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Thread: Praise for the Coleman stove

  1. #1
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    Praise for the Coleman stove

    I keep a few gasoline powered camp stoves that are only used to melt lead. The gasoline units are cheap and easily found. Of the American made products, the Coleman stoves are as common as crabgrass and amazingly simple.

    The other day I wanted to convert a large pig of Linotype into 1 pound ingots and pulled out an old Coleman stove to provide the heat needed. That Coleman, an old 425E that I purchased from a charity store for next to nothing, was up to the task.
    As typical of any neglected camp stove, it needed a little fiddling to get it running but that's half the fun. The leather used in the pump was dry and it wouldn't seal. A little bit of Ballistol and about 2 minutes of disassembly / reassembly and I was in business!

    Coleman stoves are certainly not the highest grade camp stoves to be found, but for the money they sure do perform.

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    I have some rocket stoves that I keep around for emergencies because I have an abundance of kindling. same thing but different.
    if you are ever being chased by a taxidermist, don't play dead

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    I have some nice camp stoves that run on kerosene that never get anywhere near lead. But for cheap and quick heat, the old gasoline powered units are hard to beat.

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    Boolit Master Shopdog's Avatar
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    I started casting on a Coleman stove my parents bought with "green stamps". They bought a new stove,gave me the old one back in the '70's. Cast a boatload of bullets on that poor old thing.

    Fast fwd..... for YEARS,after getting a Lyman 10# bttm pour(still using),I would run the pot a little on the hot side and drop sprues back in during casting..... not recommending,but it does work.

    Now,there's again a Coleman present during casting. It's a single burner propane model. Taking the old cast iron dipper pot from the "early" years and sitting it on top of the single burner. Dump sprues in it...... when it gets about half full or needing to slow down casting cadence.... light it up. SO fast. Dump it in the Lyman,flux and it should be about GTG on mould temp again.

    So after all these years,am back with a Coleman....sort of.

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    In addition to green suitcase two burner Coleman stoves, I have a single burner Coleman 533 that I picked up on sale years ago. They go for about $65 new and I paid far less than half of that for it on clearance, new in the box. I think they were just trying to get rid of them.
    It was my go-to stove for casting round balls for cap & ball revolvers. It's not the strongest design and I wouldn't trust it with a lot of weight but it holds one of those little RCBS cast iron pots perfectly.

    I went to fire it up the other day and the check valve was stuck open. It would release all of the pressure through the pump. I pulled the pump out, found a big screwdriver and removed the check valve. 15 seconds and some Kroil, fixed. Reassembled and back in business.

    Pressurized, Liquid fueled stoves and lanterns require some mechanical aptitude and a little knowledge but they were the mainstays for decades. There is a longer learning curve with those devices than with some of the modern equipment but I mastered it when I was about 12. The younger generations seem to be fearful of them or just plain don't want to learn. The upside to that shift away from liquid fueled devices is the cost of old equipment is very low.

    An old Primus, Optimus or Petromax is great piece of gear ! The Coleman stuff ubiquitous and amazingly durable despite its low cost.
    I'm a sucker for an old lantern or stove and will pick up a used one just to have a project.
    Last edited by Petrol & Powder; 10-07-2019 at 02:38 PM.

  6. #6
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    I've drug home several old Coleman stoves from my junk yard hunting expeditions, and agree that they are fun to get up and running again.
    Also have a tiny Svea 123 stove, and more than a few old Coleman lanterns. They are kind of like fixing on old motorcycle carburators.

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    Hello,
    My Name is Jon
    I am a Coleman gasoline stove addict

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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    And the group answers in unison, Hi Jon...…..

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    I'm also a Coleman Stove addict, I have several. But even more so, I'm a Coleman Lantern addict. I've got an old Coleman gasoline stove that I use for melting isotope cores, works like a champ for that task.

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    In my area, I pretty much have benched my Essence-fueled Coleman stove -- a 2-burner from the late 1950s -- the one with the round fuel tank. Reason? Coleman fuel seems almost impossible to find. On occasion a Wal*Mart has it, but not at store in my town, necessitating a 30+ mile drive, and just 5 cents less than a fourteen dollar bill to purchase a gallon. Do you use Coleman fuel?
    I "upped" mine to a second, Propane powered Coleman stove...never tried this one for lead melting -- the metal seems thinner than the Coleman-fuel one, and I've been apprehensive re the weight of a cast iron pan filled with lead upon it.
    Again, curious re fuel you use?
    geo

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    I have 4 Coleman Lanterns and 4 Stoves.

    3 full size 2 Mantel Lanterns and one Backpacker size single burner lantern. A 2 Burner Camp Stove, and Single Burner Stove, a Backpacker Stove and a US Army Single Burner WW2 Stove in it's Aluminum case that doubles as a pot and a cup.

    I love these things and try to pull them all out and fire them up once a year.

    Keep the tanks full of fuel and they won't dry the leather pump seals out. Also Spark Lighters are a must on the Lanterns and Stoves. Any decent Hardware Store like a Tru Value or ACE will have everything that is needed to maintain Coleman Lanterns and Stoves and Walmart does too.

    These things are and have been mainstays of "Outdoor Living" and Camping and work real well in a pinch,,, like when your power gets shut off or you get flooded out by a storm. Having a good quality tent, some cots and sleeping bags, and some coolers is not a wrong idea either.

    Being able to live comfortably away from home for 1-2 weeks is kind of a basic necessity. In today's world you never know what's going to happen next, and if you aren't at least somewhat prepared, you're at the mercy of others. You never know how that will work out?

    You guys back East have frequent Floods, Tornados, Hurricanes, Snow Blizzards, and all kinds of other horrendous stuff.

    We here in California only have Earthquakes, Fires, and Liberals. I'm still good to go in a heartbeat.

    Randy
    Last edited by W.R.Buchanan; 10-07-2019 at 06:26 PM.
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    I counted on a number of different ones for daily life, when I lived in Alaska. Double burner in the cabin, when it was too hot to light the stove. Single burner in the plane for camping or just in case for an emergency.

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    I far prefer kerosene to gasoline for the important stoves & lanterns but keep the gasoline units on hand for the occasional lead melting duty.

    I can't remember the last time I purchased Coleman fuel, unleaded non-ethanol gasoline works just fine. I've heard all the horror stories about unleaded gasoline plugging up the generator or orifice but guess what? It hasn't happened. And, if it does happen; what have I lost? A $5.00 second hand stove?

    I'm not a "prepper" or survivalist. I keep kerosene camp stoves on hand because I like them. I keep gasoline camp stoves on hand because they are cheap and work.

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    Quote Originally Posted by georgerkahn View Post
    ...SNIP

    Again, curious re fuel you use?
    geo
    I use non-oxy Gasoline...I tried the regular gas 10% enthanol blend in MN and I get more yellow flame than non-oxy gasoline.
    With non-oxy Gas, you still get more yellow flame than Coleman fuel. I do have to clean the regulator once in a while, due to using automotive gasoline, due to additives I imagine.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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    I went through my collection this spring. I had several recent purchases and just didn't have room for them all. I checked for rust in tank and checked/cleaned the regulars. I disposed of 4 units, one was an older round tank and another was a different brand. I kept one unit for parts...it's an nice place to store any extra parts I saved. listed below are what's currently in the collection

    Standard sized 2 burner stoves:
    one brand new, never used, with original vintage cardboard box from 1970s.
    Four in excellent condition
    One ugly functional unit dedicated for Lead
    one wax covered unit for beeswax and lube

    Large size two burner stoves:
    Three in pretty good shape...I love these for canning, because of the larger tank.

    Large size three burner stoves:
    one is tough shape but functional
    one in excellent shape.
    I love the large 3 burner for brewing beer...I usually have all three burners going.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    “If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
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    I’ve picked up at least 5 on the side of the road waiting for trash pick up. They seem to like hanging out with the old sewing machines that weighed 50 lbs in the cases with top handles. Grabbed half a dozen of those as well. Clean em up & find em a home . I like bringing rusty tools back to life as well.


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    [QUOTE=J I do have to clean the regulator once in a while, due to using automotive gasoline, due to additives I imagine.[/QUOTE]

    Exactly.
    Coleman fuel is basic, pure, gasoline without any additives at all.
    In the old days, when pump gas was 25 cents a gallon, you could buy 'white gas' for 12-15cents a gal.
    It was the original 'no-lead' and didn't have road taxes on it. That was the original Coleman fuel also.

    To minimize the amount of the additives package- which is what clogs the little generator valve-
    get the cheapest no-lead gas. you can find.

    Alcohol added fuel will work, but the alcohol doesn't burn quite as hot.
    Last edited by Winger Ed.; 10-08-2019 at 12:58 AM.
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  18. #18
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    Just a few years ago, a hurricane (yeah, a hurricane in Ohio, of all things) struck and we were without power for nearly a week (nearly all of Ohio was in the same shape). It was a minor inconvenience to us simply because I brought out my old Coleman stove along with my charcoal grills. Others nearby were in nearly a panic - they had nothing (no stove and no idea of how to manage - I mean NO idea how to manage). I still have my back pack equipment even tho' I am a REAL senior citizen, and having no power can be handled.

    So, yeah, I kind of like the Coleman equipment, myself. Yes, I have also cast with mine (Lyman lead pot and a dipper).

    FWIW,
    Dale53

  19. #19
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    I am not an addict, I just know a good deal when I see one.
    I have 4 or 5 (2) burner Coleman gasoline stoves. None of them have seen significant use and 2 of them are still in the original shop worn boxes. I also have about that many one burner Coleman stoves.

    I suppose I have these stoves because of the excellent service I have received from a cheap 2 burner Coleman propane stove. A friend of mine had used it for casting a few round balls. He gave it to me with an excellent 1 quart cast iron sauce pan that has a pour spout. I used the propane stove and the sauce pan to smelt clip on wheel weights since I did not have that many. After cleaning up the pan I use it to alloy my 20-1 BPCR lead-tin alloy.

    At first I burned up a few small propane bottles. I then bought an extension hose with adapter that fits the stove on one end and the POL valve from a 20 lb propane bottle on the other end. By trolling the neighbor hood on trash pickup day I found 2 propane grills being tossed out complete with old 20 lb bottles. I now have a total of (3) 20 lb bottles. This gives me a good supply of propane if needed.

    In the mean time if I need heat to cook with, another propane stove will work with what I have or a couple of gallons of unleaded gas will put the gasoline stoves into service.
    With a good generator I could keep food cold but I have not found one of those on the curb yet.

    Lessons learned from hunting in remote locations
    Things needed
    1. Clean water
    2. Food
    3. Stay dry
    4. Fire
    5. toilet paper
    6. Sleep
    EDG

  20. #20
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    I’ve had some kerosene stoves and lamps too. I used a propane torch to start them instead of alcohol. I also connected a five gallon garden sprayer to the stove instead of the regular tank. Didn’t have to fill it often and when I did it was easy. Also a lot easier to give a few strokes on that big hand pump and it was good to go for cooking a whole meal.

    I used to have a kerosene fridge too. Anyone remember those? I don’t know if they still make them. If they’re not electric today, they are probably propane.

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
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