Hi everyone, Firstly thanks for a warm welcome to CPL . I have been trawling the net for all things lampish and came across a very odd thing on the bay . A vapouriser kit that comes from far far away in the form of a re-design of the standard Tilley 5 incher . Has anyone already used one and are they any good or are they strictly taboo. They are not cheap at 25 quid a pop but look easily serviceable if the parts supply is reliable ...pics included if i get this right .. any comments welcome . Pumpitstu
I have never yet tried one, but several folk on here I believe have with mixed results. Some seem better manufactured than others. I'm sure someone will advise further in due course.
I have never seen them that low in price - £40 seems more typical - just a bit more than Tilley themselves charge for their offering. I have had no success with those - poorly made IMHO. I bought two with similar construction and I'm pleased with them. Others have not been so lucky it seems. If these really can be had for £25 it seems a good deal so long as they are well made.
If they're from Asia, the only source of re-designs on Tilley and some other brands' parts I'm aware of is Korea. On the other hand, I don't think China is anywhere into this direction. They are better known for mass producing any makes at unbeatable prices.
I have a 5” and a 7” of that design (note: with the stainless steel tube). I purchased them from Korea. They are excellent. Tony
They are definitely the best hope for getting a decent vapouriser today. I think the odds of getting a good one are better than trying to punt on unknown ex-used ones be they Hendon or Dunmurray. I bought NOS Dunmurray thinking that might be OK - no it was a mistake. Sometimes you can buy a really cruddy lamp and get lucky. I had one caked in red rust which I thought must surely be dead. It works fine but you have watch the rust and the fit with the spigot. Keep making sure they come apart. I think @Pumpitstu we would really like to know how these are down to around £25 - Black Friday deal? Maybe someone with confidence has bought in bulk from original supplier and is reselling? Even I thought about doing that but decided it was probably too much trouble with bad buyers. A few of those and you are paying to do business with them.
https://www.colemancollectorsforum....370?highlight=tilley+vaporizer&pid=1295110478 Here's a thread on one of the sellers of the Tilley and Vapalux vaporizer, the only one I've seen with someone doing actual tests of the vaps on lanterns.
Hi .. You pay your money and take your chances , there's a chap in South Korea .. does them and a chap in Taiwan.. I have tried them both and to be honest with everyone I am disappointed they last for a while and seem ok but then choke up or clog up/ now not working The engineering tolerances are often not exact and whilst other lamp owners have great success.. this has not been the case with me .. My imported vapourisers now lie idle together with others in my toolbox . so If I had the space and room here I would have proper engineering workshop bench facilities, with vices and turning machines, tools cutters and wires , gauges and the like and concentrate on New Old stock vapourisers, I have had moderate success with heating and quenching and using penetrating fluid ATF/Acetone 50/50 mix to clear carbon detritus in the tube. maaged to sort 2/3 like this .. There are many posts on the matter here... many have had had superb success with these and good luck to them and same to you if you get one.. If I am lucky to be able to get outa here a workshop will be my desire ..
Well here is the post about the guy who started it all: W. Springmann Then some other german collectors amde them too.
I have found that the “all brass” (lighter brass) versions deform due to heat when used in table lamps (as opposed to the steel tube version). @WimVe Unfortunately these aren’t made any more - made of heavy brass: Holmes Lantern Spares Vapouriser (Tilley 606 equivalent) Cheers Tony
How we would all love a well equipped engineering workshop! I still reckon that Tilley principle vapourisers of any kind depend on cooling at the top end by metal to metal contact with the burner up in the spigot. Get that wrong and they are all ready to die - they simply overheat.
@JonD Enter, "Tilley VAPORISER 5" / Vaporizer Generator", in the search box on the bay and you'll see them, mind you there is a 7 quid post to add to the 25 so getting close to the 40 that you mentioned . There is a drop down list with a few spares listed but that is no guarantee of future supplies. @Alby , thanks for your mention of trying them out.. oh to have a fully kitted workshop !. Seems that they are an eye catcher but would they last 50 60 70 years with an occasional tap and clean out like the real ones can.
@Tony Press Hi Tony, how long have you had/been burning them for ? Stainless steel would make them less prone to pitting I guess .
Again, not from experience but from an engineering perspective, I find it worrying that the jet is threaded and detachable, if it were to unscrew, loosen, there would be the potential for large amounts of fuel to spew out causing a huge flare up. Now most of us are used to some sort of flare up when initially pre-heating/starting, but this could happen 30 minutes - two hours after lit, catching you completely off guard.
Er, when it comes to vapourisers, over the last 100 years, the vast majority of jets have been and still are, threaded and detachable. I think if there was cause for concern, something would have been done about it before now. Henry.
@Pumpitstu Pitting is not an issue. What is an issue for Tilley and Bialaddin-type burners is that the end of the vapouriser (generator) tube is inside the mantle (a very hot place). So, thin-walled brass is prone to distortion. Therefore steel will be more robust than brass; and thick-walled brass will be far more robust than thinner-walled brass. Also, I agree with Henry’s assessment of lamp nipples. Cheers Tony
Re- these relatively new brass and steel combi vapourisers , I should think @paparazi 's concern would be eliminated if just basic pre burn checks are made , ie , ensuring all threaded things are tightened prior to lighting. I am very tempted to get a couple seeing as the second and further items post is just £1 extra per.
I'd agree on @Tony Press 's remarks on thin-walled brass vaporizers on Tilleys or similar. I'm fairly certain that its not just the thermal expansion of brass at work. Inside an operating mantle, the temperature is approximately that of the flame, which I estimate to be somewhere between 900 to 1100deg C. Its the rapid loss of surface zinc on the brass vaporizer. Its at a vaporization temperature of zinc! Without doubt, oxidation would be rapid as well. The liquid fuel flow would not be sufficient to remove the heat that's sustained by direct flame contact. Its less pronounced on thicker brass due to the mass of the material being sufficient to prevent temperature rise beyond zinc's vaporization temperature. Steel, of course wouldn't even melt at 1000 deg C. Outside the mantle, the temperature would be drastically lower.
@Tony Press Hit the buy button and two are on the way (steel tube versions) ETA between Jan and Feb so fingers crossed the slow boat from Taiwan gets a tail wind . The same seller has 7" ones as well at 26 quid. Hopefully they will be as excellent as the ones you have Tony. It would be handy to get the details of the manufacturer if nothing more than to know they plan to keep them in production for the foreseeable future. I got a cross link from the Classic Camping Stoves folks and a very interesting read on a clever chap who had some old brass clock components and used some of the plates with very small spindle holes, cut them out and peened the hole down to 0.22 or 0.23 for the jet hole of a Monitor stove . This is getting more and more curiouser and curiouser day by day Cheers Stu
Hi, I've tried this version out of Taiwan on my TL10 and its burning to rich. Had bought 2 replacement nozzles together with it, always the same, useless. So I removed needle and nozzle, skrewed in nozzle of an Petromax HK250, sealed with a small amount of exhaust gum. I needled it a few times from upside with tilley-needle to get the right hole diameter. And I placed a fitting washer between nozzle and burner, so that the mantle support will not longer spit flames on downside... So for now I'm unable to needle when its running. It's pulsing/hunting more than original. Throttled this by putting control cock as far as possible to closed. The heat conduction in direction to control cock & tank is higher, I think on 5" version this will be even worse (hot washers under pressure can get slippery ). regards
Appears to be both pro and com on this issue. Coleman used what I consider thin walled generators on their gas lanterns and some kerosene as well. Granted, the design is different from Tilley, Bialaddin, Petromax lanterns and the need for a steel generator in a Coleman is not necessary; good flow of air from the bottom up, the other lanterns I mentioned the business end is at the top - both air and fuel mixes there and it has to get damn hot! Almost 40 years of experience with Coleman makes me think they run cooler and I think the top of a coleman can attest to this. Most of the time I have found the enamel tops on my 220/228Bs, for example, hold up much better than the other lanterns I mentioned. I have no scientific background so I have no way of proving what I said other than personal experience. My two cents worth!
@george I guess i'll find out for myself in the New Year , nothing ventured and like you say , some ups and some downs in the comments . It will give me something more to fettle about with in time no doubt . Cheers
You might get an early surprise from Taiwan.. If its the same he sends his post out very quickly and I was really surprised how quickly I received the goods so well wrapped as well .. stuff from S Korea takes longer thats the norm
The whole initial idea behind these (brass and now also steel) vapourisers is to be able to clean them thoroughly. The original products, either W&B or Tilley were considered throwaway items, and indeed these vaps were readily available at the counter, like mantles - in contrast with the looped vapourisers from Germany and Sweden. To that end the brass alternatives were equiped with a proven replaceable 250 CP jet and needle by Petromax. So spares like jet and needle are assured. I fail to understand how these vapourisers can get clogged up and 'thus' are put aside. I mean, this pipe almost beggs to be reamed! Considering the right product with Petromax back-up is lasting longer than I will, years ago I invested in one brass vap for my X246 Tilleys and one for my W&B lamps. Bought from a german source I believe not current anymore, they were expensive, but I tend to forget expenditure while revelling in the excellent quality today. No, I have had no reason to use them yet; so far even the most rusty tubes from Albion appeared to work satisfactory.
Lucky man... so you have fine vapourisers there ... the source of these aftermarket vapourisers is no longer. I made enquiries in Germany about 12 months ago . his name fails me , but I traced him I remember he has no stock .. the vapourisers from S Korea and Taiwan they are ok for a while but then fail, jets become enlarged , needles bend etc .. engineering not the best . spares costly , some are very lucky and they work well good luck to them.
You indeed lucky with the vaporizers in your units, @M.Meijer . There could be a lot more than what we've came to know thus far, on the technical aspects as to why those vaporizers would work while others not. I believe those vaporizers are not simply metal tubes with jets. Not all brasses are the same or suited for use in vaporizers. Whether the materials are forged or casted, machined, hot-drawn or worked in any other known ways, make a lot of unseen difference in the final products. Inferior ones might look and measure indentically to superior products. As I've mentioned earlier, a section of the Tilley vaporizers are working at temperatures that might exceed certain alloys' threshold, resulting in material loss and bending. Once bent, the prickér would not be as effective as usual. Next would be blocked vaporizers. There's also the tendency of locallized overheating if the brass alloy is too low in thermal conductivity. That'll result in increased coking of the fuel and hence the chances of carbon build-up inside. Whatever I've mentioned here are merely a few of the known facts, which should only serve as reminders. There's bound to be a lot more in the Tilley vaporizer engineering design aspects that're completely unknown to me.
That is a thoughtful outline, Myn, thank you. But what prompted me was the notion that these easily cleaned vapourisers were set aside because they were clogged. If this clogging is frequent I can now see the hopelessness of it all. By and large it still is to be seen if my old purchases will meet expectations should that time come. Made in Germany and expensive is no guarantee unless proven, as you have explained eloquently.
@Alby , thanks , maybe I will , I'm deffo looking forward to getting them. I ordered 2 complete kits so just over 50 quid for the two and the spares included . Since ordering them I have received a PDF from the seller with , to be honest, very well laid out instructions on how to go about assembling them. Seems either he ..could be a her , has maybe had sufficient feedback or afterthought to mention that as one contributor called it " Muffler Mender" has been added to the kit. This seems a pretty logical addition to the assembly process as would account for dubious failures in the past from not using something to mend your muffle. The PDF is quite clear that a small amount of water is added to your chosen muffler to aid its capillary actions in the quest for total seal..a lition ..a new word maybe ! When it arrives I will post the new or current assembly plans but for now , as not in receipt of the vapours I tremble at the thought of posting them prior to having a "Go for burn" moment. I would also like to thank each and everyone who has copped a look and a comment in this, my first post.
