Early Mantles and their boxes over time
There are a lot of pictures on this page,
expect a long load time
My thanks to John Whitehead who provided many of the pictures used on
this page.
Pictures
of Lox-On Mantles
Unmounted Mantles
Unmounted mantles were used in several early brands of
Mantle lamps. The best known to Aladdin enthusiasts
are the Practicus burners. They were also used more recently
on burners like the Eugeos (manufactured by Ehrich & Graetz),
the Coleman Ker-O-Lite and Candesco burners.
The mantle shown below was sold by the Connecticut Trading
Company (CONTRACO) for the early Practicus burner.
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Unmounted mantles for the Candesco burner used
in the 1930's. |
Cap Mantle:
The Cap mantle used with the Aladdin model 1 & 2 were
a vast improvement of the earlier adjustable hang man shape
hanger The mantle now came premounted on an inverted
U shaped frame that is attached to a base. The base
slid down over the cone in the gallery providing much better
centering of the cone and minimized hand contact with the
mantle fabric. Cap mantles were also used on Beacon
model 1, Kim, Sunlight, early Sunbeam burners and late
CONTRACO burners among others.
Aladdin Cap mantles were sold in white or uncolored (bare
cardboard) boxes with blue print. Early mantles were
sold in round boxes and later ones in rectangular boxes.
I am not sure when production of the cap mantle ended. It
appears in the 1922 price list and is absent when the lox-on
mantles were introduced in 1928. If Any one can help
narrow down the year cap mantles were discontinued I would
appreciate an email. Also if you have any idea of
when Aladdin went from the round box to the rectangular
box.
From a 1920 Supplies & Extra
parts order form
Aladdin Cap mantle and early style round box often referred to as a "can".
I think this is the last box style
used for the cap mantle before they were discontinued.
The Aladdin Cap mantle shown above appears to be a hybrid of a
cap mantle base with a newish wire frame and bag attached. Cap
mantles were discontinued in the mid 1920's and most collectors
consider the few surviving unburned examples to be to rare
and too valuable to burn. The solution is to
remove the support wire off a used cap mantle frame
and fit a new wire support and new mantle bag to the Cap
mantle base. This allows you to burn model
1 and 2 lamps at the cost of modern mantles. Of course
you need to find an old cap mantle base first.
KoneKap Mantle:
The Aladdin KoneKap mantle eliminated the problem of aligning
the mantle correctly with the gallery cone by moving the
cone from the gallery to the mantle frame. This insured
correct alignment and was a vast improvement on earlier
mantle mounting methods. KoneKap mantles were used on Aladdin
lamps from late model 2 (with model 3 gallery) through model 11 and were discontinued around 2000.
The KoneKap mantle introduced
for the model 3 lamp came packaged in a cardboard
cylinder that was orange in colour. This strongly
contrasted with the white packaging used for Aladdin
Cap mantles. This sharp contrast in packaging
was likely to keep people from confusing the two
and saved possible damage from people opening boxes
to see which was which.
Instruction label on the side of the box
reads: "Do not touch mantle. Remove
from box and adjust on burner gallery by wire
support, carefully turning to the right until
the KoneKap is securely locked under catches
on each side of the gallery."
"If the mantle does not hang central over
the KoneKap, carefully bend the wire into position
so mantle will hang central. Then burn the
coating off mantle by lighting the top. Replace
chimney in the gallery, light the wick and proceed
in accordance with Aladdin Lamp directions" |
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Note that all later package labeling said to light the
mantle from the bottom.
Box bottom, top and top with lid
and cotton removed. First Kone-Kap mantle style.
Instruction label on top of box reads "Caution
Cut the label at the lower edge of the cover . Pick
off the cotton very carefully, then remove the paper tray
and pull mantle from can by taking hold of the wire support. Do
not touch mantle or allow it to touch the sides of the
can. Read the directions on the side of the can before
using"
Presumably starting with the Aladdin model 4, KoneKap mantles
were packaged in mahogany colored boxes with a simulated
wood grain. Early KoneKap mantles were still packaged
in round boxes then later in rectangular boxes.
Early 4" tall rectangular
box left, both sides of round KoneKap mantle right. Thanks
to Jim Dodson for the pictures
Instructions on top
of box " Do Not Touch Mantle CAUTION"
"Remove the cover and pick off the cotton
very carefully, then remove the paper tray and
pull mantle from the can by taking hold of the wire
support. Do not touch mantle or allow it
to touch the sides of the can."
"Read directions on the side of the can before
using" |
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The rectangular boxes were likely introduced with the
Aladdin model 6 lamp and came in at least two heights. The
earlier one is 4 inches tall and the later one 4-1/4 inches
high. The rectangular box allowed a cardboard top mantle
frame support that did not require a wad of cotton to keep
it in place.
The KoneKap mantle on the left
is earlier than the one on the right. Note the original
frame style was still was used in early rectangular boxes.
The best I have been able to date the Aladdin mantles
pictured above so far is between 1915 and 1932. The box
on the left is 4 inches tall. The one on the right
is 4-1/4 inches tall which is the same height as the later
red and black boxes. Note the frame mount at the
base of the cones. I believe the one on the left
is the original mounting style but the frame rod is the
second frame style.
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This Aladdin KoneKap mantle
is the same as the later version pictured above and
is in a different mahogany box.
As best as I can tell this mantle dates between
1932 and 1946. I think it most likely to be a 1930's
box. |
These are a pair of UK KoneKap
mantles. The mantle construction appears to be
the same but the box labeling has changed.
These Aladdin mantles were manufactured sometime between 1919
and 1940. I'm guessing that the one on the left is
the older of the two since the packaging on the right was
used both before and after 1940.
According to John Whitehead two different quality levels
of KoneKap mantles were sold in the UK. The ones with pink
mantles, like those shown above, were the high quality
version. Ones with white mantles were less expensive
economy versions.
According to John, the purchase tax was introduced
in 1940. So prices printed after that date
have "Plus Tax" added to the back of the
price. That makes the picture to the
right to be a 1940 or newer UK mahogany KoneKap Mantle
box. |
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The first of the non-mahogany Aladdin KoneKap mantle boxes. Printed
on the side is a 1938 patent date. On some boxes the label states "New Design 1936" The box design was apparently discontinued in 1946. |
This Aladdin UK KoneKap mantle dates from sometime between
1946 and 1964. I strongly suspect it is much
closer to the 1964 date. Once again any
help with dating the packaging would be appreciated.
Notice that Aladdin UK marketing did not think
it worth mentioning UK model 8, 9 & 10 lamps. I
suspect this is because they were sold in much
smaller numbers than the UK model 11. |
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The logo on the packaging
dates this mantle in the 1970 and newer.
These mantles are made in Brazil and were the last Aladdin KoneKap mantles. Production of Aladdin KoneKap mantles ceased in 2007. The factory stock ran out in late 2009. |
According to Tony Joint
"This KoneKap mantle was made by Falks Veritas in Malta during the 5-6 years the mantles were made there after Brazil Production shut down"
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In 2012 Aladdin introduced an adapter that fits onto a model 3 through 11 gallery that allows the use of a Lox-On mantle with the earlier lamps. |
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At one time you could purchase Aladdin Kone Kap mantles packaged in pairs and in a three pack. The boxes are dated 1911.
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Welsbach was a popular aftermarket manufacturer
of mantles for both the Aladdin KoneKap and Lox-On styles. The
labeling indicates this was manufactured sometime
after 1928. |
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