First Tilley table lamp - your advice please!

Hello chaps,

I'm a pressure lamp virgin and have recently acquired a lovely old Tilley table lamp (photos attached) and wanted to call on your bright minds (!) to garner a bit more information about it.

It came off eBay and I've done a little bit of restoration work by polishing the brass components (which were pretty tarnished) and also gave it a new coat of paint. I've given up trying to shine up the gallery for now as it just blackens after the lamp has been in operation.

From my research, I think it's a Hendon-made TL14? or TL13? What was the difference between the two models? I was wondering if anyone was able to date it? I'd guess it's late 1930s or 1940s?

Also, I've noticed the vapouriser looks particularly short on this lamp. Is it the wrong type for this model? I believe it had a new one fitted before I bought it and also new seals.

Lastly, I'm finding the pump is getting very stiff. I've tried unscrewing it from the base and clearing it by pumping any residual paraffin out but it's still pretty stiff. Any ideas on how to make it a bit less resistant? I feel like I'm going to end up with early-onset arthritis in my hands if I can't soften it up!

Thanks for your words of wisdom in advance.

Best,

Shane

 

Hi Shane!.. Welcome to CPL!

Nice tablelamp and working well ...I think they were designated a TL14 with the clear globe and a TL13 with the shade?

Someone will no doubt correct me if i am wide of the mark

Is the pump leather dry? If so try a spot of paraffin or 3-in-1 oil...you shouldn't need much

Thanks for sharing your photos : )

 

Hi PB,

Thanks for your warm welcome and for the information!

I'm a total novice - where would the pump leather be located? I'm assuming I need to dismantle the pump by unscrewing it?

Any idea of the age of the lamp?

Cheers,

Shane

 

@Shane C.K.
Hi Shane and welcome to the forum.

You need to strip the pump apart and give it a c,want and perhaps a new leather. There’s also a non return valve in the end of the pump.
Hope this helps!

Stevie

 

C?? = clean!

 

The cat walked over my keyboard!

 

Hi Stevie,

Thanks for the information and the photo - very helpful. The pump seems to be screwed together very tight so I was struggling to work out how to dismantle it.

I'll try taking it apart and let you know how I get on!

Cheers

S

 

It's a waste of time trying to polish the gallery if you plan to use the lamp. The copper in the brass oxidises when it gets hot and forms copper oxide (CuO) which is black. If you polish off the oxide, all you're doing is exposing some fresh brass to oxidise once more. Eventually, between you polishing and continued oxidation everytime you use the lamp, the brass will become so thin it'll form a hole at some point. On the other hand, if you leave the copper oxide layer alone, it prevents the oxygen in the air getting to the brass underneath and the gallery will last much longer.

The choice of vapouriser is up to you - you can fit the shorter 606 or the longer 169, depending on what you think looks better. I think the 606 was the original Tilley fitment though - the lamp was designed for low-ceilinged cottages etc.

Hope that helps...

 

Hi @BigStevie ,

Thanks for the photo again.

So, I've taken the pump apart cleaned it and given the leather a bit of paraffin as suggested by @podbros , but it's still pretty stiff. Would DW40 help or is that a bad idea? The leather does seem to be in good condition. (see photo)

I can't seem to get to the non-return valve you mentioned, but I can see the spring through the holes at the bototm of the pump. Does the bottom of the pump unscrew as well?

Cheers

Shane

 

Thanks for the tips @David Shouksmith !

Any idea of the date of this lamp?

 

WD40 isn't much better than paraffin for oiling pump leathers - it's apparently just paraffin and perfume designed to disperse water (WD=water dispersant) rather than lubricate anything. Any oil will do (except boiled linseed oil) so try a bit of olive oil from the kitchen cupboard. Paraffin is a definite last resort!!

It's post-war, so maybe '50s at a guess. These days, anybody will know the date better than me...

 

@David Shouksmith I've got plenty of olive oil in my kitchen so I'll give that a go.

Thanks!

 

Yeah, just don't let the wife catch you!

 

@Shane C.K.

As you can see in the photo I posted, the nrv sits in a cup that screws into the bottom of the pump tube. They can be tight!
If the pump leather is dry, soak it overnight in some oil. Continued stiffness May be due to the pump cylinder being deformed, does it look straight and round?

Stevie

 

Welcome aboard!

 

Just stick the pump leather in the oil real fast, pull it out, she won't know!
(Unless you value your life!)

 

Hi all,

Just an update - after a little soaking, the olive oil worked like a charm. The pump is much less resistant now - my wrists are very grateful!

It's also burning more brightly now as a result. Attached are some photos of it in action!

Thanks everyone for all your hints and tips and if anyone has any information on how to date the lamp, do let me know.

Best,

Shane

 

I concur with @podbros on the type. TL14 has the Tilley 182 globe.

Nice lamp, and welcome, @Shane C.K.

Tony

 

Welcome from Queensland Australia.
Well done on your first fettle.
You now need a mate for your lamp ...... then another one and another and another ..... then one more, always one more .....
Enjoy
Pete
@Shane C.K.

 

That looks really good. Love the table setting.

 

It's working well and the way to date the tank is to check the depth of the socket which the control cock screws into.

If there is just enough depth for the current control cock, which is called a GF., then the earliest that the tank can be is 1940, but if the socket is much deeper then the tank is pre 1940.

The vapouriser which is currently fitted is a 606, but your lamp would look better with the longer 169 vapouriser.

 

Referring to Jim Dick's book (Tilley The Versatile Vapour Lamp), the earliest incarnation appeared in the early 1930's when the longer (aprox 7") 169 vapouriser was standard. The shorter (aprox 5.5") 606 didn't appear until the advent of the X246 after WWII.

@Shane C.K. the only difference between the two vapourisres is the length.
If you wish to purchase a 169 vapouriser, be aware that they are produced in the far east, they are expensive and there is no guarentee of quality.

 

A nice table lamp and will be handy when there are power blackouts. Like the blue font, very attractive.

 

You're a bit out David. TL13/14 is contemporary with TL10 so not later than 1945.


Vaporiser 606 was available in the 1930s. It was used on the AL10, 11 and 21 lamps. However for all the table lamps and lanterns the standard would be Vaporiser 169. ::Neil::

 

@Walkop I live in London and we rarely get power cuts these days (more's the pity - used to love cracking out the flammables when we had them when I was young, most often during a thunderstorm). Cheers, the paint job was my own :-). I was a bit hesitant to do it as I thought the purists would crucify me, but it needed a facelift. (It had old, cracking gold paint when I acquired it which I wasn't too keen on).

@David Shouksmith @JEFF JOHNSON @Mackburner @Henry Plews Thank you for the information regarding dating and the vapourisers. Are the vapourisers sold by Tilley and John Moncrieff also made in the Far East? Perhaps I'm better off picking up an old one on eBay...

I'm also looking for a decent shade for the lamp as I find the clear onion globe a little too transparent (I prefer a softer light). I'd like to get one of the squarish deco looking vitreosil shades, but they're not easy to find as I understand they are pretty rare now. Any recommendations as to where to go? I know John Moncrieff sell the top hat shade, but I think one of those will drown my stout lamp. Perhaps it would work with the longer 169 vapouriser though. I'm thinking of getting this frosted onion globe, even though I'd prefer a different shape: Tilley Onion Globe Shade | Tilley Lamp Spares and Parts | John Moncrieff Lighting. I also like the look of this one, but I'm guessing it won't fit a TL14? Optic Gas Globe| Pressure Lamp Spares and Parts | John Moncrieff Lighting

Best,

Shane

 

Yes, you are better off with a NOS vapouriser...just a matter of waiting and watching or asking if members on here have 1 for sale??

The Tilley International ones I have bought have been ok, but they can be temperamental or be just plain U/S

But they will replace them with another without quibble (or used to, anyway)

Even some NOS vapourisers can be faulty, if you are unlucky

Personally, I think the colour looks very nice

 

In my opinion, it's better to look for an unused old stock 169 vapouriser, they have a brass bottom end and the link below shows my TL-13 which is fitted with a 169 vapouriser and a white opal Tilley shade.

Your paint job looks fine.

1930's TL-13.

 

Thank you @podbros and @JEFF JOHNSON .

Ah yes, I noticed that some vapourisers have a brass base and others don't. The current one I have doesn't have a brass bottom, which makes sense as it was new when I acquired the lamp. I figured the original ones were brass. There's a good reason for the phrase 'top brass' ;-)

Best,

Shane

 

An alternative is part number 284 available from www.base-camp.co.uk/tilley.html An example can be seen here
KL80 dated Sept 1958

 

Welcome to the club, & fine lamp to start off with