I recently ruined a part worn Vapourizer by tapping the brass end too much trying to remove the carbon. So I decided to saw it in half lengthways to have a look at how it is made. I was surprised that it is basically a tube. But what got me was that there was a ring situated I think where the groove is in the upper portion. Also present were lots of individual wire loops a few mm in diameter. I can't think of a reason for these wire rings and don't know if they were placed above or below that outer groove with the ring stopping them migrating to the other part of the tube? To me it seems they are placed there to accumulate carbon on their surface and eventually block the tube? I may be too cynical and they have a legitimate purpose other than to make the tube have a shorter life? Anyone know the reason for the wire loops/rings? Steve.
Hi The rings are actually a spring wound inside the tip to keep the pricker needle concentric with the jet & to also transfer more heat energy to the vapourising fuel Stu
You forgot to tell us what kind of vapouriser it is! But from your description I would guess a Tilley, or perhaps a Bialaddin or Vapalux. Could that be correct?
Ah yes it was a Vapalux/Bialaddin Vapourizer. I took a pic but not quite sure how to post it as I usually use the Photobucket route? Steve.
Steve, It's quite easy to upload a picture to the site. Have you read this? You can use Photobucket in the non-gallery forums (like the one we´re in now), but it's better to upload a picture here aswell so it will be preserved for the future.
Looking at the base of the tube and the interface piece....... Are those serrations on the interface to retain the tube as it is pressed/swaged on, or is the tube actually threaded onto it? Hmm, ideas, ideas..... Alec.
Looking at it closer I believe they are just serrations as I can't see a start and finish to any threading? Edit: Having again looked at it in a better light I believe it may indeed be threaded? It's hard to see the start and end but I now see it. Steve.
Thank you Neil, it makes even more sense now. I wonder where the majority of the carbon builds up in these things? Steve.
Looking at the drawing, couldn't a user unthread the tube from the base and use a wire brush to clean out the body? I'm just say'n...
Hi Al, it would only be possible to clean the lower part. But one would risk pushing carbon up into the upper part. Also, when the vapouriser is really stuffed with carbon, the jet might also have worn out. Back in the days vapourisers were fairly cheap to replace, so hardly anyone bothered about cleaning them at all. Best trick was (and still is) to use good quality paraffin/kerosine. Best regards, Wim
At least now I know there is a spring in there I won't need to shake the tube any more and on hearing a rattle think there are chunks of carbon needing to come out Steve.
You'd think so, Al, but in 10 years collecting, I've only ever known one to unscrew - and that was a Vapalux one. I've no idea how they got them on so tight - but they did...
Looking at the patent picture of the vapouriser it looks a really difficult thing to clean efficiently so well done to those who have suceeded, i think as the tilleys have changed from being an essential item to a leisure item the company has increased the price of the vapouriser compared to the lamp itself. Today (tilley retail) the price for a lamp is £120 and a vapouriser is £21 which is about a sixth of the lamp cost , in 1968 a lamp was 104/6 , £5.22 and a vapouriser 6/10 , about 34p so the proportion was a fifteenth . So if the relationship stayed the same a new vapouriser would be £8 . Why should the vap cost increase out of proportion to the cost of a lamp?
The vap from my OL51 can be unscrewed too, someone removed the washer and spring inside and I had to put in a modified cleaning needle with a small washer at the top that helps to center the tip. Looks now like a skiing stick I've tried to unscrew other Tilley vaps, but as far as I remember only the ones with the brass nipple can be unscrewed when made hot, the ones with the steel ends are crimped or welded.
It might be because they sell few lanterns these days so they're a relatively small part of their income stream. On the other hand, they must sell proportionately more vapourisers to keep running all those lanterns they've sold in the past. So these days, the sales of spare and service parts will form the bulk of their income stream. They can maximise that by increasing the price of parts disproporionately relative to the lanterns. Otherwise, it's akin to the situation with printers and printer cartridges. They flog you a printer cheaply but then you're tied into them and you've got to keep on buying the cartridges which they price exorbitantly, the b'stards...
I sliced open a tilley a few years back now, but managed to find the pic ( Im no David Bailey though ok )
Has any one had any success in making a Vap' tube that has worked? I imagine the hardest bit to replicate would be the end that fits to the fount and maybe drilling that tiny hole at the tip? I know there was a chap offering a brass version but I wonder how easy one could be made 'in a pinch'? Maybe using an original brass connector and fashioning the steel tube would be viable? Steve.
Stu does these conversions and it's all described in a thread on here somewhere. They have the advantage of having a replaceable nipple and thus can be serviced. I don't have one so I've no idea what they're like to use. Having said that, both versions of Tilley vapourisers are easily available and they're not likely to be in short supply any time soon - I must have at least a dozen NOS ones lurking around here awaiting use...
i made one a little while ago, though it was for the pure fun of it At the end of the day, it wasn't worth the agro of making them as David quite rightly says, there's an abundance of them around and about Drilling the jet was the trickiest bit, got a pic of it working somewhere Stu has got an easier option which looks good though
Any tips or advice on drilling the tip? Am considering how hard it would be to build one for my Aladdin PL1, as those are somewhat rare. (speaking of PL1 generator/vaporiser, anyone have a "dead" one to donate for "autopsy" and/or know the size of the orifice?)
Well, I used a dremel mounted in the tool post of my lathe centred accordingly to drill the jet mounted in the chuck.
What size was the jet you needed? I'm guessing I'll probably need something in the .005-.013 inch range. thanks for the help
Hi again Sorry for the delay, lost track of the question I done the vaporiser when BBL was alive n kicking, a couple of years ago now, but from memory ( which is akin to a goldfish ) I think it was 0.013" and I seem to remember buying a 0.3mm drill bit which was the nearest available size. ( I think )
Yes, just when I found a center draft lamp locally and needed the topic that had info on correct chimney shape, BBL is gone. Thanks for the help.
Looking at the photos of the sliced-open vaps - and I congratulate the slicers on their machining skills - one would imagine that carbon would build up around the inner surface of the tube within the hottest zone, i.e. the portion that sits inside the mantle. Heat is being transferred from the outside of the vap tube inwards most rapidly in this region. The exact position along the tube where liquid fuel boils and turns to vapour is a matter of conjecture, but I think that the most carbon would build up at the interface between liquid and vapour. What exactly are the symptoms of a carbonised vapouriser, anyway? Uncontrollable flaring i.e. the inability to vapourise sufficient fuel? In my limited experience, the vap's life is determined by the extent of wear in the orifice, which on the 2-3 vaps that I've had to scrap has clearly occurred before the tube became excessively carbonised. I expect fuel quality has something to do with the rate of carbon deposition. Phil
The jet hole size in a PL-1 is between 0.006" & 0.008" according to the patent. And when I measured mine, a cleaning needle from a Coleman "V" tip (0.008 jet) did not go through but one from a 201 generator did (0.006" jet) so the patent info is in the ball park. This makes sense for a single mantle 300 or so CP lantern. I don't recall if the tip thread size between the Aladdin & Coleman is the same. I'll check, as I'm currently working on this most unique lantern. Actually works fairly well instant starting kerosene (if you call 40 seconds instant). Dan
"I don't recall if the tip thread size between the Aladdin & Coleman is the same" So the tip on the PL-1 is threaded? Thanks so much, Dan. Now to think about how to get one built to try. ( maybe some way to use a generator tip off of a Coleman....) You don't happen to have a "dead" generator to autopsy, do you?
