WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.503 Here’s a package from Amazon. 00:00:02.671 --> 00:00:03.922 Here’s a Geiger counter. 00:00:04.463 --> 00:00:06.560 [Geiger counter clicks ferociously] 00:00:07.044 --> 00:00:08.331 Neat! 00:00:09.267 --> 00:00:13.248 Well now, it’s time we finish up talking about the light sources of old 00:00:13.248 --> 00:00:16.358 which make their light by burning stuff. 00:00:16.700 --> 00:00:20.873 We last talked about gas mantles and a bit about the towngas industry. 00:00:21.272 --> 00:00:24.419 You can check that video out with the links I put in the places. 00:00:24.419 --> 00:00:25.805 Like that one. 00:00:25.976 --> 00:00:27.181 Or the description. 00:00:27.352 --> 00:00:29.410 Maybe even a pinned comment. 00:00:29.809 --> 00:00:33.829 Ya know it really forces my lute when people don’t read pinned comments. 00:00:34.234 --> 00:00:37.544 Anyway, I teased that we’re gonna talk about these things. 00:00:37.901 --> 00:00:41.091 These Coleman lanterns, as we often call them over here, 00:00:41.091 --> 00:00:43.361 are a kind of pressure lamp. 00:00:43.361 --> 00:00:46.697 Other parts of the world might call them something else, like Tilley. 00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:48.364 Or Petromax. 00:00:48.991 --> 00:00:50.062 Or Reginald. 00:00:50.062 --> 00:00:55.364 Remember that we need to burn a fuel with a Bunsen flame to make use of a gas mantle, 00:00:55.364 --> 00:00:58.316 and that means we need the fuel to be a gas. 00:00:58.316 --> 00:01:02.189 Coal gas, natural gas, and propane at atmospheric pressure 00:01:02.189 --> 00:01:04.805 are all vapors so… job done. 00:01:04.805 --> 00:01:08.505 But if you want to carry your gaslight around with you, 00:01:08.505 --> 00:01:12.191 and it's before the days that bottle propane was available, 00:01:12.191 --> 00:01:16.964 you’ll want to use a liquid fuel like kerosene or gasoline for their greater energy density. 00:01:17.762 --> 00:01:19.367 And now you have a problem. 00:01:19.880 --> 00:01:21.271 Several, actually. 00:01:21.734 --> 00:01:25.830 First, how do you deliver fuel to where it needs to be burned? 00:01:25.830 --> 00:01:31.082 A gravity-fed fuel tank is an incredibly bad idea here 00:01:31.082 --> 00:01:33.602 because of how hot these lanterns get. 00:01:33.972 --> 00:01:36.942 Don’t put the fuel above the fire, is what I’m saying. 00:01:36.942 --> 00:01:42.535 But liquid fuel won’t just find its way up a tube without a little help. 00:01:42.535 --> 00:01:44.735 So, we’ll give it a little help. 00:01:44.735 --> 00:01:49.770 These are called pressure lamps because using them is anxiety-induc - 00:01:49.770 --> 00:01:50.626 Wait. 00:01:51.082 --> 00:01:52.673 That’s not quite true. 00:01:52.673 --> 00:01:57.771 They are pretty anxiety-inducing, actually - especially this one, but - 00:01:57.771 --> 00:02:02.569 they’re called pressure lamps because they have a pumpy bit which is very fun. 00:02:03.201 --> 00:02:06.094 The fuel tanks of these lanterns are sealed. 00:02:06.094 --> 00:02:09.112 Look at the fuel cap and you’ll see there’s a rubber gasket. 00:02:09.112 --> 00:02:12.312 Across from the fuel cap is the pumpy bit. 00:02:12.312 --> 00:02:17.745 To use it, you give the metal piece here a turn in the counterclockwise direction which releases it, 00:02:17.745 --> 00:02:22.040 hold it so that your thumb covers the little hole on its face, 00:02:22.040 --> 00:02:24.044 pull it out and start pumping. 00:02:24.801 --> 00:02:29.660 What this is doing is forcing air a little bit of air into the tank with each stroke. 00:02:30.344 --> 00:02:33.563 If I unscrew the fuel cap you can hear it escape. 00:02:33.791 --> 00:02:35.331 [hissing] 00:02:35.673 --> 00:02:40.186 The point of doing this is to force the fuel up into the burner. 00:02:40.186 --> 00:02:44.816 A pocket of compressed air above the fuel will put a downward force on it, 00:02:44.816 --> 00:02:49.213 and with the help of a dip-tube collecting fuel from the bottom of the tank, 00:02:49.213 --> 00:02:52.339 that will result in fuel being delivered to the top. 00:02:52.634 --> 00:02:56.636 About 30 or so pumps and the lantern is ready to be lit. 00:02:56.636 --> 00:02:59.413 It helps if you stare at the camera intensely. 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:03.274 [stares at the camera, intensely] 00:03:03.758 --> 00:03:07.221 Then you simply close the pump by turning the stem clockwise, 00:03:07.221 --> 00:03:08.668 push it in, 00:03:08.668 --> 00:03:11.559 light a match, and…. 00:03:12.155 --> 00:03:14.779 I am not lighting this one indoors. 00:03:14.779 --> 00:03:17.998 The fuel that's in here is strikingly similar to gasoline, 00:03:17.998 --> 00:03:23.966 and in fact this model can actually run on standard automotive unleaded fuel. 00:03:24.336 --> 00:03:26.056 So we’re taking this outside. 00:03:26.534 --> 00:03:29.172 OK, the tank is under pressure, there’s fuel in it, 00:03:29.172 --> 00:03:30.815 and we’re ready to go. 00:03:30.815 --> 00:03:36.678 To those of you who are used to Petromax and Tilley lamps it’s going to seem like I’ve skipped a step here, 00:03:36.678 --> 00:03:37.738 but I haven’t. 00:03:37.738 --> 00:03:41.754 Coleman lanterns have a huge advantage compared to those two 00:03:41.754 --> 00:03:44.986 thanks to their fuel which I’ll explain shortly. 00:03:44.986 --> 00:03:47.837 But to light this you simply light a match, 00:03:47.837 --> 00:03:50.440 stick it into the globe right below the mantle, 00:03:50.440 --> 00:03:52.131 prepare for calamity, 00:03:52.131 --> 00:03:54.113 and open the fuel valve. 00:03:54.113 --> 00:03:57.088 This next part may be interesting. 00:03:57.088 --> 00:04:02.973 When the lantern is cold, small amounts of liquid fuel are getting shot into the top of the burner. 00:04:02.973 --> 00:04:07.648 Because this fuel isn’t that far off from gasoline it will vaporize pretty quickly 00:04:07.648 --> 00:04:09.667 and so we get fire. 00:04:09.667 --> 00:04:13.251 But it’s not working quite right, as you can see. 00:04:13.251 --> 00:04:16.571 It’s sputtering, the mantles aren't very bright at all, 00:04:16.571 --> 00:04:18.245 and there’s... 00:04:18.245 --> 00:04:21.732 fire... Like a lot of fire. 00:04:21.732 --> 00:04:27.002 But after a short period, the thing calms down and the mantles get very very bright. 00:04:27.002 --> 00:04:31.560 This lantern is significantly brighter than the propane one we saw earlier. 00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:32.744 This one. 00:04:32.744 --> 00:04:35.575 Why is unclear, though I have a theory. 00:04:35.575 --> 00:04:38.711 So, why did it behave like that at the start? 00:04:38.711 --> 00:04:42.333 Why didn’t it just light like the propane lantern does? 00:04:42.903 --> 00:04:47.333 Well, it has to do with the tube traveling up the center of the lantern. 00:04:47.333 --> 00:04:50.104 That’s what Coleman calls the generator, 00:04:50.104 --> 00:04:53.517 and it’s a critical piece to the proper function of the lantern. 00:04:53.830 --> 00:04:56.939 To understand why, we should take this apart. 00:04:56.939 --> 00:05:00.509 And, through the magic of buying two of them, 00:05:00.509 --> 00:05:04.081 I have an already-taken-apart one right here! 00:05:04.651 --> 00:05:07.084 These are really quite simple devices. 00:05:07.084 --> 00:05:09.107 Almost astonishingly so. 00:05:09.107 --> 00:05:12.188 Although the fuel valve does more than you might expect. 00:05:12.188 --> 00:05:16.306 With the globe, burner, heat shield, collar, all that removed 00:05:16.306 --> 00:05:21.919 you can see that this is really just a tank with a valve and the generator. 00:05:21.919 --> 00:05:25.400 At the top of the generator is a small orifice. 00:05:25.400 --> 00:05:28.129 This is where the fuel actually comes from. 00:05:28.129 --> 00:05:30.802 In fact, I’m feeling brave enough to show you that. 00:05:30.802 --> 00:05:33.363 Just a wee bit of gasoline, no biggie 00:05:33.933 --> 00:05:37.148 (yes biggie, don’t do this yourself). 00:05:39.057 --> 00:05:43.562 Now you might think that the valve just lets fuel up into the generator 00:05:43.562 --> 00:05:45.368 but that’s only the third of it! 00:05:45.368 --> 00:05:49.294 It also cleans the tip of the generator when you move it back and forth 00:05:49.294 --> 00:05:52.165 thanks to a clever little pokey contraption inside, 00:05:52.165 --> 00:05:58.089 and it contains one of Coleman’s signature innovations - the fuel and air valve. 00:05:58.089 --> 00:06:03.304 That’s why this lantern may seem astonishingly easy to light to some of you out there. 00:06:03.304 --> 00:06:11.049 When cold, there's a valve inside the tank that allows some of the pressurized air at the top into the generator. 00:06:11.049 --> 00:06:14.014 That air has a lot of evaporated fuel in it, 00:06:14.014 --> 00:06:18.853 so the lantern can actually start running on this fuel-air mixture. 00:06:19.109 --> 00:06:21.320 But that’s not enough to keep it going. 00:06:21.320 --> 00:06:25.091 The reason it sputters so much and takes a while to become steady 00:06:25.091 --> 00:06:29.039 is that the generator needs to get hot before it can do its job. 00:06:29.381 --> 00:06:30.350 That job? 00:06:30.635 --> 00:06:32.849 It’s to boil the fuel. 00:06:33.333 --> 00:06:34.009 Yep! 00:06:34.009 --> 00:06:35.703 So what if we have a liquid fuel? 00:06:35.703 --> 00:06:41.330 We can just get it stinking hot and now it’s a vapor just like town gas! 00:06:41.330 --> 00:06:44.822 The generator travels up right through the center of the two mantles 00:06:44.822 --> 00:06:50.726 because it uses the intense heat they give off to boil the fuel that’s being pushed into it 00:06:50.726 --> 00:06:52.661 by the pressure in the tank. 00:06:52.661 --> 00:06:56.400 After that point it’s no longer liquid fuel spritzing out of here, 00:06:56.400 --> 00:06:59.829 but instead a stream of vaporized fuel. 00:06:59.829 --> 00:07:05.725 Then, push that into the burner through the hole that you can see there, hopefully... 00:07:07.691 --> 00:07:12.468 and it will combine with fresh air entering from this tube below. 00:07:13.009 --> 00:07:18.277 Now you have the perfect flame for making a gas mantle glow nice and bright. 00:07:18.676 --> 00:07:19.830 Pretty neat, huh? 00:07:20.143 --> 00:07:23.747 Pressurize the tank to move the fuel into this tube, 00:07:23.747 --> 00:07:26.476 then boil it to make it a vapor. 00:07:26.476 --> 00:07:28.359 Simple yet effective. 00:07:28.359 --> 00:07:31.252 Here’s another example of the same idea. 00:07:31.252 --> 00:07:36.550 This camping stove has essentially the same exact fuel tank as the lanterns, 00:07:36.550 --> 00:07:38.329 but look at the generator. 00:07:38.329 --> 00:07:45.213 Here, it travels over the stove’s burner before bending back down below to supply it with fuel. 00:07:45.213 --> 00:07:48.779 The fuel tank sends fuel into the generator from here, 00:07:48.779 --> 00:07:51.618 then it’s boiled as it passes over the burner, 00:07:51.618 --> 00:07:54.089 and comes out as a vapor from below. 00:07:54.573 --> 00:07:59.278 Lighting this stove is a wee bit terrifying as, just like the lanterns, 00:07:59.278 --> 00:08:03.594 it starts burning a bit of liquid fuel and makes lots of fire. 00:08:03.594 --> 00:08:08.753 But as that fire heats the generator, the fuel supply becomes purely vapor 00:08:08.753 --> 00:08:11.877 and we eventually get a clean, blue flame. 00:08:11.877 --> 00:08:14.957 Take a listen to what it sounds like as the fuel starts to boil. 00:08:15.327 --> 00:08:22.979 [whoosh of flame igniting, followed by a hissing and crackling] 00:08:25.971 --> 00:08:37.288 [crackling diminishes and steady whoosh takes its place] 00:08:39.420 --> 00:08:44.255 This stove, by the way, is burning actual automotive gasoline. 00:08:44.255 --> 00:08:48.329 And it should be noted that Coleman made table lamps using this technology, 00:08:48.329 --> 00:08:49.929 not just lanterns. 00:08:49.929 --> 00:08:53.627 Compared to the Aladdin lamp this could be considered superior, 00:08:53.627 --> 00:08:56.933 although there’s a complication which we’ll discuss shortly. 00:08:56.933 --> 00:09:00.848 Just about the worst part of this approach is the noise. 00:09:00.848 --> 00:09:05.708 It’s fairly loud on its brightest setting, with a pronounced whooshing sound. 00:09:07.382 --> 00:09:09.364 [a pronounced whooshing sound] 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:14.811 It’s not that different from an ordinary stove burner, but it’s not quite the same either. 00:09:14.811 --> 00:09:18.723 Definitely its own noise, probably due to the boiling fuel. 00:09:18.723 --> 00:09:22.353 Meanwhile the Aladdin lamp is completely silent. 00:09:22.353 --> 00:09:26.312 Now of course, this won’t even work without the tank being pressurized, 00:09:26.312 --> 00:09:32.455 and as the volume of fuel in the tank drops as it’s used up, the pressure in the tank does, too. 00:09:32.455 --> 00:09:38.790 So periodically you need to get some pumping action going again otherwise the lamps will dim over time. 00:09:38.790 --> 00:09:43.458 But it’s not something you need to attend to constantly - perhaps every half-hour or so. 00:09:43.458 --> 00:09:45.847 Even less on lower brightness settings. 00:09:45.847 --> 00:09:51.758 This also means you need to ensure the fuel cap is tight and also that the gasket isn’t damaged. 00:09:51.758 --> 00:09:56.255 In fact you need to make sure everything is tight because with the tank under pressure, 00:09:56.255 --> 00:09:59.668 leaks will happen wherever a fitting is loose. 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:01.414 Ask me how I know. 00:10:01.901 --> 00:10:05.929 Alright, so now let’s talk about the fuel these lanterns use. 00:10:05.929 --> 00:10:10.715 Believe it or not, Coleman’s first lanterns were developed to run on gasoline, 00:10:10.715 --> 00:10:16.010 but the gasoline of 1903 was very different from gasoline of today. 00:10:16.010 --> 00:10:21.137 Also, dates are really fuzzy because deciding what Coleman’s “first” lantern 00:10:21.137 --> 00:10:23.429 even is could be arguable. 00:10:23.429 --> 00:10:29.589 But anyway, back then gasoline was considered this weird byproduct of kerosene production 00:10:29.589 --> 00:10:32.243 (which remember you may know as paraffin). 00:10:32.243 --> 00:10:38.913 Kerosene was the fuel everybody used for everything, and this gasoline barely had any market yet. 00:10:39.334 --> 00:10:44.447 Over time, as we know, we found plenty of uses for this new gasoline, 00:10:44.447 --> 00:10:47.066 particularly in the internal combustion engine. 00:10:47.066 --> 00:10:51.028 But lots of different tweaks to it would soon occur. 00:10:51.028 --> 00:10:55.524 Of course you probably know about the introduction of lead to reduce engine knocking, 00:10:55.524 --> 00:11:03.064 but even things as simple as different refining methods led to gasoline with very different properties. 00:11:03.064 --> 00:11:10.053 Over time, this meant that new gasoline was so different that it was no longer compatible with older stuff, 00:11:10.053 --> 00:11:13.602 and eventually an old-school formulation was required. 00:11:14.485 --> 00:11:15.927 And this is that! 00:11:15.927 --> 00:11:21.962 White gas, which also goes by the names camp fuel, Coleman fuel or simply naphtha 00:11:21.962 --> 00:11:27.025 (though that term is very, very imprecise in addition to being a mouthful) 00:11:27.025 --> 00:11:30.627 is basically an antique form of gasoline. 00:11:30.627 --> 00:11:34.502 The “white” is both literal - it’s perfectly clear and colorless - 00:11:34.502 --> 00:11:36.785 and is meant to suggest purity. 00:11:36.785 --> 00:11:42.390 Because this is kinda-sorta what gasoline would be without any additives. 00:11:42.390 --> 00:11:45.039 Now, could you use it in your car? 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:46.062 Uh, no. 00:11:46.062 --> 00:11:48.500 It has an octane rating of about 50, 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:52.734 so it’s not great for use in any remotely modern combustion engines. 00:11:53.133 --> 00:11:55.415 Unless you want to tell a knock knock joke. 00:11:55.415 --> 00:11:57.791 But it’s great for these lanterns. 00:11:57.791 --> 00:12:02.344 A volatile, high-energy fuel but without any modern fluff. 00:12:02.344 --> 00:12:04.366 It simply doesn’t need any of that. 00:12:04.366 --> 00:12:10.684 This model, and other dual-fuel models like it, is able to run on standard automotive gasoline. 00:12:11.140 --> 00:12:15.867 And as a matter of fact, most any Coleman lantern *can*, 00:12:15.867 --> 00:12:20.222 but you’ll notice that the generators are pretty different between these two. 00:12:20.222 --> 00:12:25.841 The dual-fuel model is better able to tolerate the additives that are found in modern gasoline. 00:12:25.841 --> 00:12:30.389 I haven’t found what exactly is special about the generator in this lantern, 00:12:30.389 --> 00:12:32.641 other than being a little bit thicker, 00:12:32.641 --> 00:12:39.201 but multiple sources suggest that while most Coleman products will function on gasoline 00:12:39.201 --> 00:12:41.874 the additives significantly reduce their lifespan. 00:12:42.472 --> 00:12:45.040 But now let’s talk about kerosene. 00:12:45.040 --> 00:12:48.705 There’s nothing stopping us from using kerosene in a lantern like these, 00:12:48.705 --> 00:12:53.033 except for the fact that kerosene isn’t the biggest fan of evaporating. 00:12:53.688 --> 00:12:57.650 Now we’re gonna get to the part that makes Tilley and Petromax lamps so... 00:12:58.591 --> 00:12:59.676 fun. 00:12:59.676 --> 00:13:04.209 Coleman made (and I think continues to, though they’re backordered at the moment) 00:13:04.209 --> 00:13:07.285 lanterns that run on kerosene. 00:13:08.054 --> 00:13:10.171 Here is one such lantern. 00:13:11.482 --> 00:13:19.153 Now, this is, without a doubt, the least user-friendly product I have ever experienced. 00:13:19.153 --> 00:13:26.607 I have no idea why these are still made or why you would ever want one over a white gas lantern, 00:13:26.607 --> 00:13:30.099 unless you had a huge supply of really cheap kerosene or something. 00:13:30.099 --> 00:13:33.112 For those of you in places where white gas just isn’t much of a thing 00:13:33.112 --> 00:13:37.397 I suppose this seems normal to you but to my sensibilities… 00:13:37.397 --> 00:13:38.570 just... 00:13:38.570 --> 00:13:39.714 Wow! 00:13:40.027 --> 00:13:43.252 Let’s now discuss why this is so clunky to use. 00:13:43.668 --> 00:13:45.890 Here’s the problem with kerosene. 00:13:45.890 --> 00:13:50.000 It has a high flashpoint and doesn’t evaporate quickly at all. 00:13:50.655 --> 00:13:56.667 That means the lantern isn’t self-starting like the ones which run on white gas. 00:13:56.667 --> 00:14:01.358 And to start it, you need to not only take this apart, 00:14:01.358 --> 00:14:04.680 but also you’ll need some alcohol onhand. 00:14:04.680 --> 00:14:06.757 How’s that for convenience, huh? 00:14:06.757 --> 00:14:09.015 You not only need the fuel it runs on 00:14:09.015 --> 00:14:11.271 but also a different fuel to start it. 00:14:11.784 --> 00:14:12.664 Great! 00:14:13.063 --> 00:14:16.794 However, and here’s what I consider its one advantage, 00:14:16.794 --> 00:14:20.875 because kerosene isn’t quite as volatile as gasoline, 00:14:20.875 --> 00:14:26.048 I’m j u s t b a r e l y comfortable using this lantern indoors. 00:14:26.048 --> 00:14:29.846 That’s 100% not an endorsement to do so, 00:14:29.846 --> 00:14:32.725 and the product itself is being pretty clear that you shouldn’t, 00:14:32.725 --> 00:14:38.002 but if this lantern were to leak it’s nowhere near as terrifying as either of these 00:14:38.002 --> 00:14:41.513 because kerosene isn’t actually all that flammable on its own. 00:14:41.513 --> 00:14:47.282 Except oh boy can things go wrong if you don’t follow these instructions precisely. 00:14:47.282 --> 00:14:50.499 The first time I lit this, there was lots of fire. 00:14:50.499 --> 00:14:53.261 So, do not use these indoors. 00:14:53.261 --> 00:14:59.175 The only reason I feel comfortable doing it is because I have lots of practice lighting this now. 00:14:59.175 --> 00:15:02.447 And also I have a fire extinguisher ready over there… 00:15:03.102 --> 00:15:04.648 this time. 00:15:04.648 --> 00:15:08.749 Alright, notice that there’s a little cup thing at the base of the generator. 00:15:08.749 --> 00:15:11.435 This is the pre-heater cup. 00:15:11.435 --> 00:15:14.565 Fill this cup with alcohol, set light to it, 00:15:14.565 --> 00:15:19.720 and the resulting flame will heat the generator so that it can begin to boil the kerosene. 00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:21.035 If this sounds fiddly, 00:15:21.633 --> 00:15:23.845 that’s because oh boy is it! 00:15:23.845 --> 00:15:25.629 Remove the handle like so 00:15:25.629 --> 00:15:26.949 [CLANG] 00:15:26.949 --> 00:15:30.398 which is itself quite fiddly, 00:15:30.398 --> 00:15:31.501 take the top off, 00:15:32.242 --> 00:15:33.689 and remove the globe. 00:15:34.515 --> 00:15:35.957 Now comes the alcohol. 00:15:35.957 --> 00:15:41.073 You want to fill this cup most of the way full, and be careful not to spill! 00:15:41.443 --> 00:15:43.805 This looks super easy to pour into, right? 00:15:44.375 --> 00:15:49.023 Yeah, the main reason my first experience with this lantern was so calamitous 00:15:49.023 --> 00:15:51.671 was how poorly this went. 00:15:51.671 --> 00:15:54.396 Lots of alcohol went where it shouldn’t have. 00:15:54.396 --> 00:15:58.704 Using a drinking straw or a small syringe makes this much, much easier, 00:15:58.704 --> 00:16:02.061 especially because you also need to be careful of the mantle. 00:16:02.061 --> 00:16:03.727 It’s very fragile, remember. 00:16:03.727 --> 00:16:07.742 Oh, and the reason the cup’s insides look crusty and gross 00:16:07.742 --> 00:16:12.741 is that I experimented with using hand sanitizer gel and in fact that works! 00:16:12.741 --> 00:16:16.633 The gelling component just leaves this residue behind, unfortunately. 00:16:19.235 --> 00:16:21.826 OK, so you’ve got the alcohol in the cup. 00:16:21.826 --> 00:16:22.512 Great. 00:16:22.512 --> 00:16:24.083 Now you can light it. 00:16:24.482 --> 00:16:29.001 At first it’s going to burn very slowly and with a dull blue flame 00:16:29.001 --> 00:16:31.823 and in fact you may need to re-light it. 00:16:31.823 --> 00:16:35.084 But once you know that it's for sure gonna stay lit, 00:16:35.084 --> 00:16:37.214 you can reassemble the lantern. 00:16:40.801 --> 00:16:44.710 If you haven’t already done so, now you can start pumping to pressurize the tank, 00:16:44.710 --> 00:16:48.279 though you may want to wait a bit if you filled the cup to the brim. 00:16:48.279 --> 00:16:50.847 And now, and this is very important, 00:16:51.331 --> 00:16:52.935 YOU WAIT. 00:16:52.935 --> 00:16:55.089 You must wait. 00:16:55.089 --> 00:17:00.106 If you open this valve too early you will get liquid kerosene coming out of the generator, 00:17:00.106 --> 00:17:03.909 and it will hit the top of the burner and fall back down into the mantle 00:17:03.909 --> 00:17:07.332 and out onto the valve itself through the air intake. 00:17:08.130 --> 00:17:09.712 Ask me how I know. 00:17:09.712 --> 00:17:12.733 As the alcohol heats up it will eventually start boiling 00:17:12.733 --> 00:17:15.333 - you can see that happening on the surface - 00:17:15.333 --> 00:17:20.342 and the flame will become pretty intense, occasionally making it out the top of the lantern. 00:17:20.342 --> 00:17:22.922 Still though, you wait. 00:17:22.922 --> 00:17:28.134 Specifically, you wait until nearly all of the alcohol has burned away. 00:17:28.134 --> 00:17:32.153 This sounds so easy to do in an emergency, right‽ 00:17:32.153 --> 00:17:39.200 Anyway, once the alcohol is nearly gone it’s safe to assume the generator is hot enough to boil kerosene 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:41.882 and you can open the fuel valve. 00:17:41.882 --> 00:17:46.062 Vaporized kerosene will be mixed with air and shot into the mantle, 00:17:46.062 --> 00:17:49.223 and the burning alcohol will provide the source of ignition. 00:17:49.736 --> 00:17:50.891 And so… 00:17:50.891 --> 00:17:52.514 [loud whooshing] 00:17:52.514 --> 00:17:55.043 Now we have light! 00:17:55.043 --> 00:17:56.878 Quite a lot, too. 00:17:56.878 --> 00:18:03.273 It's quite a bit larger than the mantle in these so even though we only has one of them this is perfectly bright. 00:18:03.273 --> 00:18:04.803 Maybe even a little brighter. 00:18:04.803 --> 00:18:08.320 And of course, the heat from the mantle will keep the kerosene boiling, 00:18:08.320 --> 00:18:12.240 so once it’s lit you don’t have to deal with alcohol again. 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:14.234 Except for when you need to refuel it. 00:18:14.459 --> 00:18:15.881 Super convenient! 00:18:16.630 --> 00:18:18.925 Now I’m being overly harsh on it. 00:18:18.925 --> 00:18:25.225 I was actually fairly excited at the idea of using this lantern as an emergency light source during power outages 00:18:25.225 --> 00:18:29.796 (though you’ll definitely need a flashlight to help you get it started) 00:18:29.796 --> 00:18:34.833 Although it is objectively a terrible user-experience, 00:18:34.833 --> 00:18:40.149 there is a sort of romantic, ritualistic aspect to using it that I appreciate. 00:18:40.149 --> 00:18:46.322 And I thought it would combine the best aspects of the Aladdin lamp and Coleman lanterns. 00:18:46.322 --> 00:18:52.901 See, I ran gasoline in this lantern and somewhat to my surprise it was entirely odorless. 00:18:52.901 --> 00:18:57.002 No lawn-mower-engine smell or really anything I could detect. 00:18:57.002 --> 00:19:00.885 Just how the Aladdin lamp manages to be odorless on kerosene, 00:19:00.885 --> 00:19:04.298 I figured the Coleman lantern would be, too but… 00:19:04.298 --> 00:19:06.672 it’s not quite. 00:19:06.672 --> 00:19:13.450 It’s nowhere near as smelly as the Dietz lanterns, so it’s definitely a more thorough combustion of the fuel, 00:19:13.450 --> 00:19:16.218 but there is still a smell. 00:19:16.218 --> 00:19:21.070 In fact you can see from this carbon buildup that the combustion definitely isn’t perfect, 00:19:21.070 --> 00:19:24.691 although I must admit I don’t know how much of that is normal 00:19:24.691 --> 00:19:28.433 and how much of that is leftover from some of my previous… 00:19:28.433 --> 00:19:31.393 mishaps with this lantern. 00:19:31.393 --> 00:19:34.907 It’s been burned off in areas closest to the mantle, but 00:19:34.907 --> 00:19:37.885 it sure looks like it’s still getting worse everywhere else. 00:19:37.885 --> 00:19:41.925 In any case, the odor wasn’t enough to bother me after a half-hour of use, 00:19:41.925 --> 00:19:44.464 and in fact I can't smell it yet 00:19:44.464 --> 00:19:47.059 so it’s at least much more tolerable, 00:19:47.059 --> 00:19:49.917 and there’s also another quirk going on here. 00:19:49.917 --> 00:19:52.701 Notice how if I adjust the strength of the flame, 00:19:52.701 --> 00:19:57.021 the mantle seems to alternate between a cooler and warmer appearance. 00:19:57.021 --> 00:20:01.261 At its middle intensities the mantle glows a fairly cool white - 00:20:01.261 --> 00:20:03.275 just about that of a tungsten lamp. 00:20:03.275 --> 00:20:05.491 But at its full intensity, 00:20:05.491 --> 00:20:09.441 although it gets a lot brighter it also gets yellower. 00:20:11.037 --> 00:20:13.165 This is unique to this lantern, 00:20:13.165 --> 00:20:15.819 neither white gas one does this. 00:20:15.819 --> 00:20:20.619 I can only imagine that this is happening because the air fuel mixture is changing 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:24.019 and the combustion is becoming more and less complete. 00:20:24.019 --> 00:20:31.348 And indeed, the amount of odor this thing gives off changes depending on whether or not the mantle appears whiter or yellower, 00:20:31.348 --> 00:20:34.378 though curiously it seems the odor is stronger 00:20:34.460 --> 00:20:38.864 when the mantle is a pure white which is the opposite of what I expected. 00:20:38.864 --> 00:20:41.500 Though I’m honestly not even sure of that. 00:20:41.500 --> 00:20:45.265 It’s hard to judge the odor because the amount of fuel it burns 00:20:45.265 --> 00:20:49.697 varies drastically depending on the brightness it’s set to. 00:20:49.697 --> 00:20:53.347 And it’s always possible that there’s something wrong with this lantern, 00:20:53.347 --> 00:20:58.701 but I know for certain that this was a brand-new generator when I first used it. 00:20:58.701 --> 00:21:06.233 I had to run upstairs and came back down and, uh, definitely there is a smell of kerosene down here but it's honestly not terrible. 00:21:06.233 --> 00:21:09.474 But anyway, speaking of mantles that look yellow, 00:21:09.474 --> 00:21:12.750 now let's get to that thing I teased in the beginning. 00:21:12.750 --> 00:21:14.891 We'll count some Geigers! 00:21:14.891 --> 00:21:20.601 For many many years, gas mantles used thorium salts as part of their chemical makeup, 00:21:20.601 --> 00:21:23.080 and thorium is radioactive. 00:21:23.080 --> 00:21:28.518 Quite a while ago, Coleman and many others decided to move away from thorium-doped mantles 00:21:28.518 --> 00:21:32.677 and transitioned to the Ytttrium-based mantles that we have now. 00:21:32.677 --> 00:21:38.605 This bothered some folks, as purportedly the new yttrium mantles produce a duller, yellower light 00:21:38.605 --> 00:21:40.528 and also aren’t as bright. 00:21:40.528 --> 00:21:43.628 Some people also claim they’re less durable. 00:21:43.628 --> 00:21:45.803 I wanted to see how true that is. 00:21:45.803 --> 00:21:50.289 While the use of thorium salts in mantles has largely been phased out, 00:21:50.289 --> 00:21:52.151 it hasn't been entirely. 00:21:52.151 --> 00:21:54.560 In fact they’ve never been outlawed. 00:21:54.560 --> 00:21:56.964 If you know where to look you can find them, 00:21:56.964 --> 00:22:00.119 and actually it's not hard to get your hands on them at all. 00:22:00.119 --> 00:22:06.076 But interestingly although I was expecting them to be brighter and whiter than what Coleman offers today 00:22:06.076 --> 00:22:08.059 based on what people have said, 00:22:08.059 --> 00:22:11.210 I found this isn't necessarily the case. 00:22:11.210 --> 00:22:12.538 Take a look at this. 00:22:12.538 --> 00:22:17.216 This lantern has one original thorium-free Coleman mantle on the left, 00:22:17.216 --> 00:22:21.040 and it has one of these Peerless mantles on the right. 00:22:21.040 --> 00:22:27.389 These do in fact have thorium in them, as you can see and hear from the Geiger counter. 00:22:28.801 --> 00:22:33.832 However, the thorium mantle is not as bright or even as white. 00:22:33.832 --> 00:22:37.654 And in fact the light looks to be a little bit greenish to me. 00:22:37.654 --> 00:22:40.360 Why is the thorium mantle not as bright? 00:22:40.360 --> 00:22:43.929 Well, I think it's because it didn't shrink enough. 00:22:43.929 --> 00:22:48.993 I mentioned in the last video that mantles don't normally fwoomp like this one did. 00:22:48.993 --> 00:22:51.812 In fact the process normally looks like this. 00:22:51.812 --> 00:22:55.739 The mantle starts out much larger and flatter than it ends up, 00:22:55.739 --> 00:22:58.788 and as it burns away to leave the ceramic ash behind 00:22:58.788 --> 00:23:01.570 it shrinks and forms a tubular shape. 00:23:02.254 --> 00:23:05.883 And the thing is, there's some element of random chance, here. 00:23:05.883 --> 00:23:08.209 At least that's what it seems like to me. 00:23:08.209 --> 00:23:12.778 I've had some Coleman mantles not shrink as much as the one you see here, 00:23:12.778 --> 00:23:20.220 in fact I think that’s why my propane lantern, which is supposed to be slightly brighter than the dual-fuel model on paper, 00:23:20.220 --> 00:23:20.984 isn’t. 00:23:20.984 --> 00:23:26.397 I’ve gone through a few mantles and none of them shrunk as much as they did here. 00:23:26.397 --> 00:23:32.176 So far every Peerless mantle I've tried has shrunk into this sack-like shape, 00:23:32.176 --> 00:23:38.750 so it doesn't stay as close to the burner particularly at the bottom and thus it doesn't get as hot. 00:23:38.750 --> 00:23:41.116 Indeed when I first tried the Peerless mantles, 00:23:41.116 --> 00:23:50.469 I put them on this second lantern and it was definitely not as bright as this one with new, standard Yttrium mantles. 00:23:50.469 --> 00:23:54.385 In fact, they appeared yellower than the Coleman ones! 00:23:54.589 --> 00:23:59.954 It seemed to me that despite everyone saying yttrium mantles are duller and yellower, 00:23:59.954 --> 00:24:01.806 quite the opposite was true. 00:24:01.806 --> 00:24:04.096 And just so you can see... 00:24:05.179 --> 00:24:11.065 [Geiger counter ticks a bit] These are the thoriated mantles. 00:24:11.834 --> 00:24:15.262 However, I also found this different style of mantle 00:24:15.518 --> 00:24:20.967 which is also setting off the Geiger counter so we know it's got some thorium in here. 00:24:20.967 --> 00:24:25.172 However it's not really meant for Coleman-style lanterns. 00:24:25.172 --> 00:24:29.589 They are open at both ends and I had to experiment with tying them up 00:24:29.589 --> 00:24:32.465 to prevent flames from shooting out the bottom. 00:24:32.465 --> 00:24:38.365 But here on the propane lantern I did manage to get one attached and it shrinked well. 00:24:38.365 --> 00:24:41.351 Indeed it is brighter than the other mantle. 00:24:41.351 --> 00:24:43.358 And significantly whiter. 00:24:43.358 --> 00:24:46.687 So turns out this complaint wasn't all hooey. 00:24:46.687 --> 00:24:51.746 Although, even here I can see that the light is a bit greenish. 00:24:51.746 --> 00:24:58.049 This is interesting because apparently Welbach’s first gas mantles were very green in appearance 00:24:58.049 --> 00:24:59.880 and people found it off-putting. 00:24:59.880 --> 00:25:04.639 It took him a while to develop a mantle which produced a mostly white light, 00:25:04.639 --> 00:25:09.410 and I wonder if the thorium salts were primarily responsible for that green appearance. 00:25:09.410 --> 00:25:13.193 As someone who has always preferred warm white lighting 00:25:13.193 --> 00:25:17.814 I have to say that I prefer the way the more modern yttrium mantles look anyway, 00:25:17.814 --> 00:25:22.822 not only because they're a bit warmer but because they don't have that greenish cast. 00:25:22.822 --> 00:25:27.618 But I think I can understand why phasing out thorium has bothered some people. 00:25:27.618 --> 00:25:33.733 Though I do think that perhaps the poor experience with the new mantles may have just been teething pains 00:25:33.733 --> 00:25:36.170 as the new mantles were first developed. 00:25:36.170 --> 00:25:40.987 Maybe early on they had the same shrinkage problems as this. 00:25:40.987 --> 00:25:47.406 I want to add that it's not like the risk to the people using the lanterns with thorium mantles is high at all. 00:25:47.406 --> 00:25:52.614 In fact you barely need to move the Geiger counter away from the mantles 00:25:52.614 --> 00:25:55.705 and it's essentially back to background radiation. 00:25:55.705 --> 00:25:59.875 But, consider the people in the factories that make these. 00:25:59.875 --> 00:26:05.528 It's probably better if they're not dealing with radioactive materials day in and day out. 00:26:05.528 --> 00:26:09.207 Supposedly the reason Coleman moved away from thorium mantles 00:26:09.207 --> 00:26:14.083 is simply that they feared the need to put a radiation warning on their products. 00:26:14.083 --> 00:26:18.711 Seeing as how these peerless mantles are available on Amazon 00:26:18.711 --> 00:26:21.966 and they don't have any sort of radiation warning on the crust, 00:26:21.966 --> 00:26:23.414 I mean packaging, 00:26:23.414 --> 00:26:25.289 I don't think that would've panned out, 00:26:25.289 --> 00:26:29.215 but it's certainly understandable to want to avoid it altogether. 00:26:29.215 --> 00:26:34.451 And as I said, it's probably better to allow the people who work in the factories that make these 00:26:34.451 --> 00:26:39.082 to not worry about getting cancer down the road due to handling thorium all day. 00:26:39.082 --> 00:26:43.720 Those of you who insist on thoriated mantles might want to think about that. 00:26:43.720 --> 00:26:47.380 Lastly, let’s talk about the energy efficiency of these lanterns. 00:26:47.380 --> 00:26:48.936 It’s horrendous! 00:26:49.135 --> 00:26:51.673 But certainly better than what a Dietz can manage. 00:26:51.673 --> 00:26:57.154 I’m gonna calculate this for the propane lantern since it’s by far the easiest to do, 00:26:57.154 --> 00:26:59.640 but I’m sure the others will all be pretty similar. 00:26:59.640 --> 00:27:03.499 These propane bottles hold 1 pound of propane. 00:27:03.499 --> 00:27:07.138 That contains 6.3 kilowatt-hours of energy. 00:27:07.138 --> 00:27:11.508 Now this lantern will run for about 7 hours on its high setting. 00:27:11.508 --> 00:27:18.585 So, roughly, it produces a kilowatt of heat on high, and for that you get 810 lumens. 00:27:18.585 --> 00:27:22.736 That is well less than one lumen per watt. 00:27:22.736 --> 00:27:28.219 Incandescent light bulbs are literally more than 10 times as efficient. 00:27:28.219 --> 00:27:34.096 Even if you want to account for power plant efficiency, way less fuel gets burned to produce light 00:27:34.096 --> 00:27:37.851 using what are now the least efficient light bulbs. 00:27:37.851 --> 00:27:43.536 And also, just think about how hot homes with gas lighting must have gotten in the summer. 00:27:43.536 --> 00:27:49.619 To get the same light output as a 60 watt light bulb you’d be adding about 600 watts of heat. 00:27:49.619 --> 00:27:53.954 Imagine summers where every occupied room is running a space heater. 00:27:53.954 --> 00:27:55.976 That’s basically what we dealt with. 00:27:55.976 --> 00:28:02.359 Although things do get more complicated specifically with the use-case of camping or backpacking. 00:28:02.359 --> 00:28:04.857 Not the energy-efficiency part, 00:28:04.857 --> 00:28:08.678 these will always be horrendous compared to anything electric. 00:28:08.678 --> 00:28:13.234 But with the efficiency of light-hours compared to weight and volume. 00:28:13.234 --> 00:28:20.828 Plus, when camping in cold environments, having a light source which doubles as a heater isn’t necessarily bad. 00:28:20.828 --> 00:28:24.066 And that can even be useful in winter power-outages, 00:28:24.066 --> 00:28:30.651 although honestly of these lanterns really only the propane one feels safe-ish for indoor use. 00:28:30.651 --> 00:28:33.067 And even it says not to do that. 00:28:33.067 --> 00:28:36.415 This video’s long enough as it is so I’m gonna end it here, 00:28:36.415 --> 00:28:41.950 but if you’d like I’ll be discussing this more casually on my second channel Technology Connextras. 00:28:41.950 --> 00:28:45.939 It may not be out there by the time this video goes live but if it’s there, 00:28:45.939 --> 00:28:47.223 here’s a card. 00:28:47.223 --> 00:28:48.307 And if it’s not there, 00:28:48.307 --> 00:28:51.270 well you could always subscribe and hit the bell! 00:28:51.270 --> 00:28:53.372 AND DON'T FORGET TO SMASH THAT LIK - 00:28:54.255 --> 00:28:56.790 ♫ pressurizingly smooth jazz ♫ 00:28:58.072 --> 00:29:01.993 We last talked about gas mantles and a bit about the towngas industry. 00:29:01.993 --> 00:29:03.595 You can check out... 00:29:04.849 --> 00:29:06.190 something! 00:29:06.902 --> 00:29:08.036 Like, that one. 00:29:08.036 --> 00:29:10.000 Or [coughs] 00:29:12.492 --> 00:29:14.025 [coughs again] Dangit! 00:29:14.025 --> 00:29:15.865 I liked how that take was going. 00:29:15.865 --> 00:29:19.065 [hoarsely] Well now, it’s ti - I’m…did I seriously lose my… [clears throat] 00:29:19.065 --> 00:29:20.441 oh my gosh. 00:29:20.441 --> 00:29:22.010 Do I need to go get a drink of water? 00:29:22.010 --> 00:29:23.307 That sounds pretty normal. 00:29:23.307 --> 00:29:25.675 We are goo- doing great. 00:29:25.675 --> 00:29:27.145 Absolutely great. 00:29:27.145 --> 00:29:30.873 I’ve probably been recording for 10 minutes and I haven’t even gotten through the first line. 00:29:32.897 --> 00:29:35.897 The bloopers were weak on the last one but they won’t be on this one. 00:29:35.897 --> 00:29:39.113 Anyway, I teased that we’re gonna talk about [clunk] these things. 00:29:39.113 --> 00:29:40.545 That was a loud noise. 00:29:41.400 --> 00:29:44.746 Actually they are pretty anxiety-inducing actually. 00:29:44.746 --> 00:29:46.934 I said actually twice. 00:29:46.934 --> 00:29:48.540 That was fun. 00:29:48.540 --> 00:29:51.820 The fuel tanks of these lanterns are sealed. 00:29:51.820 --> 00:29:55.229 If you take a look [hissing] 00:29:55.229 --> 00:29:57.064 I didn’t think it was pressurized. 00:29:57.064 --> 00:29:58.892 Light a match… 00:30:01.057 --> 00:30:02.454 [disappointment] 00:30:02.454 --> 00:30:08.324 After that point it’s no longer fuel spritzing out the top of here but instead a stream of vaporized…. 00:30:09.008 --> 00:30:11.513 sh... it is fuel. 00:30:11.513 --> 00:30:15.341 Then you simply close the pump by turning the stem clockwise, 00:30:15.341 --> 00:30:16.660 push it in, 00:30:18.170 --> 00:30:20.677 [laughs, then released pressure] 00:30:21.817 --> 00:30:25.980 [steadfast pumping] 00:30:31.337 --> 00:30:34.333 I promise I won't gaslight you anymore. 00:30:34.333 --> 00:30:38.458 OK, well I suppose on Connextras. 00:30:38.458 --> 00:30:42.890 By that I mean, discuss the effectives of gaslighting. 00:30:42.890 --> 00:30:46.759 For camping and junk.