Dear lamp specialists, Look what I found on a French flea market! A Lilor, identified as a No. 1931, with the help of your wonderful website. Thanks to all. I want to get her running. The manometer is missing, but I can close the hole with a bolt. The pump is missing too, but I can improvise with a bicycle or car pump. The problem is the lacking glass. A Tilley glass does not fit. I tried, though the Tilley Doctor told it was too wide. Does someone know an address? I tried to search on French web sites, but my French is much too poor. It can be converted to a wall lamp. But the knurled nut cannot be moved by hand. Before I try with a pair of pliers, I want to know for certain with direction to turn. Anti clockwise? All other advice will be welcome too. Thanks in advance.
Hi Gerard, Nice find. The knurled nut unscrews anti-clockwise. These French lamps can be a bit tricky to restore. They have a complicated design and spare parts are near impossible to find. Perhaps you might find some of the pictures on my post helpful: http://0flo.com/index.php?posts/39835 James.
Congratulations, a beautifull 1931 Lilor lamp it is impossible to buy a glass in a shop, too old and too rare ;-) Very difficult to find nowadays this is not a great lamp therefore you need either a small round globe or a small tulip For exemple, a Bré or Unic globe will be too large. A Coleman pump will do the trick and yes you will unscrew anti-clockwise, don't hesitate to heat a little and gently knock all around before to use pliers The LOR burner is a very good burner, easy to fettle, Sorry James ;-) The upper knob open and shut the gasoline line the bottom knob is for the needle, be carefull with this needle because it is impossible to find a new one.
here are two tries, as you can see the tulip is still a little too big, the round globe measures 11 cm diameter. fell free to ask more here or by mail. good luck for the restauration
Hello James, Thank you for that link. This is my first restauration project, apart from getting some Tilley’s working. The number of parts and joints is amazing. So, the pictures in your post are most helpful. I wondered what was in the “valve and needle section” part No. 6004. Now I got a pretty good idea . How are the seals designed? I think that I see a metal tube on the two control rods in Michel’s picture that might be a seal. Is it some sort of soft metal? In mine everything appears to be stuck. I am a little afraid unscrewing is, how to avoid that anything will break ?
Hi Michel, Thanks for your advice. I had a small hope that Lilor would be as common in France as Tilley is in England and that someone would produce replica globes. Now I’ll have to visit more French flea markets . With the risk of finding more lamps and no globes . I think that the round globe is perfect for a table lamp and the tulip for a hanging or wall lamp. I’ll put my first steps on EBay to acquire a Coleman pump, lamp collecting is fun . The idea “to heat a little and gently knock all around” makes me a little uneasy . How do you heat a little? With a hairdryer? An electric paint stripper? Blowtorch? And with “gently knock around” I get visions of treating the poor thing with a baseball bat. I’ll post some pictures when I made some progress. First I give her a good cleaning, otherwise she is not allowed in the living room.
Try putting some penetrating oil on the joints - it may help to free them up. I find a mixture of 50/50 acetone and ATF works well.
Gérard don't think to find rubber seals as in Tilley's. Seals on this period in France are made of a asbestos string quenched in graphite. The string is rolled all around the rod, then pushed in the tube and tightened by the brass cylinder and the nut. Same system as old Coleman lamps as I could have seen. The heat will soften the graphite and allow to unscrew. The only problem you could have is (for the upper rod) the possibility of rust at the conic pricker. That's why I tell you to heat (an electric paint stripper is very good) and knock with the handle of a wooden or plastic screwdriver (not on the rod but on the burner tube) You obviously also can remove the filter and put some dégrippante oil in the burner a night before.
Hi Gerard, Good luck with your restoration! The Lilor 1931 is really a nice lamp. It was also my first restoration and experience of a pressure lamp years ago. [url=http://0flo.com/index.php?threads/859 you find an exploded view of the "Lor" burner that is the burner of your lamp. /Conny
Hello Michel, James and Conny, Thanks for all the pictures and advise. Cleaning is almost finished, I'll post a picture, and than I'll start fettling. Keep you informed.
Hello All, The lamp is clean now and on display. A real beauty. The glass is for decoration only, the top is too narrow and I doubt if it is heat resistant. All nuts are free, thanks to penetrating oil, heat an knocking. But the two rods are still stuck. Is there something threaded inside that may have stuck in rust? It will soak in penetrating oil a while longer and than I'll try again.
The top rod unscrews from the pipe but the bottom rod should slide out. I would suggest applying heat to the tubes containing the two rods and then quenching in water. The thermal shock should loosen the rods. To prevent the plastic knobs from melting I would use a wet rag to draw the heat away from the end of the rod.
The two rods for cutting of fuel and for the cleaningneedle mounted on part 6004 is made of iron. The cleaningneedle-rod should be possible to move both ways 380 degrees (all the way around). The second rod for shutting of fuel, ends in a conical tip oppsite the handle and is only mountet with a nut and around the shaft is a seal and a brass-cylinder to push in and exspand the seal. This rod should only turn a certain amount of times clockwise and then close the fuel and then you shouldnt be able to turn it clockwise anymore. To take it out you should just have to screw this fuelrod anti-clockwise as Michel said. The rod for shutting of fuel is easy to clean from the "other" side and if it Works then just let it sit. I might have a rough surface on the side past the seal and pulling it out will just spoil your origin seal and you could also by accident damage the copper-cylinders surface, part nr. 358. The same advice to the cleaningneedles rod. If it Works, then let it sit. I cleaned it by flushing in citric-acidwater by the tubes, left it for some time and flushed it out Again, this can be done with a hypodermic syringe and the removal af acid-rests too later on. I my self had problems getting these rods of but got around the cleaning-problem the described way. When cleaningwater is pure - the the lamp is cleaned and just need flushing (a lot). Your lamp looks awesome nice and Michel or Ara Kebapcioglu might be able to help you with a adult shade for this noble game of yours. These french lamps rocks, I find them easy to fettle and they just looks stunning and the inventers solutions are done in a interesting way. As James said then it is hard to find parts: http://0flo.com/index.php?posts/38139 Claus C
Well both rods do not work at al, as they will not move or turn. Access for fluids is possible to all ends, as I removed the "vaporiser loop" and the filter. The nozzle also can be removed, but that leaves the needle unprotected. By the way, my filter is a metal gauze. Before I try heating again; is anything soldered there? Acid could be the trick too, but I'm a bit afraid for the iron rod. What dissolves faster, iron or rust?
Rust disolves first and over very very longer time the iron using citric-acid. Talking weeks for iron and hours for rust. But you must be able to flush it very well afterwords or stop the acid using base. When using heat (and Cold) then you use the princip of the brass and irons different abilitys to exspand and contract and to this you can use these cool-sprays as pro-sportmen use when they get at damage the want to cool Down. These are cheap and provokes the brass and iron even more when adding heat afterwords. I dont know for sure, but a wild guess is that the joints of the bec-lor burner is hard-soldered as they sits just above the nozzle where it get very hot. That should leave a bigger gap for you to heat and therefor smaller screwup-chance. At least the shaft for the cleaningneedle should be able to turn and to make it Work I would use a combination of heat/Cold, acid and rustloosener. First heat/Cold, then acid and last rustloosner + heat/Cold - in that order. But note if you did used rustloosener first, then the acid will have difficulties to get to the surface because of the oilfilm rustloosener leaves and you will have to flush that of with pure gasoline or another degreasing fluid first. The rods is quite solid but be carefull not to breake them and working them then of course dont use the original controlhandles - use a firm wrench and be carefull. By the way be carefull heating up the rods if they are not in open position, while steam can build up and crack the brass . If they are in open position then it shouldnt be a problem. Claus C
I have not many things to add after Claus. heat is the solution, the burner is hard soldered therefore there is not many risk to try The upper rod is screwed so you could have some rust on the conic seat, but I am very puzzled by the problem on the lower rod. This rod is only tightened by the seal (which is certainly very dry), but if the nut is free, the rod is also free. You need a little diplomacy but with a small hammer or a pair of plier ;-) (in the same time you heat a little)
Michel, As end of the lower rod fits into the pricker carrier is it possible that if the pricker carrier is jammed then that would stop the spindle from turning? James.
Well, the pricker appears to move. Searching for a syringe with a needle to clean and add citric acid, Gerard
This is certainly possible, James but if I really do not want to offend you and all Tilleys fans, I must say that the Tilley's engineers did not show much imagination all along the long Production ;-) the same burner or almost during ?? years !! Pffff
