I finally got around to restoring my Coleman 9F. These were made in 1934 and were the second generation of Easi-Lite stoves. The F series differed from the E series in that it introduced the first Everdur tanks and added a drain plug to the manifold. This one was found in the mountains of Arizona, where it spent most (all?) of its life in a miner's cabin. The cabin was torn down and the owner sold everything at a garage sale. This was had for $5. The new owner promptly posted photos and "What is it?" in one of the Facebook groups. I've never asked anyone if their item was for sale, but I've been looking for a 2/9F for years and this was the first I've seen, so I asked. It turned out he was looking for a buyer. I reimbursed him for his $5 and for shipping and then let it sit for a few years. The lid was badly banged up and the case had been painted red. I'd originally planned to leave the tank as it was, but an acetone accident happened and I ended up repainting it. I'm pretty happy with how the stencilling turned out. I couldn't find a stencil and had to reproduce the graphics. It's not perfect, but I think it's pretty close. The tank valve knob and direction disc were replaced at some point. This is a later plastic knob and the disc is from a lantern. I'll probably rectify that eventually. The one puzzling thing I found working on this was the tank bracket. On both my 2E and 9E the bracket is nickel plated. When I cleaned off the red paint I found the same bronze paint that was used on the tank. Where it was worn through (and after I further stripped it) there wasn't a hint of nickel plating. I painted it the same colour as the tank, but it doesn't seem right to me.
Gorgeous restoration Bill! And what an interesting find. I too have had a solvent spill on a surface I didn't intend to repaint, truly devastating, but it looks like it all worked out in your case.
