Well my project is to get this rather abused and modified Pork Pie X246 up and running. Note the modern hood and the later X246 pump fitted to the Pork Pie. Note also that some vandal has taken to the tank with a rather aggressive rotary brush. One very charming thing about this lantern is the name that is engraved on it. I'll use this thread to post fettling notes on this project. Cheers Tony
Here is where I've got so far: After immersing the tank in a detergent-based engine cleaner and getting the sh!te out of it, I used a gel-based citric acid cleaner to clean the outside of the tank. I then wiped the outside with acetone and used etch-primer to ready it for the VHT-brand "Universal Gold": I also used a citric acid based rust remover on the top of the hood, and painted it (the top only) with an engine paint rated at 650C - we'll see how it goes once I light up: In the meantime I prepared the garlic patch and worked on an Optimus 100 stove... It's dark; I've cooked rendang for dinner. It's time for a quiet beer on the verandah (19C one month from the winter solstice!). Cheers Tony
Hi Tony, You promised to let us know what that engine cleaner was a while back. Looking good so far! HD
HD, I did too, and when I wrote that piece above I remembered that I hadn't dropped in to my next door neighbour's workshop to get the proprietary name for it. I will do so, today. Cheers Tony
HD The engine cleaner I now use regularly to clean lamps and stoves is sold as "CT-18" http://www.chemtech.net.au/cr_ec_ct18.html and produced by Chemtec, Australia. The MSDN sheet is here: http://www.chemtech.net.au/CT18%20MSDS.pdf Cheers Tony
So here are some more fettling notes on this lantern. (Maybe a kind moderator might move this to the Fettling forum). The cage/handle was painted: The burner was cleaned. It looked pretty worn but I gave it a go anyway. It was one of the older burners with the stamped numbers/register on the dome: When I tested the burner, it failed completely, producing uneven blue flamelets without a mantle, and pale orange light with a mantle. I then used a spare burner, but fitted it with the old-style adjustable air tubes: The burner that I used was unusual in that its breather tubes were steel, and its injector tube and spiggot were brass. I replaced the steel breather tubes. I've reached the limit of images for this post. More to come tonight. Cheers Tony
... continued... The poor old thing had been roughly treated, not only with a heavy wire brush, but also with pliers or some other form of brass-torture: Here's a pic of the flame from the broken burner: The bottom of the tank had been heavily soldered with plumbers solder. I'm not sure why because I've never seen one of these tanks fail at that part of its construction: Here's the final product. I love these "pork pie" X246's. Note: the hood on this lantern, and its pump are from later versions of the X246. The paint was stripped with a gel based citric acid paint stripper: Washers and seals from The Fettle Box; and fitted with a modern Tilley 606 vapouriser. Cheers Tony
Here is another instalment in the saga of this lantern. Inspired by the recent discussions here and on CCS about Newark 2016, I was reminded that I still had one of Steve's (Shed-man, R.I.P.) reproduction reflectors for a Tilley X246. I decided to cut out the approriate slots, paint it and mount it on this lantern. Here it is - I love the reflected ring: Cheers Tony
An excellent pictorial and tutorial, Tony! Is the vent in the pic above the same one you sprayed with the Motospray Heatproof?
Nice job Tony. What did you spray the reflector with, I too have one of Steve's reflectors to finish off.
Jean I used two colours of standard "rattle can" automobile enamel. The top was a grey (same as on a Toyota Corolla), and the bottom a standard white. I pop in to "Repco" every now and then with the sole purpose of picking up a few cans of this paint when it's on special for about 1/3 of its normal price. I then use it for these kinds of jobs. I only buy the small cans because this paint doesn't store too well over long periods. Cheers Tony
