Question Re Hipolito Lantern

    Hello,
    I wonder if anyone can give me any advice on my Hipolito Lantern (it seems to be identical to a Petromax 400cp.) I bought it second hand and bought a new glass and mantel from the Base Camp website I think. (before I discovered this wonderful site!)


    I have got the hang of lighting it, though it seems hard work to get the pressure up, so the pump might need a bit of attention but was really pleased with the brightness. However, after a few hours when I came to turn it off, the tank seemed to be very hot and I wondered if this was normal and safe? Sadly when the lamp cooled and I went to hang it back up, I noticed the new glass had cracked horizontally around the middle. I think I can carry on using it as it is, or will buy a new glass, but am a bit worried about its safety and whether its possible that it can get too hot? I am using paraffin for fuel.
    Any comments/reassurance would be welcome.

    Hi Annie and welcome,


    One thing comes into my mind... Is your lantern a full-sized one (about 40cm high, the glas being 110mm x 115mm), or a smaller one? I could imagine that if we're talking about a smaller lantern, the reason for overheating might be that somebody has in the past accidentally equipped it with a nozzle that is actually meant for a larger model, and thus the lantern is now burning more fuel and respectively producing more heat than it's been designed to handle.


    According to what I've read, especially the inexpensive Far Eastern lanterns have fragile glass chimneys, so there are quality differences - but I have to emphasize that this is just a general comment - I can't say this or that about those that the suppier you mentioned provides. Anyway, a Schott glass should be a safe bet.


    By the way, my understanding is that full-sized Petromax lanterns are either 350 or 500CP but not 400CP (possibly excluding some very old an rare models) - trying to avoid to sound like a nit-picker... :)

    Hello Annie,


    First :welcome: here at the community of rushing light and lamp crazy people! And congratulations to your Hipolito lantern. The Hipolito is quite the same as a Petromax 829 500CP. It was produced in Portugal.
    I think there could be a tiny hole in the mantle. The defect glass could be a hint to this. Normaly the glasses are very heat resistant. But If there is a hole in the mantle there could come out a little but very hot flame which caused your glass to break and also got the fount to this high temperature. So take a closer look at the mantle and when you find a little hole just change it! There is also a spare part called protection plate here in the shop which hold of the heat from the fount in case of an broken mantle. Its really worth its money! So if you order a new glas then think of this part too.


    A second hint is the vaporizer of your lamp could be stucked with charcoal or dirt inside. Then some lamps run with a fat fuel/air mixture an can get really hot at the fount too. In this way just demount the upper part of the vaporizer and store it in a caustic soda solvent for one day and spoil very good. The ring of the vaporizer can be brought to cease glowing with a little blowtorch and then shocked in cold water. If you stuck it on the table most of the dirt must come out.
    Little ultrasonic cleaning devices like used for cd´s or glasses are also perfect for cleaning those parts!


    So I hope you get your lantern fixed fast and will have some beautifull hours in the shine of your new lantern.


    Kind regards,


    Burnem

    :bang: Burn`em :bang:
    www.burnem.de
    Wenn das letzte Killerspiel verboten, die letzte Waffe entsorgt und der letzte Fernseher verschrottet ist, werdet ihr merken, daß ihr eure Kinder trotzdem erziehen müßt.

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von Burnem ()

    Hi, Thank you so much for your quck and helpful replies. A nice surprise! The Hipolito is a 500cp model not 400 ( I got confused by looking at spares and thought I'd got it wrong) and I don't think anyone has messed with the bits. It had been unused for a long time before I got it.


    I think the cleaning would be a good idea and I will check for holes in the mantel. I remember a blueish bit on the glass that appeared soon after lighting it and perhaps a hole was responsible. I won't be visiting the lamp until the weekend as it lives in a 1930s railway goods wagon we are converting to a "living van" for visiting vintage rallies.


    I also have a couple of old Tilley lamps which need attention and a Bialaddin which works well, so I hope your ethusiasm will inspire me to get them sorted out before the end of the summer.


    Thanks again to you all for the tips, I will let you know how I get on.
    Kind regards
    Annie