I have tried cleaning several Bialaddin vapourisers using a bike brake cable with a low success rate, has anyone tries ultrasonic cleaning baths? Also the jet hole on many vapourisers have become enlarged resulting in overwhelming and burning outside the mantle, has anyone had any success in preening the end of the vapouriser and 're drilling the jet hole? Does anyone have a good drawing of a Bialaddin vapouriser, preferably an engineering drawing? I am also planning to carefully section a vapouriser to have a look at how it's constructed.
@DP2 Ultrasonic cleaning is ok for the last bit of cleaning your vapouriser, but mechanical and “heat and quench” is required first. Heat the steel of your vapouriser to dull red (don’t go mad and overheat), and drop into cold water. Tap the bottom of the vapouriser on a block of wood and let the carbon fall out. Repeat; repeat. Spray carburettor cleaner. Repeat. You can peen the jet, but it’s best to have a wire about 0.18mm as the guide for the jet size (rather than covering the hole completely and redrilling). Cheers Tony
I have also tried heating and quenching, will try your guide wire suggestion, Have you made some sort of tool to pain the end whilst the wire is in position and what sort of wire do you use, would have thought stainless would be good?
There are two patents for the Vapalux vaporiser and one by Jack Imber which I don't think was ever made. They are GB537892 and GB564870, They are pretty well identical but I assume the later one attached here will be the one mostly found on lamps today. ::Neil::
Neil, That's great, thanks for posting, if you are attempting to fix something it's good to know its anatomy. David.
Ah well I suppose someone had to live there and it is close. I'm actually a Cheshire lad from the Wirral so only almost a Scouser as well. ::Neil::
My vapouriser cleaning method: take 0.5 - 0.75mm solid wire approx 20 cm long piece, make several small bends to the tip and attach it to drill and "drive" it clean. Additional care needed with Tilley and Vapalux/Bialaddin vapourisers jet hole side. Bit rough though, but has been working so far more severe cases. Rolling sandpaper to a long stick brings out any residual if left.
Hi Tommil .. and everyone ... so cleaning and restoring Tilley vapourisers , using solutions and wires , soaking leaving .. repetition .. again so on , so forth .. gas gun .. heating and quenching in fluids .. so it is a total heartbreak and a good way of getting out of the way of the wife and domestic duties ..for hours ... sometimes it works or fails ... but this particular piece of advice is SUPERB ... it the only one failsafe that actually works THANK YOU TOMMILL .. So today having soaked an old type Tilley vapouriser for 3 days in ATF/Acetone mix ..wired and then finding a palmfull of crappy crud that emerged .. never seen as much .. .. tested still not working .. I found in my toolbox an old v/u shaped steel galvinised peg stay .. 2 legs about 7/8 long V/U shaped .. really hard steel .. trimmed 1 leg to about 6 " and sharpened one end , by holding in my vice and filing to a very sharp point . So I drove it down the Vapouriser as much as I could by force ... mmm .. what ..tested it . littlespurts , more... and then EUREKA ... a mini spurt of 28 second kerosene .. upwards and into orbit .. great .. This particular vapouriser has defeated all my cleaning efforts for months ..but I fettled the little blighter today with TOMMILS method.. Tested it on an unsuspecting Tilley 246A .. fired it up.. lamp is as bright as a button now... 1 saved Vapouriser sorted ... ( old type with brass ring bottom ) That piece of filed spring rod takes pride of place in my toolbox .. thank you TOMILL best advice ever
As TommiL states in his input .. it is only a solid wire .. I used a spring steel rod ..cut from a garden stay.. or any other suitable sturdy rod .. having looked on the internet these stainless steel rods look ideal and not too costly... just sharpen 1 end and give it a go. Drive it into the vapouriser ..worked for me 316 STAINLESS STEEL Round Bar rod shaft 1mm 3 4 5 6 10 12 16 20 22 25 30 40 a4 | eBay
My metod for Bialaddin type: Demonting, cleaning with a drill the pipe max. to the pressed ring. Than carefully turn the spring in top of the vaporizer with the cone end of a brush etc. to clean it. Clean all parts, monting with high temperature "Ofen Dichtschnurkleber". Regards Frank
Fabelhaft! But I do seem to remember some brass-footed vapourisers are not threaded but swaged together, likely the later ones. And perhaps by W&B as well as Tilley.
