Mantle-burning challenged.

[Jay H]

Got my little Brunton Lamprey today from STP ($40) and found out I am mantle priming challenged... Came with 2 mantles, I promptly destroyed them both. The first one I forgot to cut the upper string and went to cut them and didn't realize how fragile they are after burnt and it kind of exploded. The second I was just impatient and put a small hole in it and when I tried it out, it was apparent that a hole in the mantle will turn your lantern into a mini stove.

Is there any sane reason I can't use any mantle from any company, so long as it's relatively the same volume. Being a small portable lantern that uses butane stoves, it doesn't use a huge mantle (unlike my $20 Coleman car camping one). I don't know if I can find them locally at Campmor.

Note to self: Don't blow on mantle when burning...

Jay

 

[Chip]

Wouldn't hurt to try. By some cheap colemans at WalMart.
At least they'll be good practice !

 

[Dalraida]

Radioactivity

During my 20 years in the Army, we were required to dispose of burnt mantles as hazardous waste. Also when I worked at the AMC huts, back in the day. Lantern users should be aware of this fact sheet...

http://www.arpansa.gov.au/pubs/factsheets/018.pdf

 

[Chip]

Holy Radio Active Night Lights Batman !
I did not know that. Interesting stuff.
Don't breath in while affixing, burning and removing !

"The manufacturers of lanterns and mantles (Coleman and Aladdin are the largest of such firms) are well aware of thorium's radioactive properties, since they must be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to possess and process the material and, furthermore, are required to label bulk shipments of the mantles as "radioactive" during transport. However, the companies have rejected any suggestion that they put warning labels on individual mantle packages, maintaining that the level of radiotoxicity is "insignificant".

The industry position is based, in part, on a 1979 study by Milo Voss—a health physicist from Ames, Iowa—which characterized the alpha-emitting nature of thorium as relatively harmless unless the particles are ingested or inhaled. Even if the risk is that limited, though, there's a strong likelihood that an unsuspecting individual could breathe in airborne radioactivity, without being aware of it, while lighting a mantle."

 

[SherpaKroto]

Jay: I have extra mantles for my Primus. Remind me to give you one this weekend, or we can stop at LLBean in Concord on the way north.

 

[Jay H]

Dalraida... Oh Great, I'm doomed.. DOOOMMMMEEDDD.. thanks for the link..

It is kind of neat to watch it flame up though, but that's just the pyro in me. I washed my hands afterwards.

Sherpa, Sure, maybe just a quick stop. I've seen the Brunton mantleless lights at Campmor so I would think they would have them but I didn't see the model that I have and the mantleless one was $105... $40 vrs $105... easy decision for me.

[edit ] Campmor sells them. The same mantle is used for the glorb and the lamprey and I found it on their website, didn't find the lantern itself, but they had the mantles.

Jay