#1 - 1969 228F - The one that started it all

Vital Stats

Model: 228F
Date: December 1969
Technology: Instant-Lite
Fuel: Gasoline
Date Acquired: Inherited
Paid: $0

In the semi-finished basement of my parents house was a large room we referred to as "the shop". It was a general purpose room that served as the primary tool shop, bicycle storage, fishing equipment storage, canning storage, etc.  It was even plumbed for a toilet that we never installed and, of course, was chock full of junk.  Included in this junk was the ubiquitous Coleman lantern.

I don't know when Dad bought it.  I doubt it was new since he was fairly meticulous about keeping boxes for his gear, so I'm guessing he got it at a yard sale or a flea market (Dad passed away in 2011 and Mom in 2000).  We owned pop-up campers for the majority of my childhood so I'm guessing at some point he thought it would be a good idea to light the campsite, but here's the other thing; I don't ever really remember it being used as such.  The only thing I really remember was that anytime I asked about it, Dad's reply was "it doesn't work".

This leads me to the conclusion that A) Dad bought it 2nd hand and B) When he got it home it didn't work, and there it sat for 20+ years until I started getting into camping and bought a pop-up myself.  I made passing attempts to get it to work, but I was as unsuccessful as Dad.  Eventually I bought a Coleman propane lantern to provide my camping light, and back in the basement the 228F went.

Dad started getting sick around 2005.  By 2008 he could no longer live in the house and my siblings and I were left with the unenviable task of cleaning it out and getting it ready for sale.  I wouldn't call the lantern a particularly sentimental item, but it held a certain appeal and link to my former home that I couldn't let go of, and being a fixer and tinkerer by nature, home with me it went, with a resolve to finally get it working.  There were many more resources on the internet by then that weren't available when I made my first attempt in the 90's, so I was feeling good about my chances.  I can't remember the exact site where I found the instructions, it was probably oldcolemanparts.com, but I quickly learned the 3 most common failure points on an old Coleman lantern: the generator, the fuel cap, and the pump check valve.  I replaced all 3, trashing the original parts (which I would regret later), and it came roaring back to life!

This image is from 2013. After I first got it working in 2005/2006 it was running but it wasn't at peak performance so I dug back in and got it properly tuned.  Over the next few years I would also work to replace the replacement parts I put on with period correct, functional parts.  It's a good reliable runner now, and one of only 2 in my collection that is not for sale at any price.

The lantern itself is a 228F with a date stamp of December 1969.  It is the 6th generation of the venerable 220/228 series; the flagship of Coleman's lighting product line that began in 1928 and ran until 1983.  The only real difference between the 220 and the 228, within a letter series, is the vent size and appropriately sized bail, with the 228 being given the nickname "big hat" due to its larger vent size.