I'm pretty sure that once a vap tube is causing a fire-ball around the mantle that it is for the scrap bin and the cause is an enlarged jet hole? To my eye the holes of a good tube and a iffy one look the same? How enlarged does a jet hole have to get to cause problems? I don't think the problem is carbon build-up? I now have several tubes that cause this but I was wondering if its worth spending £15 on a set of micro drill bits that go down to 0.1mm and try to fill the original hole with something and re-drill the jet hole? Would anyone else bother or just buy new Vapourizers? They are very pricey compared with the cost of the whole lamp itself! Wish I bought a job-lot off Kibworth DIY when they had 'em in! Steve. Steve.
I never bother to faff around with either Tilley or Bialaddin/Vapalux vapourisers - I don't think it's worth my time. Some folk do, though. You could mess around with drills and such but then find out it's clogged anyway. I just keep an eye out and get them from eBay if I see a cheap one - I've never paid more than £12 and I've enough to see me out...
Hi Again, How about making the tubes with the capability of fitting the petromax jets? Good idea? One could then just fit a new jet. Any ideas as to what the thread details are for the tube thread into the tap and also what the thread detail is on the jets? Might be a daft idea and questions but I have some decent machinery including a CNC lathe! And plenty of time (retired).... Just a thought! AB..
There are some problems with that idea. As you will see from Stu's post, he had to remove a large part of the vapouriser's tube, that is because of the internal construction of the vapourisers. A brass tube has to be fitted and then the jet has to be fitted, but the jets can loosen because of the design of the Tilley type of burner system, the vapourisers get very hot! The Petromax genre of lanterns uses the Preston ring vapouriser and the jet and vapouriser are not inside the actual burner, so they do not get so hot. However, it may be possible to work around the problems, perhaps by fitting steel tube rather than brass, but the Petromax type of jet is made from brass, so the expansion rates would be different and the jets may loosen. What I hope will happen, is that someone will be able to make good quality Tilley vapourisers in the old style, perhaps the Koreans who now make Vapalux could make vapourisers which will fit Tilleys. Back in the 1990's Willis and Bates did make a batch of 606 vapourisers, so it can be done, Jeff.
I don't know what the original jet hole size is, but if we say it is a 300cp jet it must be 0.2mm. If it gets enlarged by 0.05mm it is up to the size of a 500cp jet. I don't think you can see the difference.
Wow that is a tiny amount! I don't think I would be even capable of drilling a 0.2mm hole with my drill so it doesn't become enlarged with drill wobble? I expect a special precision drill or lathe would be needed? Steve.
The manufacturing process of vapourisers would be worth researching and that process has been around for over 100 years now, so it must be fairly simple. There were no computer controlled machines back then, Jeff.
Hi Steve The tools needed for making vapourisers may be old but they were still very high precision & almost if not on the scale of a watchmakers skill 8) I have found that brass vapouriser conversions although easy to work with are just not going to do the job as well as standard steel originals as it deforms with the intense heat generated inside a Tilley burner leading to failure , but the removable jet is still the way to go Very high speed drilling machine tools are required to make holes that small , some are powered by air driven turbines for very high speeds 75,000 rpm etc 8) I have not given up on the reusable vapouriser , but it's on the backburner so too speak Stu
Doesn't that German chappie manage to fabricate replacement vapourisers in brass? What's his name - Dirk Freiborg or something...
In fact he has made some, and to my knowledge they seem to work well so far. His name is Dirk Frieborg, and he also has a web page: Lampenmaxe However I didn't use them myself because I'm not a Tilley / Bialaddin or Vapalux collector. Greetz, Martin Look also here: http://hytta-antik.de/index.php?p=detail&id=904 http://hytta-antik.de/index.php?p=detail&id=903 http://hytta-antik.de/index.php?p=detail&id=885
He does... And they can be bought from him... I had one develop a 'bulge' inside the Tilley X246 spigot - I assume from the heat produced inside the mantle. I haven't used it again to see whether it still works, but it needs a bit of work to stop it jamming in the spigot...
Yes indeed they did. You have to remember the Tilley vaporiser is used to support the gallery on table lamps and early lanterns and the end of the vaporiser gets very hot. Brass up there would not be reliable structurally at such temperatures so it has to be steel. ::Neil::
I learned that lesson very quickly folks & David mine did work well , but the brass is under a fair bit of pressure & the bulging seemed to be the worst problem even with very close tolerances using the best materials i could find , the way the jet is fitted/threaded in the top leaves a weak/thin walled spot which is where this bulging occurs As your fully aware Tilley's are not always perfectly central with the vapourisers/hoods/burners & my version also suffered distortion / bending of the brass as it was softened a fair bit in the temps incurred when at full working pressure . The steel ones seem a bit more robust in this situation , but still working out new ideas in my head Stu
What about a steel rod with a blind bore and the orifice made with a small drill bit? Would be still a throw away vapouriser because of the missing removable jet but maybe cheaper than the original ones. The problem of different expansion ratios of steel and brass which caused loosening of the jet and the weakness of the brass would be solved. Using brass for the threaded nipple at the lower end never was a problem with the steel vaps I have from Dirk, he only needed teflon tape to seal them. Just an idea...
You have me there, Stu - I can't remember making any comment about your vapourisers, particularly that they didn't work. On the contrary... Also, I note from the link posted above and the subsequent comment that at least one of Dirk's brass vapourisers has developed bulging...
I think I will just buy replacements. I have only ever had to change one. And I have not received it yet My old 1960 Military Bialaddin still runs great with its original vap' tube and it has a few hours under it's belt. It just sits there hissing away gently cremating moths! I was sitting out the back on my patio deck in the dark with lamp running,somewhat hypnotised by the sound and sight of a few moths trying to commit harakiri when a bat flew in and nabbed one. It did not come back for more though. I think it might have singed it's ass... Great way to spend a nice evening here with a Dram and the chimney going full blast. Even the local cat comes along and curls up on one of my seats... Happy days. Alex B .... 8)
