I recently picked up a vintage Coleman 200J lantern at a flea market for $20. I had been looking for some vintage camping gear for a few weeks and this was exactly what I wanted. My goal is replace some of my more modern camping gear with older equipment that, while perhaps a bit bulkier, is more reliable and rebuildable and will ultimately last a lot longer.
The lantern is a Coleman model 220J manufactured in November 1976. It has a dent on the side near the bottom and the paint is chipping off in places, but it’s otherwise in pretty decent shape with all the parts. Unfortunately, as soon as I got it home and started to clean it, I dropped the glass globe and it shattered. That’s the first thing I added to the list of parts to buy, and, thankfully, Old Coleman Parts has replacement original globes with the same red logo on them.
The second part I bought was a leather pump cup. I had noticed at the flea market that the pump didn’t build pressure, and when I pulled the plunger out, I confirmed it was one of the rubber pump cups that deteriorate over time. The leather pump cups, from what I’ve read, last much longer and just need to be oiled occasionally to stay in good shape. To break in the new leather pump cup, I soaked it in Ballistol to lubricate it and make it more pliable.
Then I disassembled the plunger and, after some trial and error, found that the old backing plate worked with the new leather pump cup and new clip. The leather pump cup comes with a new backing plate too, but maybe it doesn’t work with all models.
I gave everything a good wipe down, lightly scrubbing at rust with steel wool and a wire brush, and coating any exposed metal with Ballistol to protect it. Then I put on new mantles, carefully installed the new globe, and put the hat back on.
Following the instructions printed on the lantern body, I pumped up the tank, which successfully built pressure with the new pump cup, and lit the lantern, which started right up! Once the new mantles were fully ignited, it glowed nice and bright and put off a pleasant warmth. It’s hard to beat a classic Coleman lantern.
P.S. Another great resource for learning about and restoring these old pressure lanterns and other Coleman gear is Old Town Coleman. They have user manuals, parts diagrams, and lots of other useful information.
P.P.S. I also bought and restored a Coleman 413G camp stove.