Recently, I found a small, weathered Russian instruction booklet for the 7F-1 wind-resistant kerosene lantern, manufactured by the Lysva Metallurgical Plant in the Soviet Union. It is a classic hurricane lantern of the type popularly known as a “Flying Bat” lantern (Летучая мышь).
The booklet preserves the manufacturer's operating instructions and seven original illustrations of the lantern's mechanism. Its printer's imprint is dated 23 November 1957. Below you can view all eight pages and read an English translation. At Old New Lamp, we also give lanterns of this type a second life as electric decorative lights.
The Original 1957 Russian Instruction Booklet
The scanned pages are reproduced below in their original order, alongside the corresponding English translation. They show how the glass chimney is lifted, how the burner is removed, and how the wick and burner are maintained.
English Translation of the Original Manual
Instructions for the 7F-1 Lantern, manufactured by the Lysva Metallurgical Plant
1. Purpose of the 7F-1 Lantern
The wind-resistant 7F-1 lantern is intended for illumination indoors and outdoors.
Figure 1 — General view of the lantern: 1. carrying handle; 2. lifting eyelet; 3. upper cylinder; 4. lifting lever; 5. latch; 6. perforated support plate; 7. burner cap; 8. wick-adjustment spindle.
The lantern is designed to remain alight in a steady wind at speeds of up to 15 metres per second.
2. General Rules
- Fill the lantern with illuminating kerosene conforming to GOST 4753-49; the quantity must not exceed 0.4 litres. The manufacturer does not guarantee proper burning with other types of fuel.
- After filling the lantern with kerosene, wipe the body dry.
- Periodically wash the wick and clean the burner.
- Check the correct position of the glass chimney on the perforated support plate. The lower edge of the glass must rest on plate 6 (Figure 1), and the upper cylindrical part of the glass must fit into cylinder 3 (Figure 1).
- When using the lantern outdoors, do not cover or obstruct the openings in its upper part, which are intended to allow combustion gases to escape.
- When lighting the lantern, replacing or adjusting the wick, and performing similar operations, position the lantern with lifting lever 4 (Figure 1) facing you.
3. Lighting the Lantern
To light the lantern, lift the glass chimney and its holder by pressing lever 4 downward (Figure 2). Move the lever to the left so that it engages in the slot of latch 5 (Figure 3).
Turn spindle 8 to the right (Figure 3) to raise the wick and light it through the opening in cap 7. Then release lever 4 from the latch, smoothly lower the glass chimney and its holder, and adjust the flame.
4. Removing the Glass Chimney
With your left hand, raise handle 1 (Figure 4). Using two middle fingers of the same hand, lift the upper clamping assembly by eyelet 2 as far as it will go. Then carefully move the chimney and its holder away from you with your right hand, and smoothly lower the upper assembly.
5. Removing the Burner
Disengage cap 7 (Figure 5) from the lantern lid. Hold the cap with the right hand and spindle 8 near the cap with the left hand; rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow until the retaining tabs come out of the slots in the lid.
6. Possible Problems While the 7F-1 Lantern Is Burning
1. A smoky flame may be caused by:
- an unevenly cut wick;
- a dirty burner, including the wick-tube plate 9 and mesh 10 (Figure 6);
- poor-quality kerosene.
2. The lantern may go out because of:
- a bent burner plate 9 (Figure 7). The plate should be horizontal as shown in Figure 6;
- a dirty burner;
- poor-quality kerosene;
- obstructed upper vent openings. The booklet advises against holding the lantern pressed close to the body.
Translation note: This is an English translation of the historical manufacturer's text, not a modern operating or safety certification. Some component names are rendered descriptively for clarity. The printer's imprint at the bottom of page 8 reads Lysva, Perm Region, and 23-XI-1957; the last print-run figures are not fully legible. The printing date does not establish the manufacturing date of any particular lantern.
About the Lysva Metallurgical Plant
The Lysva Metallurgical Plant, in the Perm region of the Urals, traces its history to 1785, when construction of an iron foundry began under Princess Varvara Shakhovskaya. The first cast iron was produced in 1787. The industrial settlement grew around the works and eventually became the town of Lysva.
Over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the plant expanded into metal sheet, rolled products and metal household goods. Its historic unicorn trademark became associated with Lysva iron and metalware. By the Soviet period, such industrial enterprises also supplied everyday goods, including practical hurricane lanterns. The surviving booklet identifies the Lysva plant as the manufacturer of this 7F-1 model.
The metallurgical enterprise later changed its structure and product lines, and MMK-Lysva Metallurgical Plant joined the MMK Group in 2017. The old instruction booklet offers a glimpse into its mid-twentieth-century consumer products.
Historical references: MMK-Lysva Metallurgical Plant — official history; History of Lysva.
Another Original “Flying Bat” Lantern Instruction Leaflet
We have also found a second, shorter Russian instruction leaflet for a similar Soviet wind-resistant kerosene lantern. Its manufacturer and date are unknown, but the document includes a labeled lantern drawing and concise operating instructions. You can view both original pages and their English translations in our Soviet “Flying Bat” Kerosene Lantern — Original Instructions and English Translation article. The similar design does not establish that the two lanterns came from the same factory.
From a “Flying Bat” Kerosene Lantern to an Electric Lamp
At Old New Lamp, we restore and reimagine vintage hurricane lanterns of this familiar “Flying Bat” style. Instead of burning kerosene, our conversions use electric lighting: sometimes a simple LED bulb, sometimes a flickering flame effect, and sometimes even a miniature lava-lamp arrangement. The results retain the recognizable metal silhouette while giving a vintage object a new decorative purpose.
Explore examples of our restored and converted lanterns:
- Vintage Soviet lantern with a flickering-flame bulb
- Vintage Soviet lantern with a three-mode LED flame effect
- 1988 Soviet kerosene lantern converted to electric LED lighting — silver
- Vintage oil lantern converted into a dimmable electric light
- 1988 Soviet kerosene lantern with LED lighting — blue
- Vintage kerosene lantern transformed into a lava lamp — version 1
- Vintage kerosene lantern transformed into a lava lamp — version 2
The original 7F-1 manual is a useful piece of industrial history in its own right. Keeping the scans and translation together helps preserve not only the lantern's design but also the instructions people received with it nearly seven decades ago.