Are thorium mantles still made?

Are thorium mantles still made?

Sometime around 1990, the Coleman Company replaced the thorium in their mantles with yttrium. The yttrium mantle produces about 20% less light, but it lasts longer. According to NUREG-1717, about half of the 50 million mantles sold in the U.S. in 2000 (or thereabouts), contained thorium.

Are Coleman mantles radioactive?

Although most people are unaware of the problem, the mantles in such lamps are actually radioactive . . . possibly enough so to threaten the health of folks who depend on them.

Do you know what is source of white light in gas mantles?

An incandescent gas mantle, gas mantle or Welsbach mantle is a device for generating incandescent bright white light when heated by a flame. The name refers to its original heat source in gas lights which illuminated the streets of Europe and North America in the late 19th century.

What are Coleman lantern mantles made of?

The mantles are a ceramic mesh that encase the flame produced by the lantern. Typical mantles look like this: Mantles start out as silk fabric sacks impregnated with different oxides. The standard for decades has been the Welsbach mantle, which uses a mixture of thorium oxide, cerium oxide and magnesium oxide.

Where do you get thorium?

The main world resources of thorium are associated with monazite placer deposits in India, Brazil, Australia, the USA, Egypt, and Venezuela. The second most important thorium resources could be mined as by-product of REO from carbonatites (China, Greenland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden).

How much thorium is in a mantle?

250 mg
[5] Each mantle contained nearly 250 mg of thorium. [6] Though kerosene lanterns made with thorium are beginning to slowly decrease in number due to danger there are still many people who use them and are unaware of the dangers that they can cause.

Do you have to pre burn mantles?

Yes, IMO you should always pre-burn followed by a burn-in as BigLew suggests.

Do lantern mantles have thorium?

In the mid 1950s nearly 70 percent of the thorium that was being produced in the United States was used for the coating of mantles in camping lanterns. [5] Each mantle contained nearly 250 mg of thorium.

How long do propane mantles last?

A single 16.4-ounce canister of propane will last for about 12 hours, depending on the size of the lantern and the brightness of its setting. A large two-mantle lantern will last four hours on a single canister on a high setting, while a small single-mantle lantern may last close to 12 hours on a single canister.

What is used in gas mantle?

major reference. Nonelectric incandescent lamps include the gas-mantle lamp. The mantle is a mesh bag of fabric impregnated with a solution of nitrates of cerium and one or more of the following metals: thorium, beryllium, aluminum, or magnesium.

Can you make your own lantern mantles?

Things You’ll Need The mantle is usually made from artificial silk or rayon fabric. The fabric is completely soaked with an earth oxide. Thorium is an example of a rare earth oxide that can be used to saturate the fabric. The mantle is then placed inside of the lantern.

Why is thorium used on gas mantle?

Abstract. Gas lantern mantles contain thorium to produce incandescence when lantern fuel is burned on the mantle.

Why are we not using thorium reactors?

Even though a conventional meltdown would be unlikely, thorium still produces harmful radiation that needs to be contained, and something could always go wrong. But the real reason we use uranium over thorium is a result of wartime politics.

How toxic is thorium?

And there is research evidence that inhaling thorium dust increases the risk of lung and pancreatic cancer. Individuals exposed to thorium also have an increased risk of bone cancer because thorium may be stored in bone.

What is used in gas mantles?

Can you burn a Coleman lantern with one mantle?

Yeah, it’ll burn fine with one mantel – though you’re wasting a little bit of fuel out the other side I suppose (and of course it won’t be as bright).

How long do Aladdin mantles last?

about 3 months
Mantles – these are very fragile and are essential for use, so it’s good to have a couple extra on hand; last about 3 months with regular, everyday use (should last longer if you are careful). Wicks – need replaced about every 6 months on regular, everyday use, so it’s good to have a couple extra on-hand.

How do you make a gas mantle?

  1. Select a small piece of silk fabric and handstitch it into a baby sock.
  2. Soak the silk sock in thorium earth oxide until saturated using a chemical dip.
  3. Tie the new mantle into place on the gas outlet pipe.
  4. Pressurize the gas tank and hold a match near the mantle to make sure it will burn.