1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod - 5. Propane
This is Part 5. of our 1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod, the subject of which is "Propane". Other parts are linked below. 1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod - 1. Acquisition & Evaluation 1968 Travel Queen Res...
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Back in July I did a little work now and then on Lil' Queeny. One of the items worked on was the gas lamp.
Some call it a butane light, others a propane light - here I call it a gas lamp (just because it sounds cool). However called, it uses liquid propane gas (LPG) to fuel the light source. And in the process, like a stove top (or oven for that matter), or any other open flame appliance, it both uses up oxygen in the coach and adds carbon dioxide to the interior. Neither of these conditions are exactly desirable, but it's how all RVs used to come; I mean back in the day... before safety regulations and the dilution of the gene pool and all.
If you are not familiar with these, they use a mantel, just like the old white gas/Coleman fuel gas lanterns so common in camping old school style. In fact, I still have two or three Coleman lanterns. One is a large green double mantel unit my Dad gave me for Christmas one year. The other is a little red one with a single mantle that I remember from EVERY camping trip I went on as a child - his lamp. The large one is too big to store in Lil' Queeny, but I believe I'll be able to find a large enough storage location to carry Dad's little Red one. Dad only named his cars - so we didn't have a name for the lantern while growing up, but I suspect if I take to carrying this with us, and actually using it often enough to feel a new fondness, it will probably become "Lil' Red".
But I digress. Back to the camper light - we'll use it, you know for the right ambiance at those special times and of course for show. But its use does require a little thought. Ventilation for the return of oxygen and reduction of carbon dioxide and of course, controlling the extra heat source rising above the globe.
While finishing the doors and ceiling above the light area, I discovered heat-warped trim pieces on the ceiling and the cabinet doors. I had to actually replace those pieces of trim (and the doors for that matter) using parts from the donor camper. This time around we'll watch that close and either use the light very sparingly, or make some sort of modification to redirect the heat in an appropriate way so as to protect the interior surfaces.
But whether used regularly, seldom, or not at all, the light is a significant player in the overall restoration part of this resto-mod, and therefore it's important to include.
We had two lamps to choose from, the original fixture from Lil' Queeny, and a second fixture from the donor camper; we chose the original.
Here it is disassembled for inspection and refinishing.
After dis-assembly, I prepped and painted the metal surfaces with a high-temp copper paint (Rustoleum brand for outdoor grills). I didn't like the end result because it faded away on the newly finished wall surface. So I used a dark bronze to add contrast on the base mount portion and then it stood out much better visually!
This next photo shows the air-flow adjuster, for fine tuning the gas flow and the mantel burn.
Can this be the original globe? From 45+ years ago? It says "Pyrex made in USA for Humphrey". The word "USA" is partially rubbed off.
And here is the final result all hooked up and in place.
Also back in July, I picked up the necessary tools and supplies to run the propane lines and system. I'm still "too summer-busy" to really work on that, but I have it all there for the slow times this winter.
Some call it a butane light, others a propane light - here I call it a gas lamp (just because it sounds cool). However called, it uses liquid propane gas (LPG) to fuel the light source. And in the process, like a stove top (or oven for that matter), or any other open flame appliance, it both uses up oxygen in the coach and adds carbon dioxide to the interior. Neither of these conditions are exactly desirable, but it's how all RVs used to come; I mean back in the day... before safety regulations and the dilution of the gene pool and all.
If you are not familiar with these, they use a mantel, just like the old white gas/Coleman fuel gas lanterns so common in camping old school style. In fact, I still have two or three Coleman lanterns. One is a large green double mantel unit my Dad gave me for Christmas one year. The other is a little red one with a single mantle that I remember from EVERY camping trip I went on as a child - his lamp. The large one is too big to store in Lil' Queeny, but I believe I'll be able to find a large enough storage location to carry Dad's little Red one. Dad only named his cars - so we didn't have a name for the lantern while growing up, but I suspect if I take to carrying this with us, and actually using it often enough to feel a new fondness, it will probably become "Lil' Red".
But I digress. Back to the camper light - we'll use it, you know for the right ambiance at those special times and of course for show. But its use does require a little thought. Ventilation for the return of oxygen and reduction of carbon dioxide and of course, controlling the extra heat source rising above the globe.
While finishing the doors and ceiling above the light area, I discovered heat-warped trim pieces on the ceiling and the cabinet doors. I had to actually replace those pieces of trim (and the doors for that matter) using parts from the donor camper. This time around we'll watch that close and either use the light very sparingly, or make some sort of modification to redirect the heat in an appropriate way so as to protect the interior surfaces.
But whether used regularly, seldom, or not at all, the light is a significant player in the overall restoration part of this resto-mod, and therefore it's important to include.
We had two lamps to choose from, the original fixture from Lil' Queeny, and a second fixture from the donor camper; we chose the original.
Here it is disassembled for inspection and refinishing.
After dis-assembly, I prepped and painted the metal surfaces with a high-temp copper paint (Rustoleum brand for outdoor grills). I didn't like the end result because it faded away on the newly finished wall surface. So I used a dark bronze to add contrast on the base mount portion and then it stood out much better visually!
This next photo shows the air-flow adjuster, for fine tuning the gas flow and the mantel burn.
Can this be the original globe? From 45+ years ago? It says "Pyrex made in USA for Humphrey". The word "USA" is partially rubbed off.
And here is the final result all hooked up and in place.
Also back in July, I picked up the necessary tools and supplies to run the propane lines and system. I'm still "too summer-busy" to really work on that, but I have it all there for the slow times this winter.
