How to light a Coleman kerosene pressure lantern, this one is still made today

This is a quick video on how to light the Coleman 237 which came out in the late 30s. It is a pressurized kerosene lantern. This particular one was my great uncle’s and was made in April 1965. I would like to point out. I left out a few important details in this video. The first thing I didn’t mention was the cleaning lever, which is below the globe on the collar of the lamp opposite of the valve. It’s a metal lever that you spin, clockwise or counterclockwise to help clean carbon buildup out of the generator too. It needs to be in the down position for the lantern to light. **You will not be able to light this lantern if the lever is in the up Position** The other detail I left out, but it is a Coleman lantern user learned practice. You always want to tilt the handle slightly away from directly up so that it’s not being heated by the exhaust from the lantern. You will burn your hand if you leave it straight up and down and grab it. I find the mechanical simplicity of these lanterns and the uniquely different challenges they overcome with such rugged, durable and reliable technology to be a fascinating thing. As I mentioned in the video this lantern uses kerosene, which will last decades in storage. This particular lantern is burning kerosene that was put in it probably in the 1980s by my great uncle. I’ve added some newer kerosene to it, but it burned just as bright with the old. It’s just a good backup source of light and it will burn 8 hours on a tank. Kerosene is a lot less expensive than other fuels for other light sources. And if you ever find yourself using one, there is just something charming about them and the unique sound they make and being physically connected to a much simpler time in our history. One last note. Burning a pressure kerosene lamp produces almost 0 kerosene smell. Definitely less than burning a kerosene lamp with a wick. Because of the high temperature combustion. There is really no kerosene odor left in the room. I have burned this lantern in my house and I am shocked that there’s almost no trace of kerosene odor.