I know this is not a new subject but... This afternoon, after a very frustrating session with my X246B, I find myself in need of a new 169. It was new ~2years ago and it has done very little real work. It had an event where the pricker was too long and enlarged the jet. After peening back it has only lasted a few more hours. Now the top has developed a crack and must be consigned to the bin. I shall not buy another from that source - I reckon they must use tin foil to make them. I see some mention of Korean items with replaceable jets. This could be a better option but one assumes new jets are only available from Korea - or does anyone know any different? They are not cheap, then again the one that failed was not cheap either. I would be very pleased to hear any advice on how to proceed. Thanks in advance.
Hi Jon, I really don't know too much about stuff but I buy my Tilley mantles direct from Tilley international as they are very competitive price wise..... Their vapourisers are also competitive if not cheaper than most on ebay and I would have thought that there would be some 'come-back' there if you bought one and it didn't perform too well? Best wishes, PB.
Hello, I have used the brass rebuildable vaporizers that are currently being produced overseas. They work very well and both of the examples I purchased came with an extra nipple and needle. The nipple and needle look to be produced by whomever is making the vaporizer, but are the standard shape, size and thread as commercially available Petromax examples. I have read here that the brass construction isn't a good idea, others can fill in the blanks there. I am contemplating on building the Springman design for a cleanable vaporizer out of steel.
As stated earlier by David, the vaporiser for the X246B is a 606. I purchased a new 169 from the lamp manufacture as a spare, when I went to use it I found it was so badly made that it was unusable, obviously it bypassed quality control!!!! In disgust I have since purchased one of the Korean 169 replacement vaporisers, although outwardly it appears expensive its very well made and does the job admirably. So I reckon expense is relative, a factory supplied new 169 that's unusable is more expensive that the well made Korean worker.
Yes -that was a moment with the number - should have looked again at the box! It a pity as this vapouriser was working quite well after I had the dome and air tubes apart to remove some blockages. That meant a new mantle and it was burning in nicely when there was a sudden and flames all over the place. I know what happened - put the top assy back on with pricker wire exposed. I knocked it while aligning it. Thought that was probably only the edge of the vapouriser - only it wasn't. Here's a lesson - retract pricker before replacing top! As soon as I turned the control to prick the jet it tore this hole in the end made of tin foil. Thanks for replies - still thinking about the options here. AussiePete was your vapouriser from the seller PapePopoTogether I wonder?
Fortunately I have a number of new unused vaporisers purchased about 20? or 25? years ago, presumably these predate the more recent quality control problems and will prove reliable when put to use. Does anyone know when the quality declined ? Of course even a good quality vapouriser does not last forever and I have had a few failures. IME the failure is gradual and gives ample warning of the need for replacement. However the preceding post refers to a sudden failure and flames resulting. This to me begs the question as to how safe it is to leave a burning Tilley lamp unattended. Subject to common sense precautions as should be taken with any fuel burning appliance, I have always considered a Tilley lamp to be a reasonably safe light source that can be left unattended. After all, "back in the day" Tilley lamps were routinely used to light homes and business premises and were presumably often left unattended without this being considered a risk.
I think you are OK broadgage. My flare ups were for good reasons and both occurred when pricking the jet. The first time was a pricker wire which was too long that eventually forced it's way through the jet to create flare up #1. The control was tight at the point of pricking but I did not realise why. The pricker wire had bottomed and it was being compressed. Root cause either pricker wire really was too long or washer between vapouriser and control cock was too thin. Too late the damage was done - it was repaired by peening and got going again. Flare up #2 was the same weakened vapouriser - this time pricker wire got bent but that went unnoticed. It enlarged the jet again this time leaving what looks like a tear. Peening won't fix that. Some say the tubes have burst due to excessive carbon. Mine hasn't run nearly enough hours for that to happen. Suppose that could occur while unattended... I think the way to tell if the vapouriser is old or new is the threaded insert at the bottom. Brass is good, steel is not so good. Others will correct me if I am wrong.
I suspect this problem with vapourisers (and, presumably, other service items) arose from the time Tilley moved back to England from Dunmurry, Northern Ireland in 2000. At that point, it's my understanding they no longer had a factory in which to make their own parts but outsourced their manufacture to other countries, mainly Asian. Whatever facility they had in England was concerned only with assembling lanterns to order from these bought-in parts (and sales etc.). I heard the Guildford 'operation' was no more than some rooms above a supermarket - can anyone corroborate that? I've no idea what premises they currently have, apparently in Frimley, Surrey? Anyone know? Asian manufacturers will make you what you want at whatever price you're prepared to pay; naturally, the quality of the parts will be directly proportional to the price paid for them. I would suspect Tilley have underspecified the quality of the parts to save money and are now reaping what they sowed. In short, yer pays peanuts and yer gets monkeys... Edit: Tilley have had this notice up since at least the 1st August 2015 and from memory, quite some time before that:- http://tilleylamp.co.uk/lamps It is clearly stated that the tanks i.e. "bases" are outsourced. It also seems reasonable to conclude that Tilley can't have sold any lanterns for at least 10 months and probably much longer. One wonders how they keep going... I also note the bit about "stringent quality and design requirements". Yeah, right, if you say so...
John The green and yellow boxes predate the red and white ones. If stored properly they should have good vapourisers. Some may be affected by rust, so give them a clean before installing. Tony
Have a look at this link shows a range of boxes and an idea of dates http://0flo.com/index.php?threads/429
The Guildford address I know was Unit 1-2 Home Farm Loseley Park. No supermarkets there. Quick look at website page dated 2016 has same info.
OK, perhaps it was Frimley where they were above a supermarket. Wherever it is, though, it can't be much of a business now - selling crap vapourisers to folk. I bet the overheads at Loseley Park are eye-watering as well...
There is a guy selling NOS 169's on eBay today for £16 each including postage. Could not resist a couple at that price.
Shame I'm looking for a 606, can't find those for much less than £22 apart from suspect used ones. I decided there was nothing to lose trying to peen mine one last time. It has worked! It's done about 3hours now with a good white light and the new mantle is shaping up nicely. The only thing I could not save was the pricker. It's running without one for the moment. I know they are available separately but I am thinking long and hard before shelling out any more cash on this lamp. Parts so far are already 2-3x what it cost to buy in the first place - and it's still only an X246B.
Do a bit of googling and you can uncover all sorts of interesting information. Tilley have actually made a profit for the last couple of years albeit a small one of around 3.3K. There are numerous sites which publish company information this being one of them. https://companycheck.co.uk/company/00105898/TILLEY-INTERNATIONAL-PLC/financial-accounts
Well that's all way beyond me but last year's salaries and wages were £16,411. How many folk are working there? - that's hardly one person's salary. Pretty small beer if you ask me...
