How To: Light a mil-spec lantern

This is my way to light the finicky mil-specs

[@h.e.rogish5701]

Really interesting video. Your procedure is a science on its own, especially today where all the modern stuff is "Plug it in, turn it on, boot it up" and everything is working perfectly all at once. The older things take a little skill and some brains. Nice work!

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

Thanks for the comment and kind words. My generation I feel is letting older things slip. Not saying I dint respect technology but it's a moderation type thing. I think skills are important. Skills shouldn't be forgotten just because something is easier. Learning the old with the new makes appreciation better.

[@larrysimmons6082]

@@XxKnivesNGunsxX I know this is 7 years old..but I would like to ask ..the work you said u had to do on it ..do you have a video on how to tear down and all that good stuff

[@wetcanoedogs]

great info! I just bought one from a fellow canoe tripper and at the moment i'm still rinsing the old brown gas out of it.

[@TheWanderingDude]

Thank you for this video! I've been fighting with my lantern for a week! 👍

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

no problem...hope it's running good

[@paddywonka]

Great video, know will try firing my 79 up. Thanks

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

Be careful they can go wild on ya

[@h.e.rogish5701]

Excellent tutorial! Thanks!

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

H. E. Rogish no problem

[@larrysimmons6082]

Great video thank you on the heads-up on lighting it up I don't know much about these things but did you put that name that you mentioned the drop down to this video so I can look it up thanks again sorry my phone is screwed up

[@LanternLooney]

Thanks for the instructions. I saw a small flame at the bottom of the generator, so it seems as if it likes to drip through the mantle? Mine is a 1952 Coleman milspec that i bought off a fellow member on the Coleman Collectors Forum a few months ago. And i did a BB shake in the fount and wiped it down a bit, replaced the cap gasket, and have a spare generator in case the one on it doesnt work. it looks like it should be in running order, so ill go give it a go right now. Ive heard each one is different. Some are finicky, and some are less finicky.

[@michaelwoods9005]

i have a 1966 mil spec that is a little more forgiving. it likes 8-9 pumps to start and I've never had it turn back into a fireball on me. i guess each one has a slightly different character..

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

I feel the older lanterns miles specs are more forgiving than the newer ones made in the 70s and 80s.

[@fakenews7266]

I have a 1944 and a 1986 the 44 runs great the 86 just blows out fire , my 44 is green and not olive drab like the 86 and it has a one-piece globe and not the "quadrant" globe

[@coffeeandlifting]

I wonder if there's something wrong with the fuel pickup. Its supposed to aerosolize at a quarter turn. If it was mine I'd rip it apart and see. My 200a behaves exactly like this, and its because someone clipped the air-fuel metering rod in the pickup tube which causes it to always pull liquid fuel from the bottom of the tank even at a quarter turn. I just converted it to kerosene since you have to pre-heat kerosene anyway.

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

Nope these 252s are a completely different beast. The do aerosol the fuel but the shape of the generator and the aluminum generator combine to be a fairly inefficient conductor of heat and the fuel just kinda pools up in the generator after hitting the bend near the top. You will find most 252s have a pretty finicky stsrting procedure. Nature fo the beast

[@coffeeandlifting]

@@XxKnivesNGunsxX Interesting. I would love to find one of these to play around with. They seem to be harder to find than the commercial models though.

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

@@coffeeandlifting I have I think 6 of these. I only found 1 in the wild and it was tucked in the corner of an army navy surplus.

[@coffeeandlifting]

@@XxKnivesNGunsxX Nice. I probably have 6 of the ordinary 220's, but I see them all the time. I should probably stop buying them, but when they're five or ten bucks its hard to pass them up.

[@johnstevens7856]

Just got one from Goodwill for $9. I need to do some cleaning. Do you have any tips?

[@MrTremewan]

Good video, good info that I will put to use.

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

Thanks for the comment i dont think their is another vid on youtube that explains it

[@benkanobe7500]

Mine looks identical to yours. Do you recommend we all pull the plug on the air tube??

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

If it runs well with it in id leave it in. I believe the original design was intended to be a failsafe in case your other tube becomes plugged or blocked. However some of them just don't run well at all without them both pulled out so it takes a little experimentation

[@benkanobe7500]

@@XxKnivesNGunsxX OK Thanks!

[@rl8750]

do you know where to get repair parts for this lantern, Mine is dated 1985

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

Oldcolemanparts.com

[@jessadanont]

Can it dimming?

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

no dimming on this model. all or nothing

[@BluegrassBushcraft]

Now I got to get mine out and fire it up. I thought this was a unleaded fule lantern?

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

BluegrassBushcraft it will run unleaded or leaded ...but id rather run coleman fuel and save my spare generators

[@BluegrassBushcraft]

XxKnivesNGunsxX I've only burnt it one time and used unleaded fule in it. Do I need to flush it out before trying the Coleman fule?

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

BluegrassBushcraft nah...id say go head and run her...you can use whatever fuel you choose...just keep in mind these aluminum generators are nearly impossible to rebuild and aren't made anymore. the supplies will dry up some day so I like to preserve them as long as possible which is why I suggest coleman fuel.

[@lessstuffmorefreedom-livin6886]

thanks for the video

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

Welcome

[@lessstuffmorefreedom-livin6886]

@@XxKnivesNGunsxX I'm thinking about getting one of these it's a 1973 and is untested and I'm not sure if I'm opening up a can of worms or is she just stay away from it

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

@@lessstuffmorefreedom-livin6886 absolute worst case scenario. You throw twenty bucks at it and can't figure it out and it looks good sitting on a shelf. Best case scenario you have a really functional piece of kit with alot of history attached

[@lessstuffmorefreedom-livin6886]

@@XxKnivesNGunsxX this milk spec is dated 1973, so it's not that old. I have a chance to get it for about $70 if that is reasonable I don't know

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

@@lessstuffmorefreedom-livin6886 if it's perfect thats not completely out of the ball park. I'd try and talk em down

[@rmgravley]

Which mantle are you using and which fuel? It is very bright. Thx

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

I am using a peerless 2C-HG. It is equivalent to the Coleman 21. Coleman mantles are very lackluster nowadays. You can find the peerless mantles at old Coleman parts for very cheap. I am using standard Coleman fuel. Gasoline will gum up the generator faster than Coleman fuel.

[@mainelyelectric]

I see that the knob on mine is labeled for lighting instructions the same as most Colman lanterns even though my mill spec is not not a Colman. It says open 1/4 turn till burning bright then you can fully open it as far open as it will go. But Do you Really have to open the valve fully once lantern is warmed up?? It seems like mine runs perfect with 2.5 to 3 full turns open and that’s not even close to full open! I’ve heard these lanterns are a whole different animal because they flare up and it seems to flare up if you open it even more so why would you even want to open it more if it runs fine at the settings mine runs at of 2.5 to 3 turns?

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

If the valve isn't open all the way then the fuel air tube in the tank will still be pulling some air from the tank. In the ideal situation it should be pulling fuel only thus preserving pressure and runtime. If yours only runs with the valve partially open then I'd say it's running rich and likely needs some work. You can start by pulling one of the brass plugs in the air tube and go from there

[@mainelyelectric]

@@XxKnivesNGunsxX thank you for the reply I just tested my mill spec again a few minutes ago and I counted the turns from off once it was lit and it’s about 2.5 or so turns and then you hear a very slight click and I believe that might be the fuel air tube disengaging because if I go much over 3 1/4 turns it flares up! It runs perfectly at 2.5 to 3 turns! Mine is a SMP 1981

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

@@mainelyelectric what you are describing is correct. The click you hear is the fuel pickup and it is running rich. You can try pulling the plugs or a new generator

[@mainelyelectric]

@@XxKnivesNGunsxX Well OK if you say it’s running rich I will agree with you but I don’t really want put too much time into it because it lights and runs and it just has sentimental value because it came from a friend that just passed away his wife gave it to me so it’s just nice to have it! At least it lights and runs and seems to sound OK to me.

[@mainelyelectric]

@@XxKnivesNGunsxX so you’re saying that it’s running rich even after the click that it makes at around 2 - 2 1/2 turns and pretty much the maximum I can turn it is I think 3 1/2 turns.

[@scipio6130]

Is Coleman fuel the same as “white gas”? Thanks!

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

Yes it is

[@CBeard849]

Going out right now to get my garage sale find..a 1965 milspec lantern to try to fire. Wish me luck.....It says coleman 1965 on the bottom.

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

Check for leaks first other than that have fun let me know how she goes

[@CBeard849]

***** When checking the generator should I be able to blow freely through it or is it normally restrictive? I can barely get any air through it at all..and the little orifice is free and clean after using the little pricking tool.

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

It'll be pretty tight...they have a packing not unlike a Zippo wick to pick up and stray particles

[@CBeard849]

Chris Beard BTW, really appreciate the video you did here, lots of good info. I already think I'm hooked...I had no idea what a collectible thing these old coleman products were. Next one will be a little red 200A "for my wife".

[@CBeard849]

Chris Beard Also I checked and one of the air tubes is open and one has the brass cap in there. Is that correct?

[@steveyoung4107]

why would the military want lanterns that are so difficult to lit?

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

the military unique parameters for a lantern that could only be fangled one way...a goofy generator. these lanterns were meant to run on gasoline of sometimes poor origin. often containing lead. these generators were essentially throw away and we're extremely cheap to produce. aluminium is a poor conductor of heat and they take awhile to get going. sometimes with nasty flare ups. the up side to this is the generators were made in vast quantities so as collectors they are inexpensive and readily available. also this is one of the most frugal designs ever produced. because the lantern is capable of running at such a low pressure it's run time can be double that of a similar sized 220.

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

I'm a nutshell the military was willing to accept a pain in the butt start because the drawbacks were out shined by the run time and over all durability of the design.

[@steveyoung4107]

***** thanks, that makes since. I also have a question about my 639b, I can't get it to dim at all. it runs about 80% to 100% on the dimmer. do you have this problem?

[@chrisjones8515]

Take that stupid mil spec burner and generator out and replace it with a standard coleman burner and generator prior to 1972.

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

Well then it really wouldn't be a mil spec itd be a 220 painted olive drab. Part of what makes these lanterns unique is their extraordinarily long burn time and their low pressure operation.

[@chrisjones8515]

@@XxKnivesNGunsxX I fought with those stupid things many nights in the Army Medical Corp. Ain't doin it in civilian life!😀

[@XxKnivesNGunsxX]

@@chrisjones8515 yea if it were life or death I'd probably rather have a base 220 but truth is most dudes just want to play with toys and fiddle lol

[@chrisjones8515]

@@XxKnivesNGunsxX I got my old lady to play with toys and fiddle with mine....😂😂😂😂😂😂😂👍