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Mantles
Dec 1, 2013 21:11:03 GMT -7
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Post by USCGME2 on Dec 1, 2013 21:11:03 GMT -7
Put new mantles in my lanterns today while doing a function check/inspec on them. I used the last of these OLD Sears band ones (left overs from Dad) that are apparently Rayon. In one lantern, I happened to use a Coleman #21 on one side and this old Sears one on the other. The old Sears one outshines the newer Coleman mantle 2:1 in brightness. Anyone have a thought on mantles and do you use any particular brand other than Coleman?
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Post by angelhelp on Dec 2, 2013 3:51:21 GMT -7
I thought I remembered mantles from the early 80s as shining more brightly than what we now own. I never knew there were Sears mantles. By the way, Coleman mantles are going for as much as $3 apiece in this area. When priced lower ($2 apiece), it's time to pounce and buy a few more. That may seem exorbitant to some folks, but this is the pricey northeast.  |
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Mantles
Dec 2, 2013 20:08:53 GMT -7
Post by Cwi555 on Dec 2, 2013 20:08:53 GMT -7
Put new mantles in my lanterns today while doing a function check/inspec on them. I used the last of these OLD Sears band ones (left overs from Dad) that are apparently Rayon. In one lantern, I happened to use a Coleman #21 on one side and this old Sears one on the other. The old Sears one outshines the newer Coleman mantle 2:1 in brightness. Anyone have a thought on mantles and do you use any particular brand other than Coleman? There is a reason those old ones are so much brighter. Those old ones were thorium coated (as in the mildly radioactive isotope). The mantles are produced by dipping a meshed fabric into a solution of thorium nitrate. Due to the high melting temperature, they would not melt like other materials when under heat. As it got hotter, it would incandesce (glow from the heat). The thorium is primarily a alpha emitter, meaning a sheet of paper can block it, but if if you got any of it in you while cleaning the lantern (ash etc) from breathing the fumes, or carrying it in your pocket, it is feasible to pick up 200mr a year for the rest of your life. That incandescent property is why they are so much brighter. Coleman didn't stop making them until the early 1990's. Anyone remembering them to be brighter than their modern equivalent is correct, but that brightness comes at a potential health detriment, and definite risk of environmental contamination. |
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Post by thywar on Dec 2, 2013 20:11:21 GMT -7
Ohhh so that's why I glow a little bit in the dark... hmm now I know!
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Mantles
Dec 3, 2013 11:20:17 GMT -7
Post by missasip on Dec 3, 2013 11:20:17 GMT -7
Ohhh so that's why I glow a little bit in the dark... hmm now I know! Just your "Glowing" personality......  Jimmy |
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