Well, it was exactly one month ago David posted a Tito-Landi. Here's one of mine, next to some real pressure lanterns for size. And here's the mantle I use for many lamps with this narrower burner of about one inch. This one is an Aladdin gaslight mantle, but there are other brands available. They work with many lamps, from e.g. Titos and HS2´s to some gravity lamps like the Lux Victoria: And in action! The advantage with lamps like these, is that they are more silent than a true pressure lamp, but still has a low and pleasant hiss without being disturbing. And they allow regulating in order to give that soft luminance we want for an indoor lamp most of the time, but yet they can be brought up to a good working light when needed. And they are easier to handle than a mantle lamp like Aladdin or Famos, and with much less maintenance needed.
Looking around and seeing the shades - it makes a awesome light. I cant wait to light up my Aladdin soon. Claus C
Shiny! Another type of lamp to collect, thanks David SWMBO's going to kill me...! That IS a lovely lamp
Go for it expat! They are absolutely worth having at least one of. David, don't worry. I would probably have posted it sooner or later anyway. You just made it happen a bit prematurely. I'm with Dan! It's always interesting to see some different technologies in action. We need some variations here from the usual old talk now and then. Just to make things even more interesting, I think it's about time I posted a new carbide lamp in action too. It was too long ago now... And yes Jeff, you are correct! The cat is cool with this lamp. 8)
Good for you Stu! Don't just buy the very first you see. They are abundant, so better wait until the right appears. A good advice is that you don't get any of the most common ones. These are made out of very thin brass, and isn't really any good. They look like these two I got for spares: They are very prone to stress cracks. But they are generally very cheap, so as mentioned: a good source for spares to a real lamp. There is also a lamp with a more "square" tank that is OK. And if you want to take it outside, they actually got a real lantern with this burner. By the first look you would take it for a regular paraffin storm lantern:
Unless it's made out of aluminium and some French person has left fuel in it, when this can happen:- The tank is inverted here. You can see the breather tube from beneath the tank to allow air in to replace the fuel that's been used up...
Oh, I thought the damage might just polish out, Jeff... It was one of a job lot of about 4-5 scrapper lamps I bought for spares - a couple of them still had the little forked mantle support which was what I was after mainly...
Do you by TitoMaxi mean the lantern style version? I lift the glass about an inch and insert the usual preheating fork at the base of the burner. It's the same with the other Tito-Landis: dipping the fork in alcohol, place it on the burner base and light it. When the alcohol is about to expire, I open the valve and the lamp/lantern should light.
Nice display. The lantern is quite rare, I guess not many survived. I am looking for one for some years now but havent'found one.
I'm envious (as usual). The Tito Landi lamp that I have is one that you would use for parts. There don't appear to be many over here in North America, and I really like the burner design and operation. I put a short length of fiberglass wick around the burner base and use it like the preheater on a Vapalux. Very convenient and quite reliable.
Nothing wrong with the model you got as long as it doesn't have stress cracks. They still do the same job. What I meant in that old post was just that due to their generally much lower price, they can be suitable as donors if you want to restore any of their more robust lamps in case it should lack any burner part. Definately not here in Sweden either! I don't think I've ever seen any at all in "normal" use (i.e. actually imported and sold back then). But eBay is fantastic! It makes the already shrinking world even smaller, and the best place to get these lamps is of course in France! And I don't think shipping should be much more expensive to the states vs. to Sweden from France. You might be forced to pay additional tax and customs, of course. I didn't knew that. I guess you have a point in that they have been living a tougher life. And they are out of steel, so will probably rust. And perhaps not sold in as large quantities as the indoor selections. I've seen that there was another lantern which looked sort of more elegant, and in brass.
I found mine in Danmark. Seller told me she was it given by her ex-husbond. He bought it in a small french city for a lot of Money (no more precise)and he was told it came from a french policestation, where it was used as light at nightpatrol in the 1930's. A tip for your search Wim, while I dont need more of them :O). Claus
This talk about the Tito Landi made me find it and think about restoring it. Here she is: Holes in the lamp. The one in the bottom looks man-made but too small for a electric-wire and the one on top looks like a weird concentrated rust-spot. Why would anyone like to make a hole in the bottom? Claus C
The upper one is most certainly a pinhole from rust. But the one in the bottom is just as it's supposed to be. It's for airing the tank, and it is the end of a tube that extends above the fuel surface inside the tank. It should not be a straight tube. Those I've seen makes a full loop.
On the first page of this topic there is a picture of the tuve but in this link you can see the loop. Tito landi lamp
Thanks. My biggest problem is how to dismantle the burner/wickholder from the tank. I just dont know where it un-screws. Is it the wide collar that comes of? or is it the more narrow stem of the burner in the bottom of the collar-pit? Claus C
Hello Claus, that should be an interesting restoration project and in my opinion it well worth restoring, Jeff.
It's the wider part that should come loose. the stem is soldered to it at the bottom of that well, and since the brass of the wider part is so thin, caution must be taken when unscrewing it so you don't distort anything. Initially you can try to loosen it all by gripping the centre stem since it's a more solid part, but if things doesn't come off without excessive force there, other means must be considered. A little side note. When taking the photo below to show you the loose burner, I noticed that the air tube inside the tank here only is a simple, straight tube. No loop at all as it is in my other lamps, so I guess that you might find either version in yours.
Thanks succes. Knowing where to give oil and divide, let me make this iron-tube. Around the tube I put a piece of led. While the led was Down there almost fitting, I knocked at it with a hammer so it pressed itself out and worked like a old drumbrake. Then I just turned the tube and there you go: The tanktube is straight like on your lamp Christer. Beside the wick, the tank was filled up with rockwool or so. I will re-use that after restoring the tito. I dont know if this is a bit of topic now. Claus C
Yes, whilst lamps haven't anything within the tank, lanterns should have a spounge within it because you naturally shake them with the use.
I have had the natural sponge filling inside indoor lamps too. Many years ago it was written somewhere that the sponge was used in the petrol lamps but not in the alcohol ones. Or perhaps it was the other way around, I don't remember. It would have been more logical. But as said: that was just something I read, so I can't vouch for its correctness. The volume above the petrol inside tanks are always over saturated, but with alcohol it's more dangerous since it's not so picky with the alcohol fume/air ratio to become flammable, so perhaps the sponge is a way to reduce, or even eliminate, the free area of of vapor above the fuel surface? Just like the foam core used in racing fuel cells to prevent explosion of vapor inside the tanks.
