Hello from a total newbie to the world of pressure lamps! A friend has just given me an ex-MOD Vapalux M320 which I'm busy discovering all about. Still haven't dared to light it... Actually, I've been having fun with the pressure valve - originally the pump was blocked, so no air was getting through the valve. Anyway, I found this site, and have got as far as stripping out the pump valve, finding that the 'pip' had perished, and cutting a new one out of a rubber tap washer... The pump now works and pumps air in, but half of the time the pump handle comes back out again under the pressure. Only half of the time... I'm hoping it will bed in in due course! I really don't want to have to pay some £25 or so to get the whole assembly from Korea, just for a tiny bit of rubber! My friend said she hoped it would bring me light and warmth for years to come; even if I never get it to light (I will!), it's such a beautiful piece of engineering that it already has!
Welcome to the site. Those pump check valves don't normaly "bed in" and anyway you will have to replace the small pip soon because it will perish fairly quickly. Rubber tap washers are not a suitable rubber for use with kero. A better place for spares will be Bae Camp in the UK where Mike has a good selection of bits for Vapalux. Not sure where you are but a good tip here is to buy the filler cap washer for a locally available lamp and cut a check valve washer from that. ::Neil::
Yes, I looked on Base Camp and they're out of new pump valves - all they have are salvaged parts which are likely to be in no better condition than the one I've already got. And I was wondering whether washer rubber wouldn't disagree with kerosene - so thanks for setting me straight on that one. Can the lamp be used safely even though the pump valve is defective? I'd imagine that would make the pump cylinder fill up with kerosene if the valve was immersed. Not a fantastic idea perhaps... Living in France, for info. After-sales is unheard of here, so I have no idea where to start looking for a filler cap washer to cut up! What sort of materials would do? I even thought of chopping up an old desert boot and using the leather.
Hi, The washers you require are available here under member services. I would recommend you get the full set because if the non return valve washers are u/s, you can bet the others are as well. The non return valve should work ok with new washers as long as the spring is still ok and there is no damage to the seating part of the 'dot' washer. Let us know how you get on.......
