This has been in the works for a while and finally got it done. Thought I'd share while I jam to Flippers Friday night music thread. I love to tinker.

So here's the lantern as I got it, 1929 Dietz Little Wizard


Looks like a rust bucket but there wasn't any holes, just bad surface rust. So, I took her apart and dunked her in the vinegar/water solution I use for traps.


After two days of soaking and then scrubbing, this is how she looked. Still splotchy, bad.


Then after four days.....


Then after a lot of scrubbing and dremel use, I put her back together. I then cleaned it with denatured alcohol and then gave it two coats of linseed oil. I love seeing the metal and they didn't paint it from the factorywhen it was made so I kept it original. May I have a drum roll please lol.




And then the first light up. It puts out more light then I thought and is a great warm kinda light.




I am very happy the way it came out. I would have liked to have had a bench grinder with both a brass wheel and a buffing wheel, It would have came out better. Also, I'm not tickled with the linseed oil, it gave it a off yellow look when your up close. I have more to do so I need to come up with something to coat bare metal that can take some heat. Anyway, thanks for looking and I hope you enjoyed the pics. I love old stuff brought back to full use.

Nice, good job!

I just saw a video yesterday where the guy used some oil on bare metal. Let me see if I can find it.

Yup, he used Danish oil at around 13:40 This guy is a little odd but funny.

Looks good by the way.

Thanks Finster. Thanks for the video too, I'll check out that oil and see how it does with a little heat.

Great save and nicely done, I have always enjoyed kerosene lanterns. Did you get the globe from Lehmans?

When my daughter was two my wife and I lived in an old adobe house on a cattle ranch that had no electricity. We had Alladin lamps in the house, a Dietz lantern on the porch and a propane refrigerator. Pretty basic living and we ate a lot of baking powder biscuits. But that was an experience we both talk about often and actually miss.

Well done Jeff. I like old stuff.

Lantern looks great.

Finster that guy could use a media blaster.

Jim, Thanks. I got the globe off of ebay, I wanted one original to the lantern, it took a while lol. I bet that was cool livin out there like that.

Boy Named Sue, How Do You Do lol. Thanks bud, it was a lot of fun. Got another one in the mix but with the holidays I need to put it on hold.

He uses that "Evapo-Rust" all the time. It seems to really work well. He is sponsored by them I guess.

Very cool. Nice job

Nicely done, Catch! There IS life after Coleman! I actually prefer the wickies myself!

Moosetrot

Thanks Moosey! I think I have become a wickie too. I have another Little Wizard to do and a big #2 Blizzard after the Holidays, and I fill my 2nd deer tag, and I trap some coon, and lol.

Looks decent Catch!

Look up Dietz Crystal some time. They have glass founts. I picked up my 2nd one a while back. The first one is in great original condition.

Moosetrot

The W.T. Kirkman website is a great resource for wickies.

Moosetrot

Very nice

Looks good, Catch. See if you can find an old D-Lite. I've always liked those better than the other models. Probably because I grew up with one. Checked a lot of traps with it as a kid.

Nice job,used lots of those on the railroad with colored lenses (yellow,red and green)for track signals at night as well as clear ones for lighting up the bunkhouses.