Someone saw one of my posts on Facebook when I first got my Tilleys home and said he'd send me a lantern he no longer wanted. It arrived in the post today, dusty and old but in a pretty sound condition all things considered.
You have the makings of a very fine lamp there, Colin. All the parts you need to bring it back to original spec are available. Add some elbow grease and paint and it can easily be as good as the day it left the factory.
The tank is steel and although it's rusty it looks sound and the guy had it running relatively recently - he even put a new mantle on it for me. Any advice when I fettle it or things to watch out for would be handy, particularly as I'm told these are getting more sought after nowdays.
Proper lantern, that is and it'll be easy to get running and restore to original appearance. One of mine has a bullet hole in the hood with subsequent creasing and denting and it runs well despite that. I suspect yours would have had the perforated plate type of preheater originally. The one you have will probably work OK but will make the lantern susceptible to draughts, particularly during preheating...
I have just bought a very similar lamp in brown complete with matching reflector, mine looks a little tidier and I will just clean it up and not carry out a full restoration, a lovely lamp and it's a good runner just needing a couple of washers and a mantle to get it running. It's a Vaoalux 300, think mine is very early as it has a pressure indicating pip fitted, no date stamp on the hood but I think the date stamp was only applied to military lamps? I will post a picture of it and my other lamps soon, gone from 0 to 9 lamps in less than 12 months plus 3 bought and fettled for my dad, it's proving a difficult bug to resist and my wife thinks I am mad, not that she ever thought I was normal as I spend most of my spare time restoring and driving old diesel loco's.
Sounds interesting, If you feel inclined, post a thread on the open forum (so not to dilute this post), a few here love engines and the like, myself included
Flushed with success after lighting my Coleman 201 I thought I'd get the Vapalux going. The previous owner assured me it had been in fairly frequent use until a few years ago so I filled it, lit the priming wick and after waiting a minute or two, I pumped it up and away she went... photos to follow.
Good stuff and just about what I'd expect from a Vapalux. Given the usual servicing, they're straightforward and very reliable...
