Of a plated hood Tilley X246B, in THIS thread David Shouksmith said Well said. Much as David acquired his four, I happened across this unfired example without any hint of a bidding frenzy, so Tilley anticipating enhanced sales during the power cuts (as was David, I was swotting for exams then too) may well have resulted in these leftovers. Absolutely no indication of a flame having come anywhere near this Tilley. Of his example, Matt said, Not so with the one I have. True, the plating of the hood doen’t have the deepest lustre (ok, it’s distinctly ’thin’) but the paintwork is as good as I’ve seen on a 246B. The date stamp. Globe, a Pyrex product. Paperwork. The usual Tilley pricker control direction disc and the typewritten slip of paper explaining why the hood is plated and not enamelled. John
Actually I looked into the electricity shortage and I am confused. The lantern is dated February 1972 but a check of the Internet shows the electricity crisis restrictions seemed to start in January 1974 with the 3 day week for non-essential businesses. The miner’s strike though was in January and February of 1972. Was the elctricity shortage earlier than when the 3 day week started. Can anyone just add some context on why a Feb 1972 plated lantern was because of an electricity shortage?
It was Iain. The 1972 cuts were a precursor to the more formal Three-Day Week implemented in late 1973 and early 1974 during a subsequent period of industrial action and a global oil crisis. I respect of ‘why plated?’ presumably the electricity required to power kilns to fire vitreous enamel was unobtainable, but the lesser demand presented by electro-plating made that a viable alternative.
