Coleman Lantern Mantle
A particularly important part of your lantern is the mantle. If it has a hole in it the lantern may overheat and create a hazard. Have extra mantles with you on your trip and know how to change them so you can prevent any safety issues.
You can find different models of Coleman lanterns that have either 1 or 2 mantles. Select the model that is best suited to the way you want to use it and how much light you want to have.
With the proper equipment and experience, unplanned challenges which are sometimes an unexpected part of camping can be handled with ease. Without the right gear, knowledge or experience, these challenges quickly become big problems. Practice fixing your camp lantern before you head out, and you'll be confident around the campfire.
Following the instructions found on the mantle package, tie or clip the mantle to the lantern. Mantles are cloth and when new they are soft.
When lighting the mantle, place the lighted match thourgh the lighting hole on the side of the lamp. Mantles take a few seconds to light. If there are any flames other that at the mantles it indicates there is a leak so turn your fuel valve off immediately and inspect to see what is happening after the lantern has cooled down. Change or repair what you need to and then relight your lantern.
When the mantles are burned for the first time, the cloth fibers burn away and leave a natural source chemical ash that, when heated, produces a bright incandescent light.
Once a mantle has burned it turns into white ash and becomes very fragile. Let the used mantle drop into paper bag when removing to change to a new mantle so you do not get white ash on your hands or around your lantern.
You should always light the mantles with a match and let them burn to ash before lighting the lantern. Attempting to light the lantern and burn off the mantles at the same time can cause a mantle to tear or break. It is recommended that if you have an electronic ignition lantern, you light it the first time with a match. After being burned off, mantles are delicate. Using the electronic ignition on the first lighting can cause the mantle to break. Lighting the lantern the first time with a match will allow the mantles to expand and shape themselves, which makes them stronger.