I'll look when I get home. Maybe mine is a 236 then.
The Coleman Thread (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter rusty_tlc
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@Cruiserdrew you are correct. The second is an Air-O.
The globeless 237 may or may not be salvageable. I need a little time to go through it and do a pressure test.
Even though it has some of the best looking nickel I’ve found in a while, on the underside along the rim there’s a pretty nasty looking rust spot. I’ve yet to determine if it’s superficial or something worse. I’ll keep you posted.
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
That is a really cool score and much rarer than a Quicklite, which are also rare. The only Air-O I've ever seen, I got for $15 on Craig's. It still runs great and considering it's 100 years old is kind of cool. I pressurize it with a quick shot from my compressor.
It isn't really a practical lantern, but it's a cool piece of Coleman history.
Those under rim rust spots are a problem for sure, but it's an awesome find on your part.
It's funny that Coleman had like 1 idea and just ran with it for 75 years. And still good today, in the distant future.
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Have you posted any shots running your Air-O? I’d love to see some. I’ve been on mud for almost 15 years but only found the Coleman thread last year so if you posted them a while back I probably haven’t seen them.
Honestly on the 237 the nickel was so good and the price was so right I didn’t even look it over. I’ll go over it and clean it up and make a display piece out of it if nothing else but I really want them to be functional if at all possible.
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
An old pic of my Air-O running.
Here is a burner pic when I got it:
And roughly 1919 or 1920. So a century old. I find that pretty cool. They didn't date the really old ones. I wish they had.
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My 237 kerosene.
Not sure how it will clean up.
Not sure how it will clean up.
Man that cleaned up great!! No way the one I just picked up will cleanup that good.
Are there any letters on the valve wheel? I know on the really old QL’s you can date them that way. I have another QL that has the letter B on it. Because of that I was able to date it to 1923.
I would think that will cleanup really well. Have you ever tried oven cleaner on the nickel? I have had good luck with vinegar cleaning the tarnish off of nickel but you have to be very careful with it. Supposedly the oven cleaner is much safer than the vinegar so I’m going to try that next.
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
[QUOTE="fj40z, post: 12455415, member: 14852"
Are there any letters on the valve wheel?
[/QUOTE]
Good question but I think mine is a 1919. I'll look tomorrow. I don't remember anything on the valve wheel, except the gland nut was nickel plated. The Air-O's only went a few years.
The really old Coleman is interesting, and they really got it together by the 1930s. The later Colemans were much easier to use, which I guess was the point.
Are there any letters on the valve wheel?
[/QUOTE]
Good question but I think mine is a 1919. I'll look tomorrow. I don't remember anything on the valve wheel, except the gland nut was nickel plated. The Air-O's only went a few years.
The really old Coleman is interesting, and they really got it together by the 1930s. The later Colemans were much easier to use, which I guess was the point.
Doesn’t get much better than a 502 on the tailgate of a Cruiser.
Kind of excited about these 2 and they’re going right to the top of the fettle list. First one is a 202 Professional with a build date of 5-55. It’s already pretty clean and should cleanup really well.
Next one is a Canadian 242B Sportlite. Build date on it is 3-47. First seafoam lantern so looking forward to working on this one .
Next one is a Canadian 242B Sportlite. Build date on it is 3-47. First seafoam lantern so looking forward to working on this one .
I'm digging your headliner!
Thanks! We've got a couple of patches up there.
I have some awesome Cruiser themed patches, too!
Man that’s pure Canadian goodness!
Canadian right? I prefer the Canadian single mantles over the 200As I think they are 303s??
Yes, made in Canada. I believe 1980 was the last year for this model but I can’t seem to find the actual year this one was built.
Finished up the 202 Professional and the Canadian 242B Sportlite this weekend.
Few of the Sportlite