Best mantles for Tilley?

Hello all,

Does anyone have a recommendation for the best (i.e. brightest) type of mantle that is readily available for use in the Tilley X246 series? I'm unimpressed by current Tilley mantles as they tend to be over-large.

Many thanks,

Phil

 

Hello Phil, you could try buying some of the older Tilley mantles which appear on Ebay often, Jeff.

 

Hi Jeff,

That's where I have been getting them from to date. I just wonder whether other brands of mantle would be worth trying.

Phil

 

If you want a smaller mantle you could try the Vapalux V42LT mantles from Base Camp. These are self tie top and bottom so will fit. They are reasonably bright on my Vapalux M320 but nothing outstanding. Ironically, I have found Tilley mantles, which are bigger, are brighter on my Vapalux! Trial and error I suppose.

 

i have a problems too with tilley mantles. Here in finland are couple of place where i can order those and they are too big.
Just ordered in ebay Tilley FL6 mantles, i looked up pictures about those lamps and seems to be allright.
Maybe right, maybe not. Next week i know better.

 

Thank you both, I will try a few of Base Camp's mantles in due course.

Phil

 

I just replace my Tilley mantle, there is now FL6 mantle. Not perfect fit, i have to use some ironwire to make it work. But extremely bright light and heat too
Let´s see how it works for longer period.

 

Hello Ari, the FL., mantle is for the floodlights and some of the Tilley handlamps and the burner bodies are smaller on those lamps and therefor the mantle is made to fit those burners, not the standard Tilley burner.

But you have rigged it and it works, so that's the main thing, Jeff.

 

I too had a tough time getting my 1954-1957 Guardsman to burn properly. After a thorough cleaning, all new washers, a new brass bottom (yellow box) vaporizer, I fit a Tilley factory 164X thorium mantle. It looked great, with that big mushroom like form. Unfortunately, it had lots of flame outside when I was running it and it stunk. I then put my export CH1 head which has the the same 164X mantle (which I needed to run with 10% CF to avoid black mantle disease) on the Guardsman vaporizer and it immediately developed black mantle spots. I went back to the Guardsman and tossed the Tilley mantle and put on a Base Camp 164 Pro (tie) mantle. I was taken back a bit (actually a lot) by the small size of the Pro mantle after burn in but it is very bright. It looks about the size of the mantle on my AL21. The Guardsman with the 164 Pro is at least twice as bright as the CH1 head on my 1954 R1 heater with the 164X.



Anyway, I guess that for whatever reason, modern mantles must be smaller to work properly? Could be why the FL6 (smaller) mantle works so well for Ari.

I do have a few old Tilley 164 mantles; perhaps I'll eventually try one of those. But for now, this works.

Dan

 

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I have now tried a number of types and makes, and whilst there is some difference between them it does seem that old-stock mantles are brighter than current Tilley production.

It's probably the thorium that makes the difference, although I do find that older mantles shrink to a smaller size and tighter weave than the modern ones.

Phil