Antique Kerosene Room Heater, Tropical No. 012, Original Finishes - JL

Description

This is a Tropical No. 012 heater. It appears to be a clone of Perfection kerosene heaters. The daisy design vent holes stamped in the drums are the same as seen on some of the Perfection 100 series heaters produced prior to World War I. It is smaller than standard size heaters. (See the Photo) It is 22 inches tall and 14 inches in diameter at the base of the feet.
It is all original. I normally replace the mica isinglass in the window, but the original was in good enough shape to wash and reinstall. The blued steel drums have their original finish and the Jappaned or painted parts appear to be original except for the top. The top had lost most of its black finish, so I sandblasted it to bare metal. Sandblasting leaves a mat finish which aids paint adhesion. I painted the top with Rust-Oleum High Heat Ultra Black, which claims to resist heat up to 1200 degrees.
The “fount” (the fuel tank and burner) is smaller than standard heaters. It is clean and uses a Perfection number 500 wick. A lightly used Perfection number 500 wick is installed. The wick has been leveled and charred for proper burning. It was filled with 1-K kerosene and burned for two hours to assure that there were no leaks, smoke or odor. The kerosene was then emptied out of the fount, the wick was removed to air dry and then reinstalled. It will be shipped empty, but it is ready to fill with kerosene and lit immediately.
Included is an LED bulb that imitates a burning flame, mounted on a 1/8 inch Masonite disk. It is interchangeable with the fount. The LED bulb will provide an approximation of the ambiance of a lit heater – without the heat.
Also included are laminated information sheets on the LED bulb and about operating this heater.