#11 - 1953 249 - An exercise in patience

Vital Stats

Model: 249

Date: April 1953 (original. 5/52 replacement fount)

Technology: Pre-heat kerosene

Mantles: 1

Fuel: Kerosene

Date Acquired: October 26, 2016

I've bought several lanterns throughout the years that simply require a wipe off with a damp rag and will fire right up with the mantles on it and the fuel that was in it.  Such was not the case with this 249. 

My same friend who acquired the Gold Bond and 220E for me sent me a picture of some lanterns he saw in an antiques store he stopped in near his work.  There was a 242C and a 237 that were both out of my price range (he eventually took home the 242C for himself) and some common lanterns, but one rough looking soldier cost my eye.  A few days later he went back for some better pictures and send me this picture of a well worn 249.

The 249 is a fairly hard to find ,compact kerosene burning model manufactured in the US from 1947 - 1958.  Despite the fact that it looks very similar to a 242C upon first glance, there are quite a few parts which are unique to the 249 and not very easy to find.

It took me a few months before I saw my friend and got my hands on it, and quickly developed a laundry list of problems:

• missing collar
• holes in fount
• holes in preheat cup
• over tightened valve
• bad generator
• chipped globe

Despite all this I was determined to get it going, and quite honestly it's challenges like this that really keep me into this hobby, because I love fixing things.  

The first challenge was the hole in the fount.  The sides are made out of nickel plated brass and don't rust, though it is susceptible to other types of corrosion, but the bottom plate is steel and definitely rusts.  Kerosene models seem to be especially prone to rust in this manner, and my new toy was no different.  There are methods for sealing founts, but we'll talk about that later. First I want light!

Some quick research told me that the valve for a 249 will mate with a common 220/228 fount, and I just had a parts 228E laying round (remember this guy?)  The valve did mate easily enough, but not having a collar was a problem, and the original collar from the 220E was far too big.  I resorted to cutting down a soup can to size.  Another problem was the brass preheat cup had developed a hole in it which I resolved simply by applying some electrical solder. Lastly, the generator that came with it had the wrong "insides", and the only way to resolve this was to buy a complete NOS one from oldcolemanparts.com for a considerable price (supply and demand!).  After all this I was finally able to make light:

But electrical solder did not hold up to the high heat of the vaporized kerosene, and as I attempted a more permanent fix it became apparent that the brass in the bottom of it had become paper thin and very brittle, and this cup would no longer be useable or repairable with my current tools or skills. 

Kerosene has a much higher vaporization point than gasoline, so a preheat of the generator is required to light the lantern without it flooding and flaming and sooting; basically a big ball of fire, so a preheat cup is provided which installed at the base of the generator.  The user fills the cup with denatured alcohol and lit and allowed to burn for 3-5 minutes based on operating temperatures. So without a preheat cup I was stuck, unless I wanted to preheat with a propane torch every time I wanted to light it.  These aren't made anymore so I had to resort to aftermarket reproductions.  The first two didn't fit, despite being listed as 249 compatible.  The 3rd was a Canadian style aluminum cup that initialy didn't fit, but some Dremel grinding was able to resolved.  Finally, oldcolemanparst.com finally came through and provided me with a brass one that worked, though didn't look much like the original.

Now that I had a working lantern I set my sights on making it original, and the first order of business was the fount.  I had two choices: locate a correct replacement or repair the original.  Locating a replacement is pretty straightforward, the challenge being obvious.. First you have to locate it, then you have to pay for it, but if you can do this it is the preferred option.  Repairing the fount of a liquid fueled pressure appliance has its inherent dangers, and is not recommended.  Kerosene, being less volatile than gasoline, is not as dangerous should a repair fail, but you still risk having spewing fuel near an open flame.

The SOP for fount repair is to pour a tank sealer product into it and let it cure. This is typically used for motorcycle gas tanks, which are not under pressure. But I had a bigger problem.  The hole was so large that I knew that anything I poured into there would just run right out, so I first needed to plug the hole. Fortunately, my brother who lives nearby, has a welding setup and we were able to sufficiently cover the hole for the tank liner to set up. 

I pressure tested the repair and I was good to go: so I thought.  I started to reinstall the valve and it just kept turning and turning, well past the point where it should have tightened.  Eventually it bottomed out on the fount, meaning the fuel pickup tube at the bottom of the valve was touching the bottom of the fount, literally digging into the new sealer.  Sometimes people over tighten the valve which causes the threads to either the valve or the fount to become compressed and loose. When I backed it out to the normal pressure there wasn't enough thread contact to hold pressure, so I had to apply a thread locker. I was unable to find an original 249 collar but I was able to buy a 242C collar from eBay that was close enough to ditch the soup can, and finally I was able to run an almost original 249.

But I knew it was dangerous to run a lantern with a fount in this condition, so I resolved myself to find a replacement.  Eventually I did (not as nice looking on the outside, but in tact.  Dated May 1952), but to my disappointment the valve still bottomed out, so I would have to run it with thread locker still.  Later on I would also be lucky enough to find a NOS collar and a more correct looking preheat cup, and my lantern would be original as it would be.  The vent has since fallen apart but it is still useable, so this piece mostly just stays on the shelf but gets run on occasion.  

Here it is with everything except the new brass preheat cup. This one was certainly an exercise in patience, and I spent quite a bit of money since the original $29, but again, that's why I do it.