I have a few days off and today had a forage around the Hemel/boxmoor/bovingdon/chesham area looking for likely shops that may sell lamps. Did not have much luck but did buy a wick lamp from one Antique shop to give me something to fettle. Anyway, I will be heading out again tomorrow on me bike so any recommendations of where to go in the Herts/Bucks area that may give a chance of a pressure lamp would be great? Thanks, Steve.
Try Junction 9 on the M1 - I hear there's an extraordinary concentration of pressure lamps and lanterns in the vicinity. The owner is very obliging and may even be persuaded to part with an odd one!
Hi ! The auction at Tring on a saturday once a month. or Berkhampstead used to have an auction house or Amersham on hill had auction house. or as did old amersham in village hall left side of road at start of High wycombe road once a month. or very near you, I expect long gone but village hall on common at Sarratt by cricketers once every now and then ! mick
Haven't been there for several years but have a look in Grace's in Tring. It used to be a serious 'old fashioned' hardware shop from where I bought my first Tilley (still working). Another in Tring is Metcalf's, but they were not quite in the same league. There was also Saltmarsh's in Lower Kings Road Berkhamsted, but don't think they do lamps any more. There's usually a big car boot every Sunday in a field close to Hemel: Link Road, Opposite Howe Grove. The Herts. County show site close by Junction 9 also has one. From J9 head towards St Albans and it's on the right, you can visit Niel as well!
Ta for the suggestions, will give me a bit of a chance at finding something. I love finding those old type hardware shops that may still have a treasure boxed up on a dusty high shelf ? Shame they are getting quite rare now. Steve.
Well I had no luck in my hunt I went all around and found no pressure lamps, only wick lamps. One place in St Albans had this Tilley in a sorry state... The pump was broke, a hole was drilled in the base and the top was missing all the parts. Steve.
I've seen people remark that that sort of thing is good because the lamp isn't in a skip. Sorry, but that doesn't sit well with me - my view would be that it's been completely ruined and deserves a decent burial...
Let me guess: the "Antiques Emporium" in the Hatfield Road Fleetville? There a warehouse at the back who wanted £60 for a knackered Bowlfire - 'Scallywags Warehouse' I recall. They had prices of £35 on some 20 feet of useless sisal rope and called it 'bar furniture'. Yeah - they wanted money for old rope! Some interesting stuff too, but silly money.
Yup, got it in one Derek Had some interesting stuff but nothing that tickled my fancy except a Primus Blow Lamp that I ended up leaving as I don't need any more side hobbies Steve.
Scallydogs is gone. He sold up and moved out a few months back. I hit him maybe three weeks before close and got a few bits at "Half" price including a fair Tilley Track lamp. ::Neil::
Hi ! maybe your going the wrong way ! Go up Batchworth hill and keep going to London ! Portabella Road on saturday morning or Brick Lane market or Petticoat lane or Spitalfields ( think the collectors market is on thursdays !) I knew some one who got loads of lamps from these markets !! Or hit M25 and go to Ardingly I.A.C.F. fairs ! mick PS Get on your bike and 2 hours up M1 you'll find alot of collectors at vintage rally Junction 28 Ashover between Chesterfield and Matlock , see you there tomorrow !
Your best bet is get them before the antique/ collectables crowd get hold of them,,,leave a name with the local house clearance firms,,,,and offer a very good price on the first few lamps thay offer ,they will be happy to offload other lamps to you at more reasonable rates (best not to turn down too many wickies as they wont bother),they dont like lamps too much as they are breakable and are glad to get them shifted. most of these blokes look at the scrap brass value of a tilley so you dont need to pay much more than a fiver for each lamp...A lot of these 'clearance' blokes are regulars at the car boots and if you are early enough at a car boot on a sunday morning they'll keep the lamps in the van until you get there..the other bonus is that they dont know whats what and dont know the values...
Success at last Went out hunting again and lo and behold I scoot through Croxley Green on my way to Watford and spot an Antique shop where the Plumbers merchants used to be. Went in and immediately spotted a brown hood in the corner. Hoping for it to be a X246, I made a bee-line to it and it turned out to be a X246A! Happy I had found a Tilley I snaffled it for the price of £25! I think there is something missing on the pump but it looks good apart from that? So all's I need now is a Guardsman and a Bialaddin T10 and I think I will leave it at that? Steve
A quick spruce up and a couple of washers and the lamp works first time! No pulsing and a good white light from a new Happy mantle. Steve
No, there are three types - the difference is the depth of the 'dish' at the bottom and is cosmetic. I struggle to see the second variety to be honest - the deep and shallow dished ones are obvious. Neil has a photograph of the three alongside each other...
Yes they all fit and rough X-246-B lanterns are worth buying if the glass is intact and I set a limit of £15 for those lanterns, because I only want them to strip for spares, Jeff.
Thanks, just bagged myself a glass on ebay for a tenner as it goes! Must be more careful, that's 2 glasses I've broken now Steve.
