The Coleman Collectors Forum

See safety note in last post.

Since I have mentioned it a number of times and did to do one this afternoon, I had Jane photograph the process of salvaging a generator, these work with Coleman fuel or kerosene but particularly well for your kerosene needs. This came about when I needed a kero generator and didn't have the larger coil that comes with them, it has been used on 200A/242/B/C conversions, 220 two mantle conversions and with a thicker piece of stranded wire on a 237 as well. Start with a cleaned up used generator:

1. Strip some 16/14 AWG stranded wire. 2. Start about here, exact isn't necessary. 3. I use some needle nose pliers to help hold the wire. 4. Start your wraps, space between coils about the same thickness of the wire. 5. Put the last two or three coils close together at the end. 6.Trim your work, gently use the needle nose to close each end of your coil. 7. It should look something like this. 8. With a little practice it only takes minutes. It is easy and works well for Coleman fuel or kerosene, also it can help a lantern that has a pulsing problem, for those make the last three coils close together. Notice the wire coil near fills the generator body, it need not be tight, just fairly well filled.

Ed

Adding this pic as today while getting a 200A ready for someone I found I needed a generator, pulled the one in it, burnt out the guts with the torch and quickly wired some stranded copper wire to replace the fiber tube that had been gunked up in it. It was up and running before the person made it to the house to pick it up! Ed

Note added from an answer to a PM I received:
Sometimes that spring that came in the gen gets damaged when gunked up and taken apart so it gets discarded, but if still in good shape I use it, the difference is in leaving the copper wire strands looser so they can be wound around the pricker and spring like coil flatter. The heating of the copper re-anneals the copper and softens it, so causes no problem, and softens the flare at the bottom to keep it from cracking from what is called work hardening. After burning out the gunk in the gen it does require some scrapping or a very small brush to remove any loose particles.

Update for member request:

It is a good idea to anneal the generator flare by heating with a small torch the lower area to a red hot glow, clench in water, this returns the brass to a more malleable state, reducing the chance of splits caused by "work hardening" of the brass.

Note Added: Inspect the generator flare for any splits that might already exist before annealing, if it does abandon the generator. Heat the flared area to a red glow, not straw yellow, the action of heating red glow and clenching softens the metal to again seat and seal. I am not suggesting this be done repeatedly. The nozzle orifice wears in use as well, allowing more fuel and possibly distorting the spray pattern for a proper clean burn. To me the procedure it is a one time extension when needed, a new generator has all the benefits of being a new generator!