Kayen AP2

Here is my latest Kayen AP2.




There are no indications of whether it's a Nettlefold or Kopson but I will post some photos of it and its bits compared to my other Kayen. It arrived in very fine form from someone who obviously likes lamps: all I've done it clean up the fount and give it a VHT Engine Enamel Clear Coat (and baked it at 93C for one hour). I also made a new globe holder to replace the very rusty and brittle one it came with.

 

Tony its a Kopson.
Bottom of font has a higher lip
Nice lamp still

 

Here are my two Kayens together:



Here are the two different pumps (the Nettlefold is at the top):



The lugs for the handle are different:



Here is the new globe holder I made:

 

Tony .
The one on the left is Nettlefold
The one on right is Kopson
Can you see the difference in the font bases
You cant always go by the pumps etc
They used up what ever was available .
Even the vents were different and burners to .

 

Thanks. There was a fragment of the Nettlefold transfer on my first Kayen lamp - just enough to make out the last few letters of Melbourne.... I was wondering about the tank lip and whether that was definitive or not in distinguishing Kopson from Nettlefold. Cheers.

 

Tony .
Just looking at your vent tops is the blue one the same height besides the green one.my blue one here is a different height. Also some of the Nettlefold air buttons are flatter than the Kopson ones to .
even the burner assembleys when put side by side you might see the differences to will post one of mine later .

 

The blue Nettlefold hood is slightly higher and more rounded. The air buttons are also slightly different. I just looked back through all the Kayens in the Reference Gallery and I don't think I can see any that have the short lugs like my handle...

 

Tony here are my vents blue is melbourne green is sydney.Even the air tubes on my Nettlefold are different dia to ,hope this helps .

 

My hoods replicate yours in colour and shape, but my burners are both like your Kopson - a Tilley clone with the long burner tube and dome.

 

Tony .
My blue vent is different in height the main part is 64mm high and overall is 90mm high.If you look closely you can see the blue one has more rounded shoulder.
the green one is58mm high and overall is 84mm high.
I called into Sands Melbourne and talked with Bernie the Guru of lamps etc .
and he didn't know there was a difference and he said looks like mine might have been the first lot Nettlefold made and they changed soon after .Also he has never seen a burner come past inside the vent like mine being longer .So we learn something new every day here .

 

I must make a pilgrimage to Sands....

 

Tony firstly, some very nice lamps you have there. I'd love to have a couple myself one day. I found this entire topic and all the discussion thoroughly enjoyable.

Secondly, to your quote. I have done some searching on this site and elsewhere looking for an easy to use but high spec product that's not worth an arm and a leg.

Are you still using the VHT product or have you found a superior Product, a few years on. Has the lacquer stood up to your expectations and if you use VHT paint has it stood up to your expectations?

 

Matty

I use VHT cured at 93C for all things with solder; or if I'm clear-coating another paint job.

I use Dupli-Color "with Ceramic" high temperature paint (available in limited colours) baked at 200C for non-soldered parts.

Don't use 200C-baked Clear Coat on a proprietary paint - the underneath paint will darken and discolour when baked at 200C.

 

I must have miss read your PT Tony as the questions I asked are answered quite clearly here.

Just back from another funeral, mind was elsewhere.

Thanks heaps for the info Tony.

Have you ever buffed bare metal then clear coated? If you have how did it turn out?

 

Yes. Clean metal, polish, then clear coat with VHT-93C as per instructions.

If I can get it I use the one that is neither "gloss" nor "matt", but it is not available all the time. I never use matt clear coat.

 

Tony

 

Those measurements are precisely the same as a green vent I have that came with some other lamp bits and pieces.

I just have to find a lamp to sit it on.

 

Good examples!

 

Does anyone know how many colours the hoods came in?

I've just bought one and from the photos it appears to me to be a Kayen but the hood is brown.

 

.. or do you mean what colours?

I have Kayen in blue; and green; (and, if truth be known, complete rust).

Tony

 

Ok, what colours rather than how many. Have you seen other colours apart from the blue and green you have?

 

Tilley made brown
Kayen & Nettlefold colours what I have here
Plain green
Plain brown
Redish brown
Few variations in the brown



Light green with white speckle
Black or deep blue base with a light blue speckle

 

Thanks for the info.

So the blue mentioned earlier in this topic isn't a correct Kayen colour?

Are the colour schemes of your lamps as they would have left the factory or colours of your own choice?

This is the lamp I got today.

 

I'm talking vent colours not fount colours
bob .

 

Me too Bob.

The only time I wasn't talking vent colours was when I asked about your overall colour schemes.

 

Bob, this is the blue vent reference I made.

 

...I'd say it's a brown Kayen vent, but you would have to sit it next to a Tilley to be 100% sure.

It would be good if others chimed in and let me know whether the following observation is correct or not:

In my (limited) experience, the Tilley vents were made of slightly heavier metal, and/or were more heavily enamelled.

Tony

 

Definitely looks like a Kayen hood to me as well Tony. The photo seems to indicate a brass generator knob and the pump knob is different. The hood seems to have a ridge around the edge which I haven't seen before. I have specked green and blue Kayen hoods. I also know of no speckles on green and blue. Brown also is a Kayen colour.

 

I'd like to see if the hood has white enamel inside, that would surely make it a Tilley hood.
The handle screw on type nut things are squared so that would be Tilley rather than Kayen too.
The fold on tne Kayen reflectors are usually pressed flatter than this one seems to be so I think a Tilley reflector.

This is just from my experiences and if you disagree I would love to hear other findings/points of view.

 

Anthony

The screw for the bail looks the same as my Nettlefold Kayen (left one in pic above). I agree with your characterisation of the 'pitch' of the fold.

I didn't know about the white enamel inside the hood... I'll have have to go and look at my collection.

Cheers

Tony