A recent refurbishment of a Tilley R55 heater An observation, that if fuel is added above the optimum level (2/3 full) the gauge doesn’t reveal more than that. Moral: ensure that when the needle first indicates ‘full’ don’t exceed that amount. John
1. John; well done with the fuel gauge repair. 2. The R55 model often is missing some plating on the largish reflector as shown in the first picture in this thread. Is there anyway to get them replated, particularly on the critical front side, without damaging the decals on the rear of the reflector? Is some sort of silver paint the answer?
Well spotted regarding the missing plating. I’ll be nickel plating the damaged areas, using the technique I used with this Bialaddin bowl fire. It’s not a hot process, so if there WERE any remaining decals on the reverse they’d not be damaged!
Thanks @presscall I will give this a go soonish. My R55 has a usa thacker decal which I need to preserve but it will be nice to fix a small patch of loose plating.
My R55 is surely a product made and sold on the home market, so the Thacker decal wouldn’t be appropriate. If it were, I’d acquire THESE reproduction decals from a UK Ebay source.
@presscall I've been doing some research regarding nickel plating as I have a kit to set up myself . I have read about putting saccharin in the electrolyte it is said to give a bright finish, something to do with making the crystals lining up uniformly . Here is a link I think you might find interesting . Marten Effect of Saccharin on the Process and Properties of Nickel Electrodeposition from Sulfate Electrolyte
@Madras Interesting Marten, thanks. The home-made electrolyte I use isn’t a sulphate solution however. John
