Hi folks. Just bought two Tilley PL53 lamps, not that common, but there was one lamp more in the lot. Look at the picture and tell me, is it some sort of homemade or is it original from some brand? It is carbid as gas but the upper side is obviously from a kerosine lamp. Regards, Ton.
Carbide lamps and lanterns were made in several different styles, so in my opinion your lantern is genuine. The Tilleys appear to be from the 1940 to 1945 period, happy fettling.
These carbide lamps were manufactured by Friemann & Wolf and by Riemann using the upper parts of Feuerhand lanterns. I think yours is a Feuerhand FH 201. Best regards Roman
This link shows two unusual carbide lanterns which were sold on Ebay UK., recently. TILLEY FEUERHAND LAMP | eBay UK
I am getting more and more curious, a friend of mine is collecting for me, slipping transport and the risk of damage. He will be bringing the lot next Sunday.
Hello Ton, The storm carbide lantern you are showing is from the Hermann Nier company in Beierfeld, Saxony. At least the upper part is from this company. The carbide base was manufactured by the Riemann company in Chemnitz, which also assembled these lanterns. These lanterns were available for purchase starting in 1939. Petroleum for private use was increasingly restricted, but carbide was still freely available on the market. Best regards, Jörg
@vissertw Mine’s made by Riemann, Germany, Feuerhand superstructure and glass. Certainly a factory product and not home-made.
Good morning. About the two Tilleys Jeff wrote about the date possibly between 40 and 45, I have read about the PL53 lamps and found out they switched to steel tanks during the war. The two I bought are all brass, except the vaporisers. What surprises me are the hats, I got the impression all PL53 hats were brown enamel, not mine, no traces of enamel or even some brown spots, not magnetic either. About those hats and burnerhead, There is some work on the heads but how do I remove the three round ventilation "screws" on the outside without damaging them? In order to remove the burner. Same question about the hinge, the two screws on the tank, i get the impression it is threaded both sides, on the tank and on the hinge, how do I remove, unscrew them? The two PL53 are more or less in the same condition, very dirty with rests of paint and what looks like some sort of cement on them. One of the hinges is broken in the top, I think I know a guy in our village who can fix it. And they are both complete with the glass. I will add some pictures. Regards, Ton.
Those "hats", as you call them, are matt speculum/chromium plated which is how they left the factory (plus a few years use and in storage). You should resist the desire to polish them which is a common mistake made by some, er, restorers...
Ok David, I still do not know what you call them, most important is you understand what I mean. Any clue about the date, and maybe an answer to my other questions? I would like to unscrew both halves of the broken hinge from the tank in order to have them made together again. And how about the glasses, they are slightly different, which one would be the most original? And as I bought two in one buy I thought about bringing one in state as new as near as possible and leave the other one as it is. Regards, Ton.
Hello Tom, during the WW2., era Tilley used brass when they could get it, but they also used steel and a mixture of both, but both of your lanterns are from between 1940 and 1945, both dates are inclusive. vissertw I have had various models of Tilleys from that period and some have had all brass tanks and some have had all steel tanks, others have had brass tanks with steel base plates, while others have had steel tanks with brass base plates and the handle parts can all be made from one or other of those metals, but often they have some brass parts and some steel parts, one WW2., era TL-10 which I had was all brass except for the nozzle which the pump screws onto and it was made from steel, another collector had a WW2., era TL-10 which had a brass tank, but the fluted column was made from steel. What you call hats are actually called hoods and the burner's air buttons can be removed with a pair of pliers, but it's best to oil the air buttons first and let the oil soak in overnight and put a piece of cloth around them before gripping them with the pliers. To safely remove the handle, heat the ends which fit into the loops / hinges and then gently open the brass hooks a little so that they can be removed from the hinge, the parts which protrude from the tanks are threaded internally in both ends and they will unscrew from the tank and the lower parts of the handle will unscrew, but it's best to oil those parts and let the oil soak in overnight. The lantern which is shown in your most recent photo is missing it's pump and both globes are correct, but the globe which is shown in the last photo is in my opinion the oldest one. The link below shows the relevant gallery pages. PL52-PL53-PL54
Please take care of that globe with the Tilley shield on it @vissertw, I wouldn’t put it on a working lamp for fear of breaking it.
I should not say fate, rather waiting room. I have a granddaughter who is very interested in carbid lanterns, it will be some sort of surprise.
Are those glasses that rare nowadays Jean? Hope you do not get upset when I tell you we have it cleaned by the dishwasher. On the other hand, what are they made for?
Working on the vaporizers, when I clean a less longer vaporizer, guardsman for example, I know I can unscrew the lower part of it, the part that is screwed in the fuel cock. Can I unscrew that part on those vaporizers also? Ton.
Hi Ton, Dishwasher??? well, that’s up to you but there aren’t many of these around anymore.. Tilley changed the shape not long after your lanterns were made to the more rounded ’onion’ globe.. Jeff will know more The vapourisers with the brass threaded part can be unscrewed, i believe ? the steel ones are crimped great finds
The Tilley vapourisers which have brass ends are threaded together and can be unscrewed, but it has to be done carefully and some heat from a blowtorch may be required. The Tilley vapourisers which have steel ends are not threaded together, they are crimped together and therefor the ends cannot be unscrewed. Those older globes are scarce, but it's your globe, however, some collectors put those globes on lamps which are not going to be used for anything but display.
Hello, it took some time but now the first of the two PL53´s is shining again. The other two still in the waiting room. "You should resist the desire to polish them which is a common mistake made by some, er, restorers... " Is it OK for you this way David? Regards, Ton.
Now that he or she is burning for several hours, I noticed the pressure nipple is working well too! Ton.
It's working well and yes, it sometimes takes a while for the pressure indicator to start functioning again after a lamp / lantern / heater has not been used for a long time.
I always put a drop or two of oil down the pressure pip. It seems to help them re-function. Also, I’m awaiting David’s response… Cheers Tony
That was specifically regarding the matt chrome hood rather than the entire lantern! Well, you've clearly resisted the temptation to polish the hood and the lantern is burning well - great job! ...and now you have it!
