Advice to a newbie

This forum seems to be the place to go with all things Paraffin. I enjoy camping, and I also enjoy quality engineering and history. In camping I shy away from Electricity and prefer Gas lamps. However whilst they all work and are easy, something with a little more character is what i am now after.

I was interested in a Petromax (new) 500 as it was very bright, but have heard that it is not that adjustable, and if sat on a table in a tent, might be a little too bright? There is also the Petromax 150 which is rated at 100 watts and might be a better idea.

However with their price at around £100 for a new one, could i not remain British and bag myself an old Tilley? While looking on Ebay, i see some that are all brass (was this ever the case or have they had the paint removed?) Some that seem to have the globe cage painted brass, and some that seem to be black enamel with a brass ring near the bottom. Are these all genuine, or have they been "pimped".

Also what models should I look for for quality. I like brass or Chrome finish, did these Tilleys ever come like that?

I have looked at Bialaddin, but not sure I like the look of them, but happy to be converted.

This would probably be a Christmas present for me, but i would just like a handsome light, that will make any Tent, or garden party that little more special, and give me some real pleasure in operating and showing people "Real lighting"

 

Welcome to the forum!

Forget new Petromaxes. They are made in China and their quality is quite poor if you compare to old lanterns. They give light ok but corrosion is problem with them.

For tent 100cp or 150cp lantern will give enough light but for garden you might like to look something more powerful like Tilley (~350-400cp) or some other same output rate lantern.

 

Any Vapalux or Tilley would be a nice addition. An old tilley X246 with the speculum plating on the tank would make a great piece to have. (And yes I have one Runs like s swiss clock and adds a nice accent to any outdoor setting.

 

Thanks afterburner.

Where can I find the relative CP ratings of these lamps and where would you recommend to search for the lanterns?

In the meantime I will start trawling the forums to learn as much as possible

 

Here you can see cp to light bulb in watts "conversions": http://0flo.com/index.php?threads/8659

I guess that you are from UK... Then UK ebay is good place to look lanterns. Also antique stores, flea markets, car boot sales, second hand markets&shops are good places to look for lanterns. UK members know more about "lantern scene" over there...

 

Thanks again and I must have been posting when you left your message cigarman. Bialaddin 300x is reliable as well? What would people view as the best British lamps and versions.

PS how easy is Tito add meths to the pre heater, looks to be difficult. Is there a kit that maks this easier?

 

Bialaddin 300X, 305X, 310, 315. To add meths, get a small syringe from your local pharmacy and get some washer hose from your local motor factors

UK ebay is a real curate's egg you can get some good stuff, just stay away from the really shiny stuff that people want mega £ for!

 

Welcome aboard!

 

Welcome

Is that Ashford (Kent) ?

 

That's correct Longilily. Trying to find some car boot sales to visit today.

 

I know nothing about British lamps, but it's hard to beat old Petromax and Primus lanterns. The 829 can be fitted with 250cp to 500cp jets and run without a problem. An Primus 991 will last forever save the needle and jet and needs zero setup compared to the 829.

 

Being a relative "newbie" myself I think its only fair to warn you that you may become a "lamp addict"! Nothing beats the glow/ambience/sight/w.h.y of a pressure lamp in operation.

I have got the chinese equivalent of Petromax -it's nice but as Afterburner says they do have corrosion issues.

I would go for a Tilley X246 as there are plenty around and they are reasonably bullet proof (or scout proof in my case) and there is lots of info on the forum about getting them back up and running, and spare parts are never a problem. Bialaddins are also good and the main difference between a Bialddin and a Tilley is that the Tilley has a seperate pre-heater which attaches to the lamp whereas Bialddins have them incorporated in the lamp.
With regards to prices etc I honestly think Ebay prices are getting silly in some cases, especially for "as new" condition/shiny stuff and I now tend to potter around boot sales instead. You can pick up a Tilley for under a fiver if you're lucky and the process of stripping it down and getting it back up and running is not only a good learning curve but also immensely satisfying!
With regards to Brass or Chrome I would personally go for a paint finish if you're camping for durability and to save polishing etc.

these are just my thoughts and I've no doubt others will follow with theirs

Have fun!

 

Well, that's one difference, anyway!

 

'Brenzett' boot ( if it's still running into September ) is worth a visit, as is 'the robin hood' at icklesham.

Tread carefully though my friend and take Scouter Bills advice, these things get into your blood

 

Well the danger is that i have in the last couple of years purchased a property with a Double man garage. This is now well organised, and everything has it's place. It also has space to store parts, and gubbins from car boot sales. I can foresee many evenings working in the Mancave tinkering in the cold of Winter. However there are far worse things I could be doing with my time!

Thanks for the car boot advice Long, as regards Tilleys, can these be adjusted for light output? I seem to remember them given out as much light as a small campinggaz lantern, but are they adjustable or is it on or off?

 

Adjustable light is available from wick lanterns, but most pressure lamps will work most efficiently at the level at which they were designed - which in most cases is ON. So they are mostly either ON or OFF. The control knobs on Bialaddin and Tilley are jet cleaners - prickers if you like, and whilst some degree of dimming can be obtained, it's not advisable to use them as such, as you are just partially blocking the jet preventing it from working efficiently. Also, the spring against which the action of 'dimming' a light, will in fact try to push past your setting to open more fully, making the effort to dim the light unreliable. Pressure stoves are a different kettle of fish, and control knobs in several instances do what they say - control a flame.

 

Hi Manlee,

To be honest if I was looking for a lantern for regular use I would go for a Petromax or Optimus type lantern rather than a Tilley or Vapalux. That is because the Tilley vapouriser is basically impossible to service and expensive to replace. A Petromax vapouriser can be cleaned out of carbon easily and the jet is inexpensive and can be replaced separately.

You can get a frosted glass globe to cut down on the glare although I don't like them much as its hard to see what's going on when your lighting the lantern.

Coleman is also another good option although parts are harder to come by in the UK. Incidentally I have a new one listed in the classifieds but its Petrol and I guess you want paraffin.

James.

 

Here Here. As mentioned before you can also fit a variety of jets sizes to change light output, also with accessories it can be used as a cooker and heater

 

I've yet to come across a Petromax at a UK car boot sale, but Tilleys, Bialaddin and Vapulux turn up pretty regularly. Spares for Petromax will have to come via mail order at retail prices, but UK lamps can often be picked up for spares for less than a fiver.

Nice to see another 'southern softy' on the forum.

Terry

 

A Bialaddin is by far the best choice for a UK "starter". A Tilley X246B if you want something that it doesn't matter whether it breaks or gets nicked!

 

Bialaddin/vapalux for definite , or early Tilley

Oi you ! Don't let the side down, We're not softies tell, we drink shandy don't ya know

 

I was only pre-empting any comments from our friends with flat caps and whippets

Terry

 

Thanks all for the advice. I have taken the plunge and i am sure paid too much and bought myself a Bialaddin 300X. It has been serviced and the valves have been replaced. I know all you pro's will be tutting, but as this is my first and a Christmas present (i won't be able to open it until then) i wanted something that looked as well and worked great from the start. I am sure when all my brother see this in it's glory, i will be secretly buying others, sprucing them up and giving them as Christmas presents in the future.

All of your advice and thoughts has been most welcome. Now i just need to construct a kit to fill the pre heater, store the fuel and so on. Sooooo

Whats best to fill the pre heater?
If i was to use it for 3 hours per night for a week, how much fuel would i need for the week? (my typical camping holiday length)
Where's the best place to purchase the Paraffin, and what should buy
Should i by any spares as a back up?
Any other hints and tips on how to keep this going, from a servicing point of view (example, if i am not going to use it much in winter, should i drain it of fuel, grease the valves and so on.

 

Clean the tank out using Gunk or Jizer (or similar) first - get any crap out of there!

Buy seals etc from the Fettlebox - his are fantastic and way better than most offered for sale!

To fill the pre-heater, either splurge on a proper fill bottle or get a small syringe & use that to dispense the meths (don't worry, the RC crowd use them all the time!) using a length of 4mm (I think) hose (that you can get for windscreen washers).

Note that you may need a new vapouriser (Basecamp are good for them) and mantles (also Basecamp).

One hint, I find that some times, the pump shaft can pull through the pump cup. To stop this you want a small washer that's a bit bigger in diameter than the nut on the end of the shaft but not wide enough so that it pushes the pump cup outwards. Oh yeah, and you'll probably need to oil the pump cup too before use!

My pa reckoned that they did around 5 hours per fill when he was in the army (used to hate refilling and re-lighting them part way through the night!)

I use pre-packed paraffin (Bartoline) but you can also use domestic heating oil.

 

Get yourself down to 'Rye Oils' and buy their 28 second domestic heating oil, its all I've ever used and works fine, it's half the cost of my local hardware stores prepacked stuff.
You can buy it initially in a 20 litre drum which costs you £5 extra, but then you can take the same drum back to them and refill straight from the pump.
£25 for 20L and I fill two at a time, and that does me ages



Enjoy

 

That's assuming anybody would nick one, of course...

...and pigeons - don't you dare forget the bloody pigeons!

 

Thanks again for the advice all, I will take the opportunity to apologise for the atrocious punctuation and spelling from my last post. I was not even that drunk, well I did not think so anyway.

It seems Longilily you live locally to me as well, so a very handy resource which i hope to take advantage of in the future.

As regards the north, haven't we forgotten clogs as well?.....

 

We might cross paths if you play Littlestone course

 

Relativley new to the area, and as I have no local friends yet who play the game, I don't often get the chance to play Golf these day sadly. A 2 year old son does rather use up the time as well, but perhaps in the future I might be shouting FORE at you as I hook yet another shot onto the other fairway

 

Don't play myself, but close enough to break a window at the clubhouse by throwing a stone