Candle Lantern (Flashlight?)

At Riverssance this past weekend I spent money on tips, on food, on drink, and on this:

I had to supply my own candle, of course. The lantern is not as tall as the common taper, so I pulled the one I had used in the candle holder I mentioned some time back. That one had burned down some, and so was a good fit for this. The copper reflector does reflect some light, but it’s hardly as effective as polished silver or aluminum. The main thing is that it blocks light such that it’s not blinding (for candle values of… yes) when carried.

Or just viewed from behind when not carried. The handle is longer enough to be easy to grasp with the whole hand, and has ‘decorative’ holes that make it easy to hang on a small screw or nail not fully into a wall. The long handle makes the mounting on the wall that bit more stable, too.

And, yes, this was the only 100% “durable good” purchased. I am a bit surprised, myself. I do have a couple bottles, but drink came in those, so, they do not hit that 100% mark.

Unplanned Purchase

I had planned on ordering a Dietz #50 Comet, which is the smallest lantern Dietz made/makes. It wasn’t even originally for the US market. That plan hasn’t changed and I expect the thing will arrive sometime next week. It won’t be a super-bright thing, but it will be interesting to see the lineup of the small ‘Comet’, the well-nigh standard No. 76, the bigger ‘Air Pilot’ and the biggest they make ‘Jupiter’.

But I’d been looking for a single-mantle lantern, other than the Aladdin, for a while. The Aladdin demands close attention, needs hardware it should not (pliers or vise grips to turn a control that needs turning down exactly when it’s too hot to touch), and uses single-sourced mantles. Oh, and is $200 or more, when even available. So I was considering not only kerosene, but white gas, and propane. I was very close to buying a propane setup. I still might, eventually.

But a couple nights ago I must have either run into the new instance, or found the right search term(s). Looking through $BigBoxStore site and just skimming… and say, is that what I think it is? A single-mantle kerosene pressure lantern? Coleman, too, so I can get parts. Wow. And uses mantles I can find locally? Alright, SOLD. That will arrive early next week as well, but I likely won’t be able to DO anything with it for a while. Mantles need to be ‘fired’ before use. And that needs to happen outdoors without wind to speak of. You can guess the forecast for the next week or two: cold, miserable, windy as all.. yeah. And besides the mantle firing, the first several minutes of actual running also need to be outdoors – if the preheat doesn’t get the ‘generator’ tube hot enough, there can be ‘flare up’ which is exactly what it sounds like. Such won’t harm the lantern, but is not good for a structure – or one’s peace and ease. If it happens, it can happen on concrete well away from anything flammable.

Candle Lantern

This is not a lamp, but a lantern.

Candle Lantern

Unlike the lamp, meant to just sit in place and be pretty, this has a bail (handle) so it can be carried around. The glass chimney is clear for illumination and at least some protection from drafts. As pictured (unmodified) there is some flicker or pulsing of the the flame as the only source of fresh air is the top of the chimney. On the good side, the chimney has that ‘decoration’ on top that means the spring-loaded wire can securely hold it in place. Of course, carrying it for any length of time means your hand is directly over the flame and will be heated by the exhaust gasses – which might not be desired for more than a short time.

Since this photo was taken, I’ve drilled four rather small holes (very roughly, a #60 bit or so) in the base, inside the diameter of the chimney. I’ll need to test more to be fully certain, but I think that was enough that (at least if suspended on a lantern hook) the flame is steady and does not flicker or pulse in calm air. If that’s not enough for when it is set on a flat surface, I suspect a few more holes in the side of the base would allow enough air flow to steady things without making the candle more prone to being blown out by a breeze. It will never be a ‘hurricane’ lamp, but then it’s not meant for high wind conditions. It’s meant for indoors where things are generally, but not perfectly, calm.