I just fit a Tilley X-mantle onto a Vapalux 320 with what appears to very good results. Does this come as a surprise to anyone? I've read posting on other sites that the Vapalux mantles really don't perform that well. Comments? Suggestions? Good stories to share? Al
Hello AL, yes, the Tilley X mantle can be stretched and fitted to a Vapalux burner and in my opinion the light output will be improved and in my experience the older Vapalux/Bialaddin mantles gave a better light than the modern ones and that is because they were Thorium mantles. I wish that Tilley would start marketing their mantles with the srtings untied as the used to be, as that would save a lot of very fiddley adjusting, when fitting them to any but the standard Tilley burner.
Hello Jeff, I was pleased with the untied strings on the Base Camp "Pro" mantles. I fit one to an FL6 at Lake George (along with new washers from Ross), and the owner was a happy camper! Wouldn't it be nice if there was a chemist in the group that could tell us how to make our own thorium baths to soak mantles in? Al
Al, You can find the basic recepy here : http://www.petromax.nl/Home_made.html A german lampie : Ludwig Gebauer did some very good home work. He is also the man for low pressure alcohol lights.
I have 3 Willis & Bates lanterns, a bialaddin 315,a bialaddin 320, and a later vapalux badged M320, and I run them all with Tilley 164H mantles, and, no surprise, they all run very happily with them. As for the vapalux mantles, I have tried them, but with no great success. So my advice is, if you like the Tilley mantles, then use them. By the way, I try to get thoriated mantles whenever I can.
