Hi, I just bought a batch of 10 Tilleys mainly X246A/B and 1 Willis & Bates (as a Bialladin 315). There was a Tilley R1 in the mix as well and that is going well now, just needs a protective cage and a windshied starter chimney. One Tilley X246B will never work again as it appears to have been filled with water (or dropped into a pond: it says Hinkley Cubs on the bottom) and the whole of the aluminium control cock is solid, the dip tube stuck in the fount and the pump base rotted away. The fount appeared to be have a lot of gravel in it as well. The vapouriser may have survived. There was one mid production X246 with the vertical supports, brass cock, the tell-tale, a reasonable top, glass and burner, however, it will not sit flat on a table as the bottom seems to be bowed out below the rim of the fount slightly. It is about 1/16" proud of the rim when on a flat surface. There are no obvious signs of cracks etc, but I have not tried pressurising it yet. Were any made like this, or could it have been been seriously over-pumped at some time? Must have taken some doing to push it out that far! Any idea how to press it back into shape if it is bowed, as it looks quite a reasonable lamp? I would say it is about a 1960 model as it is similar to 2 others in my colection, but cannot find any date on the base, just some numbers. Were some items just numbered rather than date stamped? All thoughts would be gratefully received.
When I pressurize my petromax824 to a high pressure, the bottom of the tank swells. This means that I think the solder at the bottom has peeled off halfway. As it is crimped, it is not easy to repair. I have left it as it is. It still lights up without any problems. However, to avoid any disastrous consequences caused by a kerosene leak, I try not to leave it unattended and use it outdoors. Therefore, if you do a submersion test under pressure and there are no leaks, I think it should be usable. (Of course, I cannot say that it is safe.)
The numbers on the bottom could well be the date. For instance if the lamp was made in February 1967 would have 367 stamped on the base. It does sound as if it has been over pressurised, I'll have to check to see how far it should be recessed.
Do you mean you can't turn the knob or, the control cock is stuck in the tank? I have a spare control cock and pump if you want them. The dip tube should be stuck in the tank. It was put in and sealed with solder before the base-plate was fitted.
The tank has been over-pressurised, and the advice of @Camp numao is to be headed if, indeed, you decide to use it. Can you show the stampings on the bottom of the tank, please? @Sammi Jane: 367 or 267?… Cheers Tony
Okay @Tony Press, I hold my hands up to that one... And we've got to head the advice have we..? We can all make typos that can't be corrected if the post has timed out.
Thanks everyone. Re the X246B. The control cock is full of orange corrosion and is solid. Not sure what was in the fount. As another of the batch has a broken glass, I will probably sacrifice this fairly late one, but thanks for the offer of a spare cock. (Can I say that?) Re the dip tube, my bad there. It is on the W & B lamps that the tube comes out with the control assembly. I will post some pictures later today and see what the clearance is on my other two X246 lamps is using a straight edge. How easy is it to over pump one of these lamps to that extent with the tell-tale fitted? I have read that these did not always work very well, but my 2 X246 lamps and the R1 heater all seem good. Does the tell-tale unscrew to check it?That is something I have not tried to do as yet. The W & B lamp (Aladdin 315) has some dots on the base but no date. I will get a picture of that as well. It looks a bit like a 305 but with the 320 spirit cup rather than the aluminium collar.
Hi Andrew, Sounds like like an interesting and varied collection there the date will be a mixture of numbers and letters, always seems a bit random and initially they don’t always seem to make sense :s the dots on the willis bates may also lead to a date the lantern with the bulged base may be a late model guardsman.. in the late 50’s tilley changed the design .. lots to read about if you have search or two by tell tale do you mean the pressure indicator? They are soldered in.. they often don’t work or have been known to leak.. Be great to see some photos which will help with dating regards pb
I've just done some measuring on one of my X246B lanterns, and the bottom of the fount is 3/16" of an inch off the surface, if that makes any sense.
In my opinion if it has a blown fount, I just throw them out as I have plenty of Tilley now, or in your case just keep it as a shelfqueen. I wouldn't risk the consequences of what my happen. In the end it's your lamp and it's up to you, what you should do. Sounds like you got a great haul of Tilley lamps, congratulations mate, enjoy.
Sorry for the delay - it's been a hectic week. Pictures attached at last. The X246 with the bowed bottom is dated 361. It is about 1/8" below the rims. Nice looking though see pic#12. The other X246s I have are about 3/16" clear. One is 1060. Pic #3 is I think my earliest Tilley but appears to be undated. I am just guesing by the butterfly filler / pump cap. The one with the corrosion is dated 573, and the cock is now free, but the gauze on the inlet is badly corroded. I have been able to clear the dip tube by shoving a piece of welding rod down it, but the fount looks to have some green corrosion it in. I may try a different pump after cleaning it out and see if the control cock does work or not. Anyway I am gradually working my way through them. Lots of fun ahead as I think the main lubricant used on the leathers has been either cooking oil or motor oil. It is sort of set in yellow lumps. Pic #1 is 7 of the haul of Tilleys mor or less in date order. Pic#2 is the rest of the bunch from the same stable. Pic #9 is my previous collection, and I have another X246 coming next week. There is a modern 2000 ish Coleman 275-700 in the shed as well. The Aladdin 315 has 5 dots above the Made in England stamp on the base and 9 below: Sept 65 maybe? The R1 may be around 1955, as it has a chromed reflector and the wooden handle, but no date is visible on the rim or the base. Pics# 6 & 7, but it works Pic #8. Tried a spare Wilis & Bates sprit cup but still needed a Tilley torch after that to get it going. Must make a chimney for it! When I look at the post the pics are not in any order: Fromthe top: pic2, pic 3, pic6, pic 7, pic8, pic 9, pic 12, pic 1
Has anyone every dismantled the fount on the early X246s. I have the necessary soldering skills to dismantle and re-assemble it (having just had to do some similar repairs to my Optimus 96). Is the rim peened over do we know or is it just soldered? I would be farily happy to dismantle it if there is a chance that I can sort the bow out. Seems a shame to just chuck it out.
Bowing by that much means that the base has almost certain been stretched, and getting it back to the correct size is going to be quite a job.
If they're protruding below the baseline I weigh them in at my local non-ferrous merchant when Ive enough brass. If they're just a few millimetres above, but have clearly dished a little, then I 'gently' with a piece of wood apply persuasion in the opposite direction. I have a similar 1961 tank I've pushed back a little and it works fine, but I never put more than 65 pumps in. It wasn't below the baseline, or even flush with it to start with though. I am in no way proferring advice, just what I generally do in such situations...
Hi @andrewdwork wow ! great collection folks have desoldered the tanks.. the earlier ones are easier as there is room for the baseplate to fall out Your Tilley with the blown base is a later guardsman and there are some differences As may have been said already, Tilley changed the design of the base, inverting it and changing its position here are some basic sketches followed by some sobering photos of what can happen if a lamp with an inverted baseplate is overpressured as you can see the base plate has a ‘cup’ shape to it.. under pressure it is very strong.. note it’s position where it is soldered on the recess of the tank On the later models the base has been inverted and moved to a different position? It will not be able to withstand any over pressuring as the design allows the base to ‘peel’ away from its original position and shape. In my opinion this also makes getting a good soldered joint more difficult. taken from a later model but with the same designed base, you can see how the base has deformed over time after being subjected to too much pressure. thanks to H. Plews ps you can get the inverted bases out but it’s a pain.. the return tends to hold them in.. unfolding and re folding it will bend things out of shape risking introducing cracks into the metal… maybe easier (!!!) to cut the majority out, leave most of the old one in situ and make a new base to fit higher up? Use the older cup shape IMO the earlier bases are plentiful but i get what you say about the waste
It's generally accepted that the big dots are year and the small ones month, so yes. 315s with the cream painted tank are uncommon, and I believe are made towards the end of production for that model (I'm intending to make a survey on here to find out the dates of as many examples as possible to check this hypothesis ).
