I've been upon the loft looking in the cardboard box that I put there ages ago, I didn't really consider myself a collector, but couldn't resist when I saw old lamps in car boot sales etc. To call this one fettling is a bit of a cheat. I bought this off e bay quite a few years ago as "ex army surplus "When it came it was filthy but obviously hardly used, I stripped The silver paint off and polished it up, then it ended up in the loft. Seeing a few lamps on here made me want to improve It, so I gave it a polish and a bit of a wipe down, then sprayed it with halfords Green enamel, and a layer Of satin enamel (not happy with the top coat) Bit of duraglit and here we are.
Strange thing is they have been sitting there for 10 years +, not a huge collection but actually more than I thought, it was the old tilley we used for camping which made me want to rescue them when I saw them in boot sales or cheap on e bay, I don't think I have anything of great value but it pleases me to see them tidied up and especially if I know they work.
I wish we had more Tilleys on this side of the world. They are such pretty lanterns. Nice job on the clean up on that one.
@rayw Nice job on the clean up. She’s sitting there begging to be lit. We need to see the money shot ...... Enjoy Pete
It was silver originally, but poor quality paint, I left the bottom for reference. Would this be September 1977?
The set of numbers visible on the base of this one are not a date stamp, but the back half of the NATO Stock Number (NSN) for a UK MOD Vapalux. The full NSN for the lantern is 6260-99-977-0470, the last 7 digits being stamped on the base of the fount.
rayw ... As a side note, the type of glass you are using on the lamp doesn't require a support ring under it (that is for the later short cylindrical glass) in fact, the top won't sit on the frame and the handle thumb screws won't tighten down, 'IF' you leave the aluminium support ring in place. Martin
Hi Martin I never considered that, the lamp was delivered with them fitted and I have never fired it up, after reading your post I tried it with and without the sheilds, and it works either way, with them fitted I can fasten the screws and the dont fowl the hood. When it was bought it had two sheilds on it but I assumed this was a mistake at assembly. With or without the sheilds the glass moves up and down slightly so it is not actually touching the hood, I think it would case a problem putting meths on the preheater but as I said that hasn't happened so far. Just out of interest do you know which lamps should have them fitted?
The later (late 1990s onwards) model 320s came with the aluminium disc and straight sided glass as standard. Basically a cost cutting excercise, a shaped glass is more expensive than a plain cylinder cut from bought-in lengths of glass tube.
I'm surprised that the top sits fully down with the support ring underneath a standard glass but to be honest, that isn't really the point, it shouldn't be there when used with that style of shaped glass, It's just not correct or necessary. The part itself is a mounting ring and not a shield and used, as Henry says, with a short straight cylinder glass found on the very last M320's.
Now I see the sense of the Aluminium plate, I supposed it was a reflector. I would imagine that the lamp has been cleaned tested and assembled in some military workshop and two wrong parts added. Oh well perhaps they may be usefull for another lamp which has the tube type glove.
Blimey that would be more than half what I paid for the lamp, mind you that would have been a good few yeas ago.
