I have a BT25 floodlight. It is complete except for the burner. I have attached pictures of the only other one I could find on the net. I want to restore mine to how it looked when made (battle ship grey). It was probably made in the 1940s or 1950s and burns with 10 000 CP. I have been quoted $350 to do this. Unfortunately we can not find a replacement burner for this light so it will probably not work. Can someone advise if it is worth doing. *Edit: It's similar to the one you can see at Terry Marsh´ site halfways down on this page.
Maybe you can use spareparts from this? http://www.bisgaardnielsen.dk/product.asp?product=14534 60 euro for the whole lamp
I could be wrong because I don't have my BT25 to hand to check it against, but are you sure there's actually something missing from your lamp? These won't have a "burner" as such because they're not liquid fuelled. Could you post a (larger) pic of your own lamp showing the area where the mantle attaches? I can retrieve my BT25 from storage on Saturday and check. I'm not sure parts from an AGA lamp are going to fit a Tilley, but I wouldn't like to bet on it...
I think David is right. Nothing seems to miss from the lamp comparede to my gaslamp at home. It looks like you can just put on a mantle and let the gas flow. Just remember the pressure distributor between the gas-bottle and the lamp. Gaslamps are easy - just plug and play. Claus C
Except that's not a picture of Gremlin's lamp, Claus - hence I asked him (her?) to supply an image of his/her own. I think the one pictured must be quite an early version but I've no idea of the date of it. It resembles an FL5 with that exposed reflector - very strange. From memory, mine is more like the FL6 with an enclosed reflector. I've no idea of the exchange rate but $350 seems a hell of a lot to pay for a respray... Edit - I see those images are taken from Terry Marsh's website and should have been acknowledged as such. Text from the same source is as follows:- "The Tilley Lamp Co., Hendon, UK, made this Model BT25 Floodlight that appears in a 1967 catalogue. Paul Gildenhuys found this floodlight on his farm in South Africa and restored it. The connection to a flexible LP gas line is in the lower-right in the right image. Accessories included 2-5m tall tripod stands, a frosted lens, and a fog filter. The lamp reflects 10,000 CP." Interesting this example is also in South Africa and apparently from 1967-ish. Also, 10,000cp reflected? - the FL6 is 5,000cp reflected. I presume Terry means a 2.5 metre tall tripod. The frosted lens and fog filter? - never heard of those, although I do have a frosted one-piece glass for the FL6 which I thought was home-made. Who knows..?
Hah David my mistake - I payed only half attention while its a gaslamp Yeah it would be nice to see some photos, the lamp is not rockett-science. I googled it and the germans forum in PELAMP writes that the only thing identical/similar to FL6 is the reflector as confirmation. 10000 cp, you can shoot planes down with that light. I almost want one Claus C
Yep, I finally managed to summon up the energy to stretch about 2 feet and get my Tilley literature file off the shelf. I've got data sheets for the BT25 and BT25G (for galvanised) showing construction, specification and parts. Tilley do quote 10,000cp mean reflected. Both show the lamp as per the pix above with unenclosed reflector and are marked with the Dunmurry address so they must be after about 1962. Hopefully I'll figure out my new scanner soon and post scans at some point...
Looking forward to it David I think the 350 money is over the target. A lot of fettlers here on CPL lead by example, recently Podly restoring his Petromax 2827. Fine piece of work kept at a reasonable level of cost. Its not easy to find anything about this lamp on the WWW so I asume its a rare lamp and I would stick to it as glue until I knew more about it Gremlin. Claus C
Hi Gremlin, Here's my example along with some shots of the burner. The mantle holder is brass with a very fine mesh screen inside. Not sure of the date on this one. Glass shows only Tilley, but the label shows "Made at Hendon England". Possibly imported to the USA by WM. W. Lee Co. He was big into propane. I have a few of his other floodlights including the BL-64, a propane powered FL6 (also known as a Til-Lee). The chimney was stripped of paint and oiled for the time being. Still waiting for a some paint touch up (someday). You will also need a pressure regulator, if you do ever get it ready to light. Dan
Great pix Dan. I was wondering what the threaded hole was for in the back of the air intake cover and I half-remembered a short metal rod with a spherical knob being there. That would be used to aim the projector. One of my datasheets more-or-less confirms that without actually showing the part itself. There's a pic of someone adjusting the aim of the lamp and he has his hand seemingly grasping something at the centre back. I see also that the reflector is, in fact, enclosed - just not with the FL6-type case, hence the superficial resemblance to the FL5. Reading the datasheets further reveals quite a range of stands and other accessories available from Tilley as optional extras...
These Tilleys run on a gas pressure of 14 psi. Neil sent me the phamplet on these as I have one also ,I was also told that these use a veritas mantle which is a double one mantle inside another . I was told this by Bernie (of Sands in Melbourne ) I just use a big mantle myself . Bob .
Hi All Thanks for all the information as soon as I get the photos from CT I will post them. The glass on the lamp is marked Tilley Hanson (not sure I have spelt that correctly). Regards p.s.I am a her.
Hi All The light looks like it was left in a field for 20 years. It is quite rusted (which I tried to remove myself using a commercial rust remover - all that did was turn the rust black). The guy is going to sandblast it, seal it, paint it and re-silver the reflector (This light has a silver plated reflector) and replace the screws with brass ones. He is also going to make a new burner if I can not get one. It is the small pierced brass thing that is screwed onto the gas pipe. I have decided to go ahead with it as I do like to "rescue" old stuff. As you can probably tell this is my first lamp. I will post before and after pics if anyone is interested.
Hi gremlin, the rust treatment does turn the rust black ,its more of a converter than a remover, it can then be primed etc,best to wire brush first to remove all the loose stuff , sandblasting is ok but if there's not a lot of thickness then you can wear the steel away,,apart from resilvering you can do the rest yourself, it'll take longer but you're one doing the rescueing rather than paying someone else to do it....
Yes, as Norf says, that's what's supposed to happen. The rust treatment contains phosphoric acid which converts the rust to iron phosphate which is black and stable so it can be overpainted. Again, Norf is correct - avoid sand-blasting which will very probably only distort the metal if you're lucky; otherwise blast holes right through it if you're unlucky. That's probably more correctly called the nozzle. I've some of the Tilley double-walled mantles which another member here kindly sent to me. I think you could probably just use the biggest Coleman mantle you can find that ties on - 1111 at a guess...
Maybe this will have suitable spareparts http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/antiek-en-kunst/antiek-lampen/m622753564-industriele-lamp-tilley-flood-light-op-oud-oorlogs-standaa.html?c=8c285449651fa109c354bbabe740c1b&previousPage=lr Claus C
Beautifull but an expensive source of parts. Maybe you can look for parts from an LP gas lantern and modify burner tube to suit your BT 25. Graham.
Wow - 950 Euros - around £700! Dated 1940 so that's interesting, although I suspect it may refer to the tripod only rather than the lamp itself i.e. it's a 'marriage'. I wonder who were Blunt and Wray Ltd. Anyway, pic No. 2 shows the little aiming handle I was referring to. The word 'elektra' and '220V' has me worried. Translation please... Edit - Blunt and Wray were, apparently, ecclesiastical silversmiths. Very odd - unless they swopped production to other items as part of the war effort...
Hi Gremlin. Just checked my mantle holder . Its a brass socket which screws onto pipe this end is approx 20mm female and the burner end is 25 mm female which a ceramic burner screws into. The size of the ceramic where mantle ties on is about 25 mm ,Between the ceramic and brass fitting there is a fine gauze also . the handle which is at back of lamp has a 25 mm ball and the complete length of rod is from back of ball to nut is 75 mm again . hope this helps . Bob.
You are right David. 950 euros - wow - nice price but I dont really think anyone would pay that. The dutch should mean something like "it is also suiteable for rebuilding to 220 volt" so I dont think the mistake is made yet, just as information that it should be easy. Wim must know. So Gremlin, stick to your lamp as glue ;O) Claus C
Hi Gremlin, Are you missing the entire burner with mounting cap as in my first two pictures or just the nozzle end? As far as the nozzle and ceramic, it looks to me like these two parts from a 500 CP Petromax or clone may fit. I don't have one to check but someone else might compare theirs to Bob's measurements in the previous post. Dan
Dunno if the evil deed has been done or not (yet), but it says it can be delivered with the set needed to convert to electrickerty. Hopefully it is just an "extra" that comes with the lamp. Far to e€pensive for my poor-man's wages . Best regards, Wim
Hi I am missing the brass bit and the ceramic bit (did not even know there was an extra piece but it makes sence otherwise where do you tie the mantle on). I was wondering about that. As you can tell this is my first lamp and I am not very technical but I find it fascinating. Gremlin
Here are picture of my currently very old and poor lamp. The glass (not in a picture is marked Tilley Hendon)
Hi Gremlin Its not all that bad from the photos. Take good care, when you polish the projector, not to polish of the chrome- or silverplating. If you are such an ekstraordinary woman as your lamp suggest you are, you might even try to re-chrome it. On this forum here at CPL there was a fine thread about "homechroming kit", wich you might dare. If you use a sandblasting, then be carefull and ask the tool-handler to use "fly-sand" not ordinary sandblasting sand - it will go right through your lamp. Flysand is dustlike and looses energy so quick that it wont go through. With the long list of craftmansship offered for the 350 money then it dont sound so bad. Good luck Claus C
These are now posted in the Reference Library - . I went to my storage today but could only find two FL6-type gas floodlights marked 'Calor Floodlight by Tilley' They're two variations of the same floodlight as it happens. I still feel sure I've a BT25 somewhere - if not, that's one more to find...
It's not good David, when you can't remember what you have and haven't got. I think you need to thin out your collection so you can keep track of it better.
For cleanup of parts try soda blasting am told it does not heat or distort. Have look on you tube for DIY ideas. Graham
Yeah, more-or-less what I was saying to another member earlier this evening. I'm concentrating on UK stuff but keeping some early Coleman lanterns, too. I might hang onto my Handi lanterns and also a Coleman 200 and 201 as users. The rest can go...
Hi Gremlin, I was looking over at the Pelam site ( Link) and the nozzle and ceramic used on the BT25 look remarkably like that used on a Petromax 500. ( the terms Germany & 1499 are on the BT25 ceramic) The BT25 tube diameter at the threaded end is ~20.5 mm (see Bob's post above). The cost of the parts (not sure about shipping) is reasonable and may be worth a try. If someone could check the tube diameter at the nozzle end on their 500CP lantern, it may save some time & money. Regards, Dan
