It has been a long time since I visited here and my lamps have languished for ages, sadly. However, I've just started to fettle a Bialladin 320 that has a few knocks and so on but is basically sound, I believe. At least, it held pressure OK before I started. But I've encountered a problem... Having taken it all apart, I find the mantle support (the tube bit which unscrews from the burner and its three air intake arms) won't come off the vapouriser. It will move up and down about three millimetres and rotated freely but doesn't slide off (unlike the whole burner assembly on my other lamps). Is it meant to come off? The mantle support appears to have a very slight ring or bulge about halfway up, unlike my other lamps where this part is completely parallel. Is there some sort of retaining ring inside? Should I try to force it? Penetrating oil hasn't freed it. I'm loath to go that route at I fear damaging the vapouriser. Or, should I simply leave it alone and refit the burner and dome once all is cleaned and new washers etc. fitted? The plan is to remove the scratched and flaking silver paint (in progress at this very moment) and either polish the brass fount if it isn't too badly scratched or paint it some gorgeous colour such as deep red or blue. I seem to think Car Plan spray cans is the way to go. The rusty handle has been dealt with as has the dirty glass and mucky hood and I have all the washers in one of those kits in the little round tin so hoping for ultimate success. Thanks for your thoughts on the stuck bit, Sooty
Hi Sooty ! Welcome back If you type ‘Bialaddin 300x swollen vapouriser’ into the search bar at the top right you will find a picture perhaps similar to yours? best wishes pb
Many thanks. Looked up the search results and yup, one or other must be swollen. When I came to reassembly today I found the problem of the stuck spigot basically means I can't put the lamp back together and fit a mantle. There is always a part I can't get to or can't tighten. I propose taking a hacksaw to the spigot (since it is clearly swollen in the middle) and using a spare burner assembly to see if the lamp will work ok with the existing vapouriser (assuming that isn't bulging too and I can fit the spare burner in place properly). If the vapouriser itself is looking misshapen I guess I need to buy a replacement vapouriser and use that with the spare burner assembly. Apart from that, the clean up and reassembly went well!
Hmm... I got the spigot thing off by careful use of the hacksaw and find the vapouriser has a bulge that is clearly intentional. That ring stopped me fitting the replacement burner assembly so I had to file the bulge away! Now I know the original was not damaged but intentionally like that, I'm puzzled over how on earth it could have been assembled without an awful lot of fiddling about. Anyway, all reassembled and did a quick test to see if it would light before attaching a mantle. Burners light up and give a nice ring, though the flames are quite short (only 20 or so pumps though).
Hi @Sooty , I doubt that bulge was intentional! Your vapouriser would be the first one to leave the factory with a bulge in it. I can't answer why the bulge is there, all I can say is, I have a Vapalux heater to which I fitted a sparkling brand new vapouriser, only to find that after a few hours of using it in the shed, it had developed a similar bulb like yours destroying a new vapouriser and the tube (and ceramic tube) of the burner. I would not use the vapouriser any more, it is weakened where you filed away the material! Very sad, but such is life!
Your vapouriser should look like the upper one in this image Perhaps more careful use of the hacksaw to do an autopsy ?
The bulge is definitely not intentional, its a problem that happens now and then and it's a pain in the ****! You will need a new vaporiser unfortunately as the one you filed down will be weak at that point now.
Thank you for the warning chaps. At least I saved the mantle as I haven't yet fitted it. The old vap. will get a post mortem examination by hacksaw - watch this space - and I'll use one from a second 320 that was to be my next project whilst I source a replacement. B##ger! Indeed, the number on the W&B picture is exactly that on my vap. Really weird that it can get so distorted; is it the heat as I can't imagine the pressure can be that great? ps Thanks for correcting the typo in the title
The spigot and the vapouriser are surrounded the mantle. It must get quite hot in there. I have used a brass vaporiser on a Tilley (same set up as the Bialaddin) and it ended up distorting the brass. With these steel vapourisers, I suggest the mechanism for distortion like you have shown is either a manufacturing weekness in the steel, or intense build up of heat within the vapouriser due to carbon accumulation. I have been in discussion about this phenomenon with Bernie Holmes from TW Sands in Melbourne (Australia) who has been in this business for a long time. He said that in the late 1980s to 1990s he observed a rise in the frequency of this kind of failure in Tilley vapourisers. One of the solutions to the problem that he came up with, was to use two O-rings side by side as the packing for the pricker shaft on the control cock. The purpose of this was to ensure no air was being sucked into the vapouriser under pressure, thus reducing the accumulation of carbon within the vapouriser. There's more to this particular story, and I'll sit down with him and document it when I get a chance. Cheers Tony
Thanks again, everyone. Indeed, I'd not appreciated the spigot is inside the mantle and therefore gets pretty toasty in there. I should have realised that. That would do it! The weight of the burner and top pressing down on red-hot steel and brass for a prolonged period... and the bulge is just inside where the mantle would sit and possibly the hottest part. Anyway, many thanks for the safety advice! Old bulgy one is junk. I've got to test some fishing line this morning for the SACGB then I'll get sawing. I have fitted another vap from the other 320 and hope to burn in the mantle and light it up this afternoon (or tomorrow). I'm a little hesitant about buying a used vapouriser 'on line' lest it is a duff one. Any suggestions would be very welcome as the new ones seem to be pretty rare.
Thank you Martin, and Henry too - yes I did put the needle to one side. Just looked at the price of the V40 - ouch! The lamp was less than that when I bought it. But needs must... and I'm looking forward to getting it going.
Fitted the spare vapouriser from the other lamp and it lights! Sadly I messed up fitting the mantle - there must be a knack - as it didn't fill out fully when I lit the meths. Ran the lamp for an hour and it improved a bit but is far from perfect. Better luck next time. Note to self - buy more mantles, you're going to need them! Oh, and some fresh paraffin. All set for bonfire night. Just a Tilley and another 320 (needing the new vap) to go now...
Save what you can of the old vap and throw the rest away! I would not re-use the old vap even if it looks good. Just my 2 cents worth.
I find it worth the effort to take time and make sure the folds in the material where the mantle sits in the burner groove are even and with two-tie mantles like Bialaddin and Tilley (and others), that the mantle isn't twisted and it is as far down the mantle support as possible. Mantles don't fill out when being burned off, that happens when you add pressure. Perhaps not on the back of the mantle packet but usually in the instructions that would have come with a new lamp there would have been written something like "good pressure is needed for a well formed mantle" and it's true ! My way with Bialaddin & Tilley is to fill the tank to optimum capacity i.e. 1.5 pints, preheat and once lit, increase pressure to a total of 100 pumps. Let it burn for three or four hours by which time the mantle shape will be as good as it's going to get.
I find it very useful to have a large stock of cheap mantles handy for exactly this reason. Lanterns present a learning curve and as its doubtful anyone will get everything right first time, you'll need to practice. I have collected a lot of Chinese mantles, usually Butterfly brand, which have to be adapted for use on a Tilley or a Bialaddin. This is fiddly to be sure, but when you're getting the hang of fitting them, it's not such a waste if a few go wrong. I know some folks on this site have a jaundiced view of this but it's much less wasteful in the long run. Good sources for inexpensive mantles are: AliExpress, Wish and of course, eBay. There are also 'sock' style mantles that work with Coleman style lanterns as well.
That's really helpful. Thank you. I guess it take practice but having your good advice will shorten the learning curve (and save money)!
Here are some links to a few different mantles on AliExpress. These are not my recommendations as such, just a hint at the kind of deals to be had. You will probably see double-tie mantles listed but they are meant for camping gas lanterns and they're extremely small. ￡5.22 49%OFF | 50pcs Camping Hiking U-shape Gas Lamp Lantern Mantles Replacement Covers 5.33￡ 48% OFF|50pcs Camping Hiking U-shape Gas Lamp Lantern Mantles Replacement Covers - Outdoor Tools - AliExpress ￡2.56 39%OFF | 20Pcs Gas Lamp Mantles Universal U Shape Fabric Kerosene Kerosene Propane Lantern Lights Cover Outdoor Camping Hanging Accessory 2.56￡ 39% OFF|20pcs Gas Lamp Mantles Universal U Shape Fabric Kerosene Kerosene Propane Lantern Lights Cover Outdoor Camping Hanging Accessory - Outdoor Tools - AliExpress ￡5.33 45%OFF | 50pcs Pressure Lamp Mantles Kerosene Lamp Camping Hiking Gas Lantern Accessories Home Backyard Patio Gas Lantern Spare Parts 5.14￡ 47% OFF|50pcs Pressure Lamp Mantles Kerosene Lamp Camping Hiking Gas Lantern Accessories Home Backyard Patio Gas Lantern Spare Parts - Outdoor Tools - AliExpress I've included both the 'ball' type and the 'sock' type for reference. The green topped 'sock' mantles are larger and easier to handle, whereas the pink topped 'sock' mantles are smaller and fiddly to put on. If you dig around on AliExpress or Wish you'll soon find some great deals. eBay sell all three of these styles mantles but I'm pretty sure sellers buy them in bulk from China and make a huge mark-up. Have fun and tell us how it goes
I can really see the logic of your 'inside out' tying method. It must produce a better shape than my 'big end first approach' that has a flattened pancake shape. Thanks! Just off to search for lots of mantles
Happy days. I replaced the mantle on the 320 using the 'inside out and wire tie' method and although it is far from perfect (maybe third time lucky!) it is a lot better than the first attempt. But, the lamp lit first time and I had it burning for four hours this afternoon and only needed to pump it 10 strokes after more than two hours. Would still be burning now but it started to rain. OK it is not 'scorch your retina' white but it gives a pretty decent white light with the cheap Chinese mantle and, finally, I have a lamp working . I'm not sure whether to lacquer the polished brass or paint it in a colour that goes with the green hood, but for now I'll just enjoy all the shiny brass bits. Second Vapalux 320 now started fettling: black hood and black knob version; chipped and scratched silver fount is now all polished brass; all old seals removed and ready for replacements; then another mantle wrestle before, I hope, a successful lighting attempt. Sooty
To be honest, it's not my technique, it's something that Peerless Mantles suggest. I just found a way of doing the same thing with regular Chinese mantles. What I'm trying to say is, I'm a tight b@stard!
Thanks ColinG, couldn't have done it without the help of you all. Second 320 all done bar fitting the mantle and firing it up. Was quicker second time around. Good job you suggested looking for cheap mantles or I'd be reduced to knitting my own at the rate I expect to wreck them before getting it right . I'll post pictures shortly as I have a separate question comparing these two 320s and rather than prolong this thread and go off at a tangent, I'd better begin anew.
