Hi everyone! I’ve found a lamp I’ve wanted for years; although it seems to be very popular in Europe, it’s quite rare in my country. It joins two other English lamps in my small collection, which is otherwise dominated by German and Swedish models. I always wanted an X246, but ideally a Guardsman... maybe you can tell me: is this a Guardsman? I’m sharing photos of its current condition. I’d appreciate any advice or recommendations regarding parts I might need for the restoration; the glass appears to be original but is broken, so that’s already on my wish list. Do you know of any product for cleaning the tank? It just looks stained, and the original chrome finish is still intact. Warm regards from a very cold Chile today.
@Cesar Guardsman indeed and may even be a de-luxe version but other members will correct me if im wrong date stamp 4 61.. its older than me ! Well done
Congratulations Cesar It is a Delux Guardsman with a Speculum finish. 461XA is a manufacture date April 1961. The NRV should use the brass holder with a flat seal but the knob on the pricker shaft indicates it may have been serviced with a later SP1 kit. You will need to pull it apart to find out. The dried fuel is easily removed using lacquer thinners or Acetone. I usually soak the pump to make it easier to dismantle. A dip in a hot citric acid solution will clean up the speculum tank nicely.
@podbros @JEFF JOHNSON @ROBBO55 Thanks for the well-intentioned replies and advice regarding my new lamp; I have a couple of questions before I start cleaning and restoring it. Is there any difficulty in completely disassembling it? Or do you think there are parts I shouldn't take apart—parts that should just be cleaned? Is it possible to replace just the knob with an original one, or is the valve type incompatible? Any tips on buying a replacement glass globe? (Quality vs. price) And finally: regarding that citric acid for cleaning the tank... is it sold ready-to-use in your country, or do you mix it yourselves using other products? What is the recipe? Looking forward to hearing from you!
Tilleys are designed to be simple to maintain and the knob on your control cock is original and it cannot be replaced with an earlier one, the first link below shows the design of the knob of that control cock, the one shown in that paperwork is a later example, but Tilley started to use that knob in about 1960. The second link shows a 1955 Tilley catalogue which should be helpful. It's possible to use super glue to fix a glass for display purposes, but if you are going to use that lantern then it's best to get a replacement glass, many Tilley lantern glasses are listed on Ebay. Tilley changed the build method of their tanks in about 1957 and that change made the tanks weaker, so it's best not to over pump tanks which were made from that date onwards, because the base plates of the tanks will distend. The fuel feed tube is soldered to the bottom of the socket which the control cock screws into and it can become clogged with muck, I use a length of tying wire to clear it, just shove the wire down the tube until the wire touches the bottom of the tank and repeat that process as often as is necessary and then rinse out the tank. Sometimes there is fuel residue which has dried and stuck to the inside of the tank and that needs to be removed, (we never know what type of fuel has been used by previous owners). For cleaning I use vinegar, but it's strong so caution is required. The third link shows information about Tilley control cocks. https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/x246b-diagram.6859/ https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/1955-tilley-cat.421/ 8 Tilley control cocks
Citric acid comes in a powder and you mix it with water (one heaped teaspoon per litre). Place the parts in the solution for no more than 5 minutes at a time. Take them out and wipe over. Repeat as needed. I have used vinegar but diluted it 1:1 with water. It is usually sold in most stores that sell dried herbs, spices and cake ingredients. The control cock doesn't strip down completely, the inner components are not removable.
