Good evening. I picked up a reasonable condition Tilley. Seals were hard, pump cup perished but otherwise looked great. It needed a pre-heater (no clip on with it). So got a seal kit and mantle and cup and got into it this weekend. Test fire with no mantle seemed ok with a good blue flame. Fitted mantle and must have got a bit eager as it flared up, seems they like a good heat up. So now it’s fired up, can hear a good steady hiss, holds pressure for 2hrs at least but just not bright. Pulled the vaporizer out again and really cleaned well. Good streak of fuel when valve cracked. It’s my first Tilley so no prior reference. Could I just be suffering a cheap mantle? Pics shown next to a Handi for comparison. Any thoughts or ideas appreciated. Thanks
The fuel feed tube may be partially blocked, it's soldered to the bottom of the socket which the control cock screws into, I use a length of tying wire to clear it and afterwards I give the tank a good rinse out with water. The build quality of those aluminium control cocks is poor and they often restrict the flow of the fuel and air, those aluminium pumps are not great either. The vapouriser and the burner may be just about knackered. The link below shows a thread which shows an X-246-B lantern which I improved by fitting it with older parts. Nighttime tours at Fort Liezele
