I recently acquired this lantern from ebay. Described as working which I dare say it is, we'll sort of as it was leaking badly from the top of the tank. It was in a poor state with peeling green paint and very dirty. I have cleaned it up and am waiting on a service kit to arrive. However I am at a loss as to what to do with the top. It is very poor. My idea is to try and remove the top disc which appears to be spot welded on in about 9 places. I can then find a suitable replacement top somehow. Do I drill and grind this off. Any advise welcomed please. Thanks. I'll load pictures later. File size too big at moment.
Photos resized now. I should have taken some 'before' pictures as it was pretty rough but I am pleased with it now apart from the top.
To be honest I would just clean it up as best you can and wait for a better top to come along, they are fairly common... Do you have the vapouriser somewhere as it's missing in the picture?
I do have all the parts. I just loosely assemble for the photos while I wait for the washers. Where is the best place to look out for a new top.
Hi Terry, If you're interested in a DIY solution you could chop the top off, spray the hood with black VHT paint and fit one of http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181585664304 James.
The problem with waiting for a decent top to come along via car boots etc is that if the top is in good nick, then the rest of the lamp will probably be in the same condition and you won't want to cannibalise it. If it is to be a general working lamp, then Halfords VHT Engine Enamel Paint works well but goes matt and slightly grey when heated. They do two versions in black - brush-on rated to 650c and spray can rated to 500c. I see they now do a Gloss High Temperature Engine Enamel Paint but it is only rated to 300c. I'm not aware of any VHT paint that stays gloss when subjected to very high temperatures. Terry
Given you're in the East Midlands, Terry, maybe you could just use the lantern as it is until next June and then come to our annual meet at Newark. It's quite likely someone will have a better hood they'd be prepared to sell/trade/donate. The trouble with those hoods is that with use, a decent one will eventually end up like the one you have, particularly if the lantern is left outside or allowed to remain damp. It's caused by the differential expansion between the hood metal and the welded metal where the two parts are fixed together. Once the enamel cracks off there, water gets in and exacerbates the problem...
Thanks for your replies. The washers arrived today so I re assembled it and pumped. I find it is now leaking slightly from the on off knob spindle and I have a small fat rubber washer, more like an 'O' ring left over which I suspect goes in there but how do I get it apart. I removed the nut but the spindle didn't want to come out so until I know how it's fits together I don't want to damage it. As for the top I realised when I started to clean it up it was totally rotten and fell in pieces so I cut it off. I will find a suitable lid and fit it. And finally I am a few miles from Newark so I'll be there at the next meet.
There are two types of attachment for the knob on the spindle. The first is an axial screw in the end but you'd have seen that already so it must be the other type. The knob simply screws onto the spindle with a conventional thread (righty tighty; lefty loosey) BUT it will be tight. You need two pairs of pliers - one pair for the spindle and the other pair for the knob. Use strips of leather or similar to protect the knob and spindle. Do NOT turn the knob anti-clockwise against the backstop otherwise you may break something inside. Hope that helps...
That does help David. You're spot on as there is no screw on the end of the knob. I'd noticed on some photos that some have a screw to hold the knob on. I have the feeling that the control knob on mine can turn through 360 degrees which I guess is not what it should do. When the arrow is up its off so it seems to work. Just that there is no 'stop' position. Thanks. I'll get my son to help me. I have poor grip (arthritis). And I found a photo from the original listing when I bought it which I have added.
Good point. Some pricker controls (for that is what they are - strictly speaking, they're not on/off cocks like Tilley) turn right round and are meant to do that. Others just rotate through a small arc of about a third of a turn. The 'V' indicates the position of the pricker, Pointing up, it shows the pricker is up in the jet and cleaning it. Pointing down, it's in the lower position and the jet is open - the normal position when the lantern is lit.
So am I correct That the correct way to light it is to prime with meths, and when that is almost out burnt out pump turning the control to prick clear and move the control arrow from up direction. I have a Coleman dual fuel and with that you pump it in the off position and then light as you turn it on.
Click here - http://www.base-camp.co.uk/instructions%20Vlux.htm - and save me typing it all out. The only other thing I would say is that once the lantern is up to working temperature, you can pump it up until your thumb hurts. You'll not damage the tank by over-pressurisation like you would with a Tilley post 1956-ish...
I have now got this up and running. I did remove the holed and rusted top piece and made a replacement from a small balti dish. Works a treat and looks okay. When I tied the mantle on I snapped the cord. I didn't pull it that hard. Are they normally so weak. It was a cheap one off ebay. I fixed it with some thin fuse wire and threaded it up with that. Works fine. One question. How are you supposed to get the meths in the dish to prime it. I have seen syringes used but what was the original way to do it. I have been removing the top and glass but it's a fiddle. Did they supply some way to do it originally. Thanks
Yes, Willis & Bates and Bairstow Bros supplied a spirit can with a long spout. They crop up on eBay quite often...
Yes, similar to this: They come with various shaped spouts to suit the lamp they originaly came with, but the principle is the same.
Here is the lamp now. I cut off the rotten top cap by drilling out the spot welds. Went in pound stretcher and they had some stainless steel storage containers. The lid has a dome shaped cap and I used that. Cut a disc of thin scrap steel that pushes up inside the top hat with a hole drilled in the centre and then drilled a hole in the centre of the top cap and used a single bolt to trap the 2 together. However it wasn't burning quite right and I discovered that my new cap was too deep and not letting the gasses escape properly so I trimmed some off the edge with tin snips to a shallower profile and all is well. Looks a bit odd against the green and I will try and find a brass top but this only cost 50p and its fine for now. First try was a bit of a disaster as the steel had a varnish coating of some sort so had to strip that off. Sent from my iPad
It a fraction bigger than the original cap but stands out being silver and the angle of the photo distorts it a bit. Thanks for all the replies.
