Good morning I have been interested in pressure lamps from early age but never renovated one before. I am considering stripping back the paint on a guardsman tilley to either spray gold again or polish the tank. What would be the best way to remove paint. Shot blast or paint stripper. Thanking you all in advance.
Hi @Steptoe Welcome to the board. Stripper for sure over blasting. Shot basting will damage the brass tank. However some have had great success on Tilleys with boiling water. If you do a search on this board you will find much discussion on renovation, inlcuding paint choice. best Chris
Good morning Chris. Thank you for your quick reply. I am still trying to navigate round the site at the moment. I have a few lamps and a pressure stove I am working on at the moment. I use to be a very keen model steam engine collector but have refound an interest in lamps etc. Kind regards Nigel.
I have found that the cheap "No Nonsense" paint stripper from Screwfix to be very good for Tilley paint removal. Just give it time to work. It is much less hazardous than many other types.
Yes, Screwfix paint stripper works well, smells OK and is kinder to your skin as well as the environment. Follow the instructions on the tin, and wrap the tank in clingfilm or bung it in a plastic bag. Be patient and resist the temptation to try to rush things - as R100 says, give it the time required to do its job...
I've found glass beads to be an excellent medium. Turn the pressure down or keep a distance between gun and object and take your time. You'll achieve a clean surface which is rough enough to provide a key for any paint applied yet smooth enough to not need hours of polishing to get a super shiney finish if that is what you want.
Thank you for your advice. I will give it a go with the Nonsence stripper. I have bought various items before with that trade mark.
Big Stevie. Thank you for the welcome and the advice. I located six tillys the other day and a Anchorlight which i have just been and fitted a new jet,pricker, and mantle and that is running fine. I am waiting for some new seals for a primus 221 which is approx 1932 ? so quite a bit of tinkering to do at the moment.
Thanks very much David. It has been very nostalgic having a play with these tillys and the primus as living on the coast and being a keen fisherman when younger was brought up with these paraffin lights and heaters but apart from the odd use of a pricker or seal never stripped back and resprayed. This will keep me occupied for some time.
Thank you Jeff. My interest in pressure lamps was reignited after picking some up last week. I then found this very helpful forum. Nice to make your aquantice
Barretine "Paint Panther ", available from Toolstation, is good as well :it took the notoriously resistant "Bialaddin maroon " off in nothing flat!
Steerpipe451 Thank you for your advice also. I have a few options to have a go at now. Kind regards to all for the useful information.
Malcolm thank you for your comments. I can try the boiling water method first as other forum members have suggested. I can go down the No Nonsence paint stripper way if the water fails. Your input is much appreciated.
@Steptoe Welcome from Queensland Australia. All good advice has been given, so have fun and enjoy the restoration. Of course, we love to see your pictures. Cheers Pete
G'day Pete. Thank you for the welcome. Yes I have had some good advice. Here are some pics. Kind Regards Nigel
Hi Colin yes lucky to get that many items straight away although some of them are quite rough looking but they will all work ok with a bit of tinkering. I did try the boiling water on the Tilley Guardsman but not much success. I will have to get to Screwfix and give the No Nonsence paint stripper on it. Cheers for now.
Welcome to CPL @Steptoe. They should all clean up nicely but check the bottoms for signs of over pressuring. Place a ruler across the base and there should be a reasonable clearance in the center. Dished Tilley X246A Repaired?
Hi Robbo thank you for the tip. I had checked all the bottoms of the tilleys and they seem fine. One lamp has a cracked glass and a fair sized dent in it. Best Regards. Nigel.
