New Member looking for my first lamp and enjoying the hunt any and all advice welcome.

Great to find such a wonderful resource for pressurised lamps.

My only experience is as a young child/teen fishing with dad on the end of North Pier Blackpool back in the late 1980's. The lamp we had was red based with a black top "Tilley" lamp, that I now know that it must have been a 246b (not sure if it was a mk1 or mk2..)

I have very fond memories of them times and recall melting frozen worm packets on the heat of the lamp and changing the mantles behind the theatre (out of the wind). The smells, sounds and process of managing the lamp have stayed with me and I have a nostalgia towards them.

I currently only have a gas lantern that I have used for camping here in oz for about 10 years, however I have decided I want to ditch it and try and get hold of a Tilley lamp to replace the bottle, stand pipe and lantern in the camper.

Early research suggests that the lamp we had (newish back then) is maybe not the best quality lamp to serve me over the coming years whilst camping and travelling this great Australian land? Maybe an early Guardsman might be a better choice or even a different brand altogether?

I have a soft spot for the 246B for obvious reasons, however I would like a quality lamp to get me going and maybe I get a 246B later on...

Also any Aussies that can elaborate on where is best to get some paraffin fuel for them i would be great full :-)

Great to be here

Regards

Jody

 

Welcome, @Jody

My suggestion is you get a 1949-1953 X246. The build quality exceeds the X246B, but the operation is the same and they are a reliable, hard working lantern.

They come up for sale on eBay quite regularly.

If you’re interested in a “workhorse” X246, I could put a working one together for you.

Otherwise, there’s a bloke in Newcastle (NSW) who sells on eBay, and you could visit him.

Tony

 

Hi Jody,welcome to CPL, thank you for sharing those great childhood memories with us, i have similar memories having grown up in outback Queensland where these type of pressure lanterns were mostly all we had, may i kindly suggest that in my view, a Tilley 246 A is a much better quality than a Tilley 246 B, they look very similar, i am sure others may suggest other lanterns you may like as well, also the one Tony suggested is a great choice, kind regards Frank

 

Hi Frank l,

Thankyou for taking the time to reply and candid thoughts on the X246B (backing up what I had been reading).

I am keeping an eye out for a X246A however the X246 lanterns are growing on me and I value a better build quality on something so old.

regards

Jody

Hi Tony,

Thankyou for the reply really appreciate the feedback.

I would be interested in the Newcastle contact to see what he may have?

I have been looking at the X246 Guardsman lanterns and it seems there is possibly 3 versions?

I love the idea of the all brass/ copper pork pie x246, alas they are probably too rare and too expensive for my budget and needs.

I may take you up on the offer of a “workhorse” although I love the idea of fixing one up a bit myself (seal kit, cleanup etc).

There are some real beauties when You start to look

 

Gooday Jody, Welcome to CPL. I'm not adding any advice as you have heaps of good advice already. An old Tilley is so much fun to get going again. Good luck.

 

Jodie

I'll make contact with the Newcastle seller and then get back to you.

Tony

 

Tony I really appreciate that I would love to work with someone locally initially to see what is possible. Thankyou so much for offering. Jody

 

@Sedgeman

Thankyou I like the idea of getting one dressed up and making it mine, however I am not opposed to shiny things straight up :-)

My concern is when I see some of these old grungy ones I think surely that will not scrub up like the examples I see on here and other places... Some of the rust looks to be terminal on some of the stuff I have been looking at online.

 

Good thing about Tilleys is that the fount is all brass (with a few wartime exceptions) though often speculum (like chrome) plated. The cage is usually steel but they are quite sturdy and can be cleaned up with a wire brush and sandpaper. They look flimsy but actually withstand a lot of punishment in the clean up process. The hood, however, is asifferent story and is usually steel but enamelled and some are good, others are fair and some are badly chipped and damaged. Usually enamelling cannot be easily fixed and paint won't stand up to the heat so that is not an option for a goer.

So don't be put off by looks as most can be restored to clean and working. Trick is to ensure you get a unit with an intact globe as these are expensive to replace, say about $50. The vapouriser in 19 cases out of 20 can be got going.

You do enjoy getting any old tilley going again properly.

 

That is brilliant info and will help me understand what might be worth pursuing in the hunt!!

 

Welcome aboard!

 

So a bit has happened in the last few hours and I missed an eBay auction for a x246 however I have the opportunity to get this lamp for $40 plus post…

now to me it looks like I am doing alright with this as my first lamp, however having to learn so much so quick I am not exactly sure what I am getting lol

I have been told the number on the base underneath is 1160XA

should I jump in or keep cruising until the right lamp makes an appearance …?

mall help and guidance appreciated :-)

 

November 1960 and it seems in fairly good condition. You need to get a meths pre-heater to light it but first you need to service all the rubber seals/washers/pips in the pump and the Control cock unit. The vapouriser may need decarbonising if it is dirty but it may be Okay. Tap it on a hard service on a piece of white paper and see if any black flakes of carbon dfall out. Carefully look at the pricker rod and see if it has any black build up. These are indicators. Look through the vapouriser and see if you can see some light through it. (Need bright daylight or a suitable light). Our site sponsor (The Fettle Box) can provide the seals if all else fails.

Do not clean the outside with steel wool or anything similar as it will scratch it. Just a soft cloth and mild detergent until you have read up on cleaning in this forum.

Others will probably add more than I can. Good luck as it looks a nice unit to get going.

 

A great place to start - and as many here would say one of the best quality lanterns made by Tilley.
What do I call this part?: Tilley

 

@Firexit1 I saw this resource earlier today its brilliant to help me work out what seals to order ready

 

@Sedgman Thankyou I am trying to seal the deal :-) I will be looking for more I think once I have this one stabled and working.. Great tips on going gentle until I learn more on how to clean it up properly.

 

Welcome, Jody.
Plenty of good advice here. While most of the earlier Tilleys might be seen as relatively better made than the X246B, I'd say, you must still somehow secure a lantern that is most identical to the one from your childhood. Those fond memories can only be truly resurrected with something that appears and feels exactly like the one you had in North Pier Blackpool circa 1980s.

 

Thankyou and you are right I think if I see an as new black and red 246b I think that would be just grouse…

I feel more than one is in my future..

 

Welcome sounds like you have all the help you need to decide which lamp to buy, you cant go wrong with the X246 Guardsman that's for sure good luck.
PS: I buy my Kerosene straight from the pump at my local petrol station, but OILCHEM is the next cheapest price, Bunnings is way to dear stay away from them unless you have no other choices.

 

So you can buy Paraffin at the pump? I have never seen this…

And when you say OILCHEM is that for Paraffin or Kerosene??

I use Kerosene at work AVTUR but idle has stuff in it that I do not want to burn in a lamp (cancerous).

It sure will be my next probleM OR ONE OF THEM

 

In Australia we call paraffin Kerosene.
Oilchem is a supplier of Kerosene and other chemicals.

 

Kerosene is skin penetrating, so it is a health issue in any case.

 

Most regular paraffin or kerosene would also contain some aromatic hydrocarbons and sulphurous compounds from the petroleum distillation process. Most, if not all, are somewhat carcinogenic to some extents, depending on the dosage or amount of cummulative exposures.
The highly purified odourless kerosenes would pose a much lesser risk in this respect.

 

I found there is a lot of information about paraffin/kerosene online, much of it is detailed specification and test methods, but Wiki has some more general info too (Kerosene - Wikipedia) - sorry I don't know how to post a direct link. Edit - oh, it looks like it happens automatically.

Although I first spotted this community a few years back, it wasn't till I retired that I got round to getting the lamps I'd bought back then to light. The knowledge and helpfulness of the folks here has been wonderful.

I found I had a couple of Bialladin/Vapalux 320 lamps that were very grubby with dents and scratches but essentially fine. Lots of cleaning, new washers etc. and they fired up delightfully. I'm looking forward to working on the next ones, which includes a newer-style Tilley (246B I think it is).

Talking of retirement, I studied and practised toxicology. Indeed, many hydrocarbons (particularly polycyclic aromatic ones) are very unpleasant, but high-grade paraffin/kerosene is not too bad and I certainly don't panic over the splashes I get on the skin, though I try to avoid it. However, don't let your hands soak in it... and probably best to ensure good ventilation if working inside.

 

So a little update,

After reaching out within my local community I was offered some lamps at what were seemingly a reasonable price (what would I know)..

I had my hands on 2x Tilley X246 Guardsman lamps ~1954 both globes broken but came with dipsticks/Mantles/funnels/metho bottle and a preheater. As well as two shades….. I was super excited and ordered seals from Fettlebox…

Well it seems that was going to be short-lived. The seller within hours was on the phone saying he needed them back due to family disagreements… Reluctantly I have to return the lamps and go back to looking for something.

it was great to actually see something and got me excited for getting my own lamp eventually.

In the meantime I have found a Pork Pie and a winged Guardsman in a collection of Coleman’s that I found someone was selling. The hunt continues.

Just want to put a big thanks out to Buggerluggs and Tony Press for reaching out and taking some personal time to help with the many questions I have had so far in trying to get something to light.

The Hunt continues!!!

 

Not a problem anytime mate, that's what we do on this Forum help each other out.
That's why this Forum rocks plenty of other members have helped me out as well.