I'm working on a Tilley TL10 that has a couple of fittings that I'm not sure are Tilley originals. The gallery, a pre-WWII one with the springs on the inside, is missing its outer shroud. The burner has the Tilley patent No. but one of the adjusting bushes on the air tube has different knurling to the normal Tilley: The pump has no Tilley markings and has two notches cut into the knurled clamp of the pump: I'm wondering whether these are Kayen parts. Cheers Tony @Anthony; @Lamp_Doctor; @Nils Stephenson
Tony. Would think the notches in the pump would have been cut in there for a tool to undo the pump making it easier to release the pressure . Bob
The pump doesn't match the style of any of the Kayen ones I have seen. The notches must be home made, whether it's Kayen or Tilley. I can't help with the air tube.
Why would you need to tighten up a Tilley (or any) pump to the extent you needed a tool to unscrew it? Knurling on anything tells me that hand tight is sufficient. Just wondrin'..
@David Shouksmith Because you never bother to change the pump seal washer, that's why. @Nils Stephenson Leaving aside the aftermarket notches, the Tilley pump I have that is most similar is pictured below, but it's stamped "Tilley Lamp Co. Hendon Eng." Cheers Tony
Tony, your questions would be better answered by non-Australian Tilley collectors that don't have much possibility of Kayen parts sneaking onto their lamps. To me every thing is original to a TL10 except for the adjusting bush. That looks Kayen to me. The convex end of the pump plunger may be more recent than TL10 but still Tilley. Picture below is from a Nettlefold HL7.
I think so Tony but it would be good to know if the UK collectors are familiar with no writing on the pump or not.
I've seen a Tilley that has three small pieces of wire soldered every 120 degrees on the circumference of the knurling of the pump to get a better grip. I guess this is a similar modification as the notches seen here. I made the experience that unscrewing the pump after the use of a lamp is sometimes difficult which seems to depend on the material of the washer and/or the type of the pump or the diameter of the knurling. So the notches could be used by a person that has problems unscrewing the pump to insert a so called hook-spanner or c-spanner as used on bicycles.
Tilley did not mark all of their pumps and the link below shows some of my Tilley pumps and in the fourth photograph there are three unmarked pumps shown. 11 Styles of Tilley TL10 etc., pumps.
Thanks, Jeff. Mine is like a mix of two of those Tilley pumps. I'm convinced it's a Tilley. Cheers Tony @JEFF JOHNSON
You must have good eyesight, Tony. In actual fact, I change my pump seal washers any time they need replacing. Doesn't everyone?
I'd have thought that if you were an engineer accomplished sufficiently to cut those slots, you'd be clever enough to figure out how a gasket or seal works and simply replace the one that was no longer doing its job. What is it they say about engineers...
David, perhaps the lamp lived in the "out back" and the previous owner was not able to get seals but did have a file in the shed. Aussie philosophy is why fix some thing when a little more force will do.
OK, I thought the slots looked as if they had been machined but perhaps he'd had plenty of practice with his file in the shed. Aussies - living proof that... Nah, perhaps not...