Coleman White Gas stoves

[Sanders]

I pulled one out yesterday, just to see if I could make it work again. I sprayed down the leather plunger with some Ballistol and worked it for a bit until it started pumping up the pressure in the fuel tank. After about 50 pumps, I lit that bad boy up and it fired up just fine. I bet the fuel in the tank is around 30 yrs. old. Didn't even smoke, like I thought old fuel might. It's one of the big stoves, too - I have a griddle for it and it will take a big frying pan just fine.

Think I'll cook dinner on it tonight - some chicken-fried steak and homemade french fries fried in beef tallow and some white gravy.

Been spoiled using propane and butane stoves. Then, when I rough it, I have a couple little wood burners or just toss a piece of expanded metal on some rocks over a campfire. Poor white gas stoves were neglected and ignored. I have a smaller 2 burner version and a single burner that needs a new generator, I think I'll pull out and mess with, too.

[10-32]

Reminds me of trips to the deer cabin way up north in Wisconsin on the Chippewa river as a kid. Coleman stove and cast iron pans. Also lamps with the mantles.
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[mrkalashnikov]

My dad owned a couple of those Coleman lanterns we used for camping when I was a kid. He always kept a small can of white gas in the garage for them. For some reason he put that white gas in our ancient Briggs & Stratton reel mower too.

[aviator]

I had one of those Coleman lanterns just like the one 10-32 posted, after 50 some years it was so bad I couldn't get it to work, I even got some parts and mantles off the internet. Wound up in the garbage. LED lights are way more efficient and economical. I also have a couple of small table top gas burners my wife bought for emergencies and a few gas cylinders that are probably empty after sitting around for 24 years.

Tell you what though, the lantern was used during Hurricane Andrew, last time I Used it.

[10-32]

Yeah ancient technology compared with LED but they smelled good.

[Sanders]

I recently restored a lantern. I have an LED that has had the same set of D cell batteries in it since I bought it 15 yrs ago. I'm surprised the batteries haven't leaked all over the place, but it still lights up the campsite. I just keep the gas lantern around for nostalgia's sake. It was my dead brother's and we'd take it catfishing at night. Set it up on the bank and sit out in the shadows as it also attracted skeeters.