent the fuel from catching fire as most people think, but to prevent burns and spilled fuel if you accidentally burn yourself on the lantern.

-If you spill fuel on the lantern when filling it, wipe it off very thoroughly before trying to light it.

-Make sure the room the lantern is used in is well ventilated.

-Know where your fire extinguishers are.


As long as you are careful, you should not have any problems using liquid fueled lanterns indoors


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## cy (Nov 4, 2005)

our boy scout troop uses coleman fuel lanterns. burns for a long time and much better for cold weather camping.

we've got propane versions too, but not too swift in cold weather. 

also got a battery coleman lantern that never gets used. it's a pita to support so many D cells. 

main drawback to coleman fuel lanterns is dangerous startup routine and fragile mantles. a nice padded lantern case is required if you want decent mantle life.


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## turbodog (Nov 4, 2005)

cy said:


> ... is dangerous startup routine and fragile mantles. a nice padded lantern case is required if you want decent mantle life.



dangerous!?

You're gonna scare him to death.

I think the startup is exciting! Attention-getting! 


I added the sparker wheel to my lantern. Now I don't even need matches.


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## zespectre (Nov 4, 2005)

Turbodog gave you a good rundown on most of your options. (Nice job Turbodog!)

I personally would never use a white gas or gasoline fueled lantern indoors, too many vapor and ventilation risks.

Lanterns I would consider using indoors (with proper ventilation)
-Coleman Xcursion *http://tinyurl.com/b4vo3*
-PetroMax http://waltonfeed.com/petromax.html
-Good old fashioned "Oil Lamp" with modern clean oils *http://tinyurl.com/7ff7t*

*HOWEVER.... If you have young kids I would strongly encourage you to stick with battery powered lights, period!*

Also... have at least one working fire extinguisher! (Fire marshal ZeSpectre :naughty: )


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## jtice (Nov 4, 2005)

I have the middle one in turbodogs photos.

I have used it ALOT, and used it HARD.
It has been through a few caves also, and I have only busted the glass globe once.
(dont splash cold water on it after its been on for hours  )

You cant beat it for lumen output, 
I also have an 8D 15W flourecent, which is great, lights up a room nice,
but just cant compete outside at all.

I use white gas in mine, one fillup seems to burn alllll night.
You might want to pickup an electric one for in the house, its safer, and wont smell.
But as long as you keep things away from the gas ones, theres no problem burning them in the house.
I would suggest white gas for indoors though.

~John


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## redduck (Nov 4, 2005)

I bought a liquid wax burning lantern from Walmart for about $5, a bottle of liquid wax about $4. Works pretty well for me. Some people worry about the fire hazard associated with candles and lanterns, but I think as long as you use some common sense they are pretty safe to use.


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## jeep44 (Nov 4, 2005)

Coleman's stuff is everlasting. I have a number of WW2-vintage Coleman lanterns and stoves, and they still work perfectly. I ALWAYS pick up old lanterns when I see them at yard sales-parts are available, and they will invariably work after a little cleaning. Good flashlights are great, but nothing says "camping" to me like a bright,hissing Coleman lantern hanging from a tree.


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## zespectre (Nov 4, 2005)

Okay, trivia question... What industry did the Coleman company origionally build it's lanterns for?


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## sr45 (Nov 5, 2005)

Coleman built lanterns for farmers, but the I prefer the Camping Gaz lanterns from Europe. They are available from most good camping suppliers. I have a single mantle lantern and a single burner stove that both use the same propane/butane mixture canisters. They're in my evac gear. (I live on the San Andreas Fault)

A couple of one pound canisters and I should be good for a week of cooking and area lighting after "the big one."


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## BatteryCharger (Nov 5, 2005)

zespectre said:


> Lanterns I would consider using indoors (with proper ventilation)
> -Coleman Xcursion *http://tinyurl.com/b4vo3*



That's pretty cool...does anybody make a lantern with a built in refillable propane tank? I think I would prefer propane except for the weight/shape of the tank.


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## zespectre (Nov 5, 2005)

sr45 said:


> Coleman built lanterns for farmers


 
Ding ding ding... we have a winner (jeez that didn't take long <grin>)


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## Bravo25 (Nov 5, 2005)

I just sold 3 of the propane types because of the fuel source. I like propane, and it is a good energy source. The problem is once you run out of propane bottles your done. These can't be refilled, they take up a lot of space, and they are a pita to dispose of. Also lumen for lumen they require a lot more weight. One can of white gas will run as long as dozens of bottles of propane, and in a pinch I can use unleaded gas.


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## Lynx_Arc (Nov 5, 2005)

I got one of the first unleaded coleman lanterns... I think they later renamed them dual fuel but the instructions says it can use coleman fuel also. It is a nice lantern I rarely use and am only on my second tank of gas. For winter weather in a power outage they are nice because not only do they light up everything they add a little heat to the room. For summers in small places during an outage the extra heat can make things more uncomfortable.
For short outages in confined areas I lean towards flourescent lanterns, but for longer outages in large areas the coleman fueled lanterns are nice. I have looked at the propane etc lanterns and think.... hmm.. then realize you can buy unleaded gas everywhere 24/7 and even siphon it out of a car if needed. Imagine a 15 gallon reserve for a fuel lantern, just stick a hose in your cars gas tank.


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## markdi (Nov 5, 2005)

kerosene fueled lanterns 

blow all other fuel type lanterns away

kerosene produces very little carbon monoxide
and kerosene is the least Volatile fuel - compared to propane or gasoline - much safer 

In my opinion never use gasoline or propane lanterns indoors.

petromax is the best - they are multi fuel but I only run kerosene
my big petromax lantern puts out as much light as a 400 watt incandesent bulb.

http://www.britelyt.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc


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## Far_Field (Nov 5, 2005)

I have the Coleman Peak1 222B backpack lantern (single mantle white gas similar to the 229). Been using it for about 15 years. Way to heavy for backpacking but perfect for car camping. Mantles last a long time, replace mine every few years (lantern has a hard plastic case for transportation). Used it once in a blackout, just put it in the fireplace. I usually pump it up once to light, than one more time after about 30min and it usually goes all night (till it runs out of gas).

As for mantles, this one uses the small mantles that can be hard to find so I've used the standard sized mantles, removed the tie string, cut the mantle shorter, rethread the tie string, and tie them on. One thing I've noticed doing this is that if the mantle is made smaller (about 2/3 size), the resulting light is whiter and brighter.

I also recently purchased the Coleman Exponent Xcursion refillable butane lantern from REI. Have not tried it out yet but it looks pretty cute. About 3/4" taller and 1/2" wider than the RR 4AA lantern. Six hour burn time on one 1.8oz fill with 10 CP output.

Gas pro's: Brighter, cheaper to run, white gas lasts a long time (storage).
Gas con's: Fun to light (white gas), Runs hot, emits carbon monoxide (don't use in closed places), mantles (very minor, always carry spares), requires pumping.


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## BatteryCharger (Nov 5, 2005)

What do you guys think about the Coleman Outlander lantern?
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=3029A725&categoryid=1005

Are all the brands of those butane/propane canisters compatible the way propane tanks are? Seems like they would give the benefits of propane without the big heavy tanks. Kind of expensive to refill though...


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## BatteryCharger (Nov 5, 2005)

turbodog said:


> exponent
> 229-725 model #
> dual fuel
> 80 candlepower
> ...



I just went to a few sporting goods stores and I really like the size of this lantern. How hard is it really to pump up? How long does it burn on a tank?


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## BatteryCharger (Nov 5, 2005)

These are pretty cool too!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Coleman-Centenn...16302096QQcategoryZ106992QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Maybe I should just buy 5 or 6 different lanterns.


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## brickbat (Nov 5, 2005)

Everybody needs a Coleman white gas lantern. They're a lot of lumens for the buck. The petromax lanterns are nicer, and brighter. But they're considerably more expensive, and a touch harder to light, since they need to be preheated first. The run-of-the-mill 220 series lanterns are super common, and turn up at lots of flea markets/garage sales. Keep lots of extra mantles on hand - they're pretty easy to break.

I would not use a white gas lantern inside. A leak in the pump, and you've got pressurized naptha spraying out next to a white-hot ignition source. The propane lanterns strike me as inherently safer, but that's just a gut feel.

BTW, the physics of mantles is interesting - try a Google search on thermoluminescence. There's more going on there than just blackbody radiation from a hot surface.


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## Geddinight (Nov 6, 2005)

I was waiting to see keorsene lamps mentioned. The preheating makes it a really exciting propostition. I have two made by Wenzell I got at Sam's club years ago. I was impressed.
I liked the classic design and the nickel plated brass. 
They are cantankerous to light. Once lit though, they are great. 
I had purchased them in my "disaster planning" mode. I figured that they would run on the same keorsene fuel as my standby heaters and thus be efficient in a winter power outage. 
They are not for everyone though. There is a lot to be said for the ease of screwing on a propane tank and lighting the mantle and just forgetting about it. But that's no fun................


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## turbodog (Nov 6, 2005)

BatteryCharger said:


> I just went to a few sporting goods stores and I really like the size of this lantern. How hard is it really to pump up? How long does it burn on a tank?




The tank is small. Pumping only takes about 15 strokes. 

Don't misunderstand me. It's a good lantern, excellent for portable applications. I just wouldn't want to have to use it in a base camp situation.


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## Xe54 (Nov 7, 2005)

brickbat said:


> BTW, the physics of mantles is interesting - try a Google search on thermoluminescence. There's more going on there than just blackbody radiation from a hot surface.



I'm not convinced that the light emitting behavior of mantles is based upon thermoluminescence. That phenomenon appears to be the release of energy by free electrons trapped in the potential energy wells of a perturbed crystal lattice. It is a technique used for dating materials, similar to radio-carbon dating. 

Thus, the light that could be emitted would be finite, and would expire after all of the trapped electrons had been freed. Also, it appears that this is a phenomenon that emits only very small amounts of light, probably needing to be detected by a PMT or other sensitive detector. Not something that can light up a room.

So the question would be, what is the physics behind the bright illumination produced by rare earth (and some sctinide) oxides (Ce, Th) when heated to high temperatures?


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## astra (Nov 11, 2005)

A lot of good info above. I'll add an indoor only option - an aladdin kerosene lamp. Work great & put out a lot of light and are NOT pressurized. They do use an incandacent mantle to product a bright light. Not appropriate for camping or much outdoor activity, but they are great indoors. While some are quite expensive, other models are not so bad. 

They claim they are as bright as a 60 w light bulb, but I'd say mine are closer to 40 watts. Not as bright as a pressurized lamp, but pretty darn good. Plus they were designed to work indoors. Still anything that burns gives off some carbon monoxide - so use common sense.

I've got a dual fuel coleman that works great outdoors, but I love the aladdin lamps inside. Got two from my grandfather (thru my mother), and they still work great.


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## markdi (Nov 12, 2005)

I have 2 aladin mantle lamps 

one I bought a couple of years ago

and a old one that I got from my 89 year old grandpa.

they both work great

my grandpa grew up on a farm in kansas

his dad bought the alladin lamp when grandpa was eight

the old lamp is made better than my new one


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## brickbat (Nov 12, 2005)

Xe54 said:


> I'm not convinced that the light emitting behavior of mantles is based upon thermoluminescence.



This is not my area of expertise. But I have observed that the light from a gas mantel is of a curious whitish color, and it's color temperature seems to be quite constant even as the gas flow, and presumably, the temperature of the mantel, is cut way back. 

This link

http://www.chem.leeds.ac.uk/delights/texts/Demonstration_19.htm

Seems to support the thermoluminescence idea for gas mantels.

I know there's something else besides incandescence in a gas mantel, what would you call it, if not thermoluminescence?


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## Quest (Nov 13, 2005)

Quote (Markdi):

"...kerosene fueled lanterns 

blow all other fuel type lanterns away

kerosene produces very little carbon monoxide
and kerosene is the least Volatile fuel - compared to propane or gasoline - much safer 

In my opinion never use gasoline or propane lanterns indoors.

petromax is the best - they are multi fuel but I only run kerosene
my big petromax lantern puts out as much light as a 400 watt incandesent bulb.

http://www.britelyt.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

..."

******************************************************
As a avid collector/restorer of Coleman gas pressurised lanterns in PacificNW (and a participant in Neil McRae's collectors group in pressurised appliances of lanterns and stoves), I think we need a bit of clarifications here:

(1) Petromax, as many kerosene lantern restorer over the past 30+ years reported, is not "multifuel". It is solely meant to be used with kerosene ONLY. Failure to observed this by substituting anything more volatile than that of kerosene into one of these lanterns (Petromax inc., but nowadays, mostly Britelyt and other copies), will result in overheating and subsequently lead to explosion. There has been several reported case of these in the past several decades, all due to mis-use/abuse of lanterns outside of it's intended use.

BTW: Check the historical postings between the "so-called" multifuel claims by "Britelyt" distributors in US a couple of years ago and you shall know why...



(2)all fossil fuel buring lanterns are fairly ok to begin with, with white gas comes fairly close to propane/butane lanterns in terms of light output given all other factors the same. While white gas lantern may seeming produce more CO than that of kero pressurised lanterns on the surface (aka "waltonfeed site), in reality, the difference the 2 in CO production is not that huge (both produce CO). Kero, on the other hand, does produce a rather "distinctive" afterburn smell that some folks find it to be somewhat offensive (including yours-truely) and shall not be used in an enclosed area.

white gas can be safely used indoors in lanterns and stoves, citing Coleman has made white gas kitchen ranges in the 1910~1920s and also white gas table lamps (example" Coleman Canada produced tablelamp version 157/159 in the 50s), so long as you provide ample amount of fresh air and ventilation.

Bottomline: there has been a lot of mis-interpretation and bad rap on many different things, as the technology and knowhow gradually fades into the yesteryear, so are the "knowhows". As a consequence: many wrongful application and unnecessary accidents due to abuse (such as a woman sued the Coleman company when her 200A lantern exploded due to her apparent abuse --she wrapped it with aluminium foils acting as a heater instead of it's intended use as a lantern...)

Due to the risk of earthquakes and many other natural disasters combined (even winter snowstorms which may have caused blackouts), I do use kerosene pressure lanterns and Coleman lanterns (and table lamps too) indoors.

I too, have owned many other battery operated lanterns but none can compare to the sheer lumen output of a mantle-based pressure lantern.


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## cujet (Nov 18, 2005)

I have 2 coleman type lanterns. One is an older post war kerosene lantern. The new mantles I have for it are rated in lumens. I believe one of the packages says 500 lumens. Not sure if this is the brighter one or not. There are a few different brightness' available. 

The kero lamp is a pain to start. What happens to me is that the kerosene starts coming out in liquid form, then catches fire. It makes for a smokey, exciting mess. It also coats the inside of the glass with carbon. 

Sure is bright and lasts a long long time. 

The propane one is slightly whiter but less bright. It is easy to use. 

By the way, there are adaptors available to re-fil those small propane bottles, at Harbor Frieght. Maybe is is improper to refil those little bottles, dunno. However there is little risk, as propane is self presurizing. This means that transfer from one bottle to another is not ever going to create an overpressure situation. 

Keep in mind that propane in liquid form has the same pressure whether the bottle is full or empty. 

Chris


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## Xe54 (Nov 19, 2005)

brickbat said:


> This is not my area of expertise. But I have observed that the light from a gas mantel is of a curious whitish color, and it's color temperature seems to be quite constant even as the gas flow, and presumably, the temperature of the mantel, is cut way back.
> 
> This link
> 
> ...




There is definitely an emission phenomenon other than black body radiation that occurs when certain materials are heated. I have played with this effect my self in the past using an oxy-acetylene flame. Perhaps it is a deficiency in
the definitions of thermoluminescence that are at the top of hit lists for net seaches, that they mostly refer to the use of the effect as a dating tool. In this case it is clearly explained that ionizing radiation accumulated over long periods of time displaces electrons in the crystal lattice, which drop back into their proper places when the material is heated, causing a luminescence that is probably so faint as to require a PMT to detect (you wouldn't be able to even see it).

The most important thing about this dating technique, is that it is measuring *stored* energy in the material, and once that energy is released by heating, the luminescence will expire. So perhaps for materials which can be dated in this manner, the heating required to release the stored charge is low relative to what would result in incandescence, otherwise the incandescence would swamp the luminescence at the detector.

However it may very well be that some materials are capable of undergoing a *continuous* thermoluminescence process when heated to incandescence temperatures, where the thermal energy is then what drives the excitation of electrons out of the crystal lattice, to luminesce when they fall back.

Alternatively, it is possible that the mantle luminescence is caused by chemiluminescence, where the rare earth oxides actually dissociate and reform continously as a result of the high temperature, forming a cycle in which thermal energy is essentially catalyzed by the material to transform from multiple low energy (long wavelength IR, heat) photons to a smaller number of high energy (visible light spectrum) photons.

This would be a good question to bring up in sci.chem or sci.physics. I expect that the continuous thermoluminescence theory is more likely to be correct than the chemiluminescence one, but I really don't know. These just seem to me to be the most promising possibilities.


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## Quest (Nov 19, 2005)

Cujet:

For any pre/postwar Coleman kero pressure lantern, always consider giving sufficient time to heat up the generator before you crack open your valve to feed the kero fuel. That way, no raw kero messing up the lighting process.

Also: if your generator is too old/worn/plugged with carbon, consider replacing it if possible. You may do a search for Old Town Coleman (Old Town Yucca) for repair parts and generators.

Also: make sure you fill the alcohol cup will methyl hydrate as much as the cup can hold, light it all the way until it's almost out of alcohol before you crack open the valve. That way, the left-behind alcohol flame will light the kero fuel and kick start the light nicely (works 100% in my case,w/o any problem).

If alcohol is to much to bear, try using colourless fondue paste or Coughlan's fire paste and that works out extremely well also.

As a purveyer of pressure lanterns (vintage, new), I have practised ways for safe lantern lighting and operation process. kero pressure is not that difficult to light so long as you follow the steps right. It's not like any other NA lanterns such as propane, Coleman white gas lanterns (naphtha), etc. It requires a bit of practice but once you are comfortable with it, even a woman/properly trained 6 yr old can fire it up no problem.

You are also more than welcome to join us in the Old Town Coleman (old town yucca) BBS discussion board on various pressure lantern issues, esp. Coleman:


http://www.oldtownyucca.com/discus/

Quest-TD


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## WinstonSmith (Nov 27, 2005)

Ok.. I admit it.. I have a "thing" for hot blast kerosene wick lanterns. I love the silly things, and keep four ready to roll in the garage. I use one or two every day when I go out there to have a smoke, and I love to tinker with them. 
Pure paraffin is great indoors, but will foul the wick quicker, and ruin it for use with kerosene down the line. Keep a spare handy. Colored and scented stuff absolutely stinks but will work in a pinch.
I really like the Dietz Little Wizard (45 hours burn!), but the rickety things they're selling in Walmart don't really ring my bell.
We used a pair camping on a windy beach for 4 days. The wind that finally blew them out took out the tent too :scowl: 

They're simple, cheap, and fun but cannot compare to the pressurized lanterns for output.


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## markdi (Dec 6, 2005)

my britelyt - petromax lanterns really are multi fuel lantens.

but kerosene works the best.

http://britelyt.groupee.net/about.htm


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