Hi folks. I have an early 246 pork pie lantern, and (as you look at the pump), the front/right cage leg has broken, leaving the thread in the tank recess. The thread is very thin, probably only 2-3mm, but surly, there must be a way to remove it. I have seen examples that have been soldered, but I want to do the job properly. Any ideas?
Ah, I knew someone would ask that. Firstly, it's up in the loft, and more embarrasingly, I'm a novice with copy, paste, click, move to, upload, download, dropdown menus, etc.! If I had someone here to show me, I'd be delighted. Left to my devices, you'd probably get a picture that would see me banned from the site.!!!
It's a 2ba thread into the top of the tank, not sure what that translates to in any other thread size. You could try carefully drilling down the centre with a small drill and then using a reverse screw extractor to remove the left overs. I doubt this will work though, that snapped off for a reason. Next would be to drill it out to the correct size needed to re-tap the hole to a 2ba thread or similar. Obviously your going to need a new support with the thread on the bottom, but I think you'll find someone one here with the ability to do that. Hope this helps a little, best regards Matt.
Hmmm....Cheers Matt. I knew it wouldn't be easy. I have a screw extractor, but it's too big for this small stud. It's gonna take some very pricise drilling to get this right, and one over-enthusiastic move will wreck the tank. I may have to consign this project to a specialist, with the appropriate tools.
Yes, it takes some nerve to take a drill to a tank I've done it recently with success but I wouldn't want to do it too often. Sending it off may be a good option, again there are people here who will be able to help you out, I'm sure someone will be along shortly.
Hello - I had the same problem with one of my pork pie Tilley lanters. Maybe I was just lucky but I poured a lot of penatrating oil around the problem area. Next, I took a very small hammer, something like a cobbler's hammer, and using a very small Phillips screwdriver I started taping very lightly in a counterclockwise fashion at the little piece in the lantern. It started to move and I continued to just tap until it moved around enough to grip it with a small pair of needle nosed pliers. Like I said, maybe I just got lucky.
It sounds like you were lucky with that exraction, If I tried that, the entire thing would explode in a shower of shards, so today I took the bold step of Ebaying it, as I can't dedicate too much time to it right now, and I'm moving on to PL53s anyway. Looking for an early version if anyone would like to point me in the right direction, would be muchly thankful.
I've had good luck with Left hand (twist) drill bits.. They tend to grab the broken piece and ofttimes remove it.. Centering at the start is the hardest part and where a reversible drill press comes in handy..
Just finished my first X246 pork pie lantern brass cage good results. Now started my second one Brass cage also with bad results rods were loose but slowly unscrewing them equally turned sour when I snapped off 2 rods ,snapped off at the threads . Why did they snap off . Answer is tank was over pumped causing the top of tank to bulge upward .Would not have been made like this as you can't screw the rods in nicely . This causes the rod to be at an angle to the vertical .Screwed one rod back in by itself and its 5/8 off vertical measured of the gennie .Checked others all the same leaning outwards .So really all 4 are leaning out so will have to remedy that before screwing the posts back in again . Bob .
How will you remedy this? I'm interested in whether the fount was made that way (slightly bulgy) because they are so heavy I can't see how they could be over pressurised. You made that same comment about the Pork Pie X246 posted here http://0flo.com/index.php?posts/26315 and a subsequent comment was made that they could not be over pressurised.... My rods that the cage screws on to are also not vertical.
Tony . My X246 pork pie base has the threaded holes in tank where the rod screws into, Yours is the later one with external threads . Bob .
I have a couple of 2nd version pork pies with distorted tops, have thought of trying a screw press with a ring (saucepan?) that just fits outside the bulge and carefully applying force to restore shape ???? anyone else got a solution. Graham::
I wouldn't bother because it will find its own shape again due to the initial construction process / internal pressure during normal use & unless you anneal it first it may induce stress cracks as the brass will have certainly work hardened over the years & annealing it at this stage will melt all the soft solder holding the fount together Just look upon it a quirk of that particular X246 I have a couple just the same Best regards Stu
