You've just dug your camping lamp out from the attic for the annual excursion and discovered the glass is broken and there are fragments of white stuff clinging to the central gas outlet - dont dispair and throw it away - its really easy to restore back to full working condition by replacing the glass and the gas mantle.

Replacing the glass.

The glass is usually pretty easy to find in any good camping / outdoor store. Diameter and height are the only key dimensions to make a note of and sometimes you'll get the choice of opal or clear glass (personally I favour the opal glass as it spreads the light more evenly and is more forgiving on the retinas when you intently watch that circling moth contemplate suicide.

Replacing the gas mantle

Slightly more technical is replacing the mantle (the white stuff that glows so brilliantly when lit) but provided you follow a few simple tips its dead easy.

A mantle is simple a cotton woven net bag that has been impregnated with the soluble nitrates. Once heated the the cotton burns away and the nitrates are converted to nitrites. As the heating continues, the nitrites fuse into the final globe of very high melting point but extremely fragile oxides.

To fix a new mantle:

a) Firstly dispose of the remnants of the old one (very old style lamps may contain small amounts of asbestos so dispose of carefully at the appropriate asbestos disposal facility) on most modern lamps this is not a problem.

b) Simply slip the new mantle into position - at this stage it is a very soft cloth and usually has one or two large holes for positioning over the central column. The fabric is delicate so try to handle carefully so that the mesh is not overly disturbed

c) Once in position, evenly spread the mantle into as near perfect circle as you can (no need to be overly fussy though.)

d) Next, turn on the gas and light the mantle with a match or cigarette lighter. There are some distinct changes that will take place as the mantle changes into its final form: 

i) Initially the cotton will burn away and smoke somewhat as it does (this is quite normal so dont do it under the sprinklers or fire alarm) 

ii) The mantle will shrink to form a roughly spherical shape

iii) Some areas will start to glow white hot

iv) Gradually these areas will spread until the whole globe it brightly lit.

v) Leave the lamp burning for a minute or two after the mantle has fully lit before then turning it off to cool.

vi) The mantle will quickly cool to a pale grey / white colour but whatever you do dont touch it - it is now incredibly fragile and can be damaged by the smallest touch.

vii) Replace the glass and 'job done!'

... and all at a fraction of the cost of a new camping lamp.

Tip: 

Always keep a spare mantle with you just in case you accidentally damage your newly fitted one.