Flickering light

Hello Mysticman,

this flickering appears at all Petromax-lanternss but in different speed.

It is called "leidenfrost" and names an effect, appearing while vaporization.
At some lamps, this flickering appears faster than a stroboscope-light, almost unrecognizable, and at some other lanterns it is slowly and pumping like a steamtrain.

On most lamps it depends on a very clean or new carbureator, as there is less surface than in a used carbureator with deposits, making a bigger surface to vaporize. So the effekt becomes smaller after a few hours of use.

If it won't get better, a winding of brass-gouse around the needleholder inside the carbureator would help against the flickering.

Good luck, Björn

No problem, you're welcome.

An interesting theorie to the frequency of flickering is this:

"The noise (zissling) of vaporization coming from the injektion-nozzle makes a micro-vibration, wich is running down trough the carbureator into the tank.
There it produces concentric microwaves in the fuel around the lower carbureator, what makes little differences inside the pressure, in which the fuel is reaching the carbureator."

This sounds even strange to me, but it would be a cause why the flickering at some lamps is getting slower and more pumping, short before the end of the fuel.

Sometimes it is caused by too much pressure, but in most cases it occurs in that moment, when still liquid fuel reaches the nozzle, being not gased until then.
There it helps to make the surface inside the carbureator bigger by some windings of brass-gause.

Best regards, Björn