Hello fellow pressure lamp aficionados. I have just joined this site and find all of it delightful. I have accumulated a variety of pressure lamps in various conditions, from the workable to the derelict. I have three Tilley X246Bs. The three are in working order, but one has a very tiny leak dripping from the knurled nut at the control cock assembly. I have a replacement gland washer 234, but I am at a loss as how to remove the 1588 knob and spring from the control cock assembly 777 in order to replace the washer. How is this replacement carried out ? Has anyone here experienced doing this ? Any advice will be much appreciated. Thanks.
Thanks for the welcome message and advice. As it happens, there is a lot to be said for careful tinkering... I reasoned...that the only way would be to prise off the plastic knurled nut...I tried it...and it came off without much difficulty. Then the knurled retaining collar came off exposing the old gland washer which I prised off with a scalpel and replaced it with a new one. Now I have four of them. They are in the kitchen, on the worktop, beside the sink, each one will take its turn at cleaning up and polishing. It has occurred to me they are not unlike 4 Grenadier Guards standing to attention there expecting some command. As the fettling is taking place in the kitchen, needless to say SWMBO is delighted.
I must tell you I have 10 Tilleys in total. I can identify 3 of them as Guardsmen because of the cage feet being directly seated on the tanks. The others I am not sure of. There are four in the kitchen at the moment and the other six are at the end of the dining room on the floor.. When SWMBO complains about the lamps in the dining room, I argue they are an interesting topic of conversation for dinner guests,
Hello Albert, the link below shows the Tilley pages of this website, so that should help you to identify your lanterns, Jeff. The Tilley Lamp Co. | Classic Pressure Lamps & Heaters
Thank you Jeff, that is very interesting and informative. I now have four Grenediers (black tops red tanks)on the kitchen worktop, all alight, all happily hissing away. They are all obviously 246's because the frames are seated on the tanks and not bolted down with legs like the Guardian models, of which I have discovered I have three, the rest, making up the complement of a total of ten are also 246's. Of the four Grenediers, three have only one circular rings in the frame construction and one has two rings. They are standing to attention there in a row lighting up the kitchen, hissing away and making an impressive sight. The output of light emmitance is slightly different for each. It must be disparity between the burners. I have changed all the washers in all of them. The tanks have been touched up with Humbrol paint. Coincidentally Humbrol Red No. Gloss 19 is perfect. I am leaving the black tops as they are. I have given the frames and bases a wipe with marine transparent waterproof grease to ward off rust. Two will live ashore here at home and the other two, for which I have constructed wooden plywood boxes with lids to include 3 spare mantles, burner, etc., will live afloat, on board my sloop. The shore Grenediers will be lit if and when we have power cuts and the onboard complement will be used as lighting when dining on board al fresco in the cockpit when we have guests. But I am still puzzled by the disparity in lighting power. They all hold their pressure well so it's not that... THey all have the same number of pumping strokes, so its not that..... Burner perhaps ? I have discovered that replacing the mantles has to be carried out with spotlessly scrubbed hands. I have also discovered that sooted mantles can be cleared by burning them with a gas lighter, by lifting them out intact still attached to the black caps. All of it food for thought. Any comments welcome.
Hello Albert, light output is affected by how much the vapouriser and burner have been used and the type of mantle which is fitted, I'm not keen on modern Tilley mantles. Sooty mantles can be cleared by the flames from a meths torch and running the lamp for a while also helps to clear black spots etc.. I reckon that you have several X-246-B lanterns and if so, then there can be problems with that aluminum control cock. The build quality of the pre 1956 Tilley lanterns is far superior, Jeff.
Hello Jeff, I have had a good look at the eleven Tilley lamps I have. I acquired them as a job lot. 9 of them are 246 models and the other 2 are Guardsmen. I have fettled to the best of my current ability so far 5 of the 246's. All the 246 models have aluminium cocks. The Guardsmen's cocks appear to be bronze ? One of them had a tankful of diesel. Another one had the pump washer glued to the pusher. Another one had a completely coked up pricker and vapouriser tube. I cleared it by soaking it for two days in lemon juice...which seemed to do the trick. I have discovered that the pump washers operate best if wet and that they need to be soaked in fuel when replacing to ease insertion in the pump tube. So far so good. Thank you for your comments which I appreciate as they are extremely helpful as I am a total newbie who has succumbed to lamp obsession. This morning my neighbour unexpectedly made me a gift of an old dockyard blowlamp..."MONITOR"...1957 issue...I must say it seems I am well and truly hooked...
Hello Albert, the control cock for the Guardsman lantern is made from brass. The lamping bug bites deeply!
Hello Albert ... 11 tilley lamps ..you have "Tillyitis" .. there is no known cure except for the wise and medically trained ... seek psychiatric help at the earliest opportunity ..help is not beyond reach ...
@Alby ,Albert joined CPL in june 2015 and was seen last in july the same year. Never mind, those bronze/brass cocks brought a smile to my face! Best regards, Wim
