Frustration in the extreme is how best I can describe this problem. I recently acquired a very nice TL14 with a polished brass tank. However no amount of parts swapping would cure the pronounced pulsing when burning and I eventually tracked the problem down to a partially blocked feed tube in the tank. I tried the usual wire to clean it out but there was something hard blocking the inlet near the bottom. So I filed a spear point drill on the end of a piece of 1.5mm steel wire and inserted it in my electric drill and spun it as I pushed the wire down the tube from the control cock bush. What do you know but a large piece of solder was pushed out into the tank. Great merry rejoicings were heard in the R100 cave and just to be sure, I spun it a bit more, working it up and down until ... the ******wire snapped off halfway down the tube. Great cursings were heard in the R100 cave as I realised that there was absolutely no way that the piece of wire could be retrieved from the curved tube. Now the only way to remove it is to unsolder the control cock bush from the tank. Except the dratted thing will not come out. It is free of the solder and turns freely in the tank but it will not lift out. Please does anyone know the reason? Is there a hidden internal flange? If so I suspect the tank is now so much brass scrap.
I've no idea but I suspect you're correct in that there's some sort of internal flange which was fitted in place before the tank base was soldered in. Isn't "a very nice TL14 with a polished brass tank" some sort of oxymoron..?
" Isn't "a very nice TL14 with a polished brass tank" some sort of oxymoron..? " Point taken, but it did look well on our windowsill. No, I didn't polish it, but we are into dark timber and polished brass.
Hi.. I think the flange is threaded and has a nut? It's not too difficult to unsolder the baseplate? There was a video of a chap doing it in the far east that was posted on here not that long ago? Basically heat the base up and tap on the floor and it will fall out... perhaps with the broken drill too? Worth looking for the video.. People commented that he knew what he was doing? Had done it before? That sort of thing? p.s. Other lamp repairers on here have done it and perhaps could guide you (I'm assuming!) Found the video.. called ' Another Way To Fix A Dent'.. There are also some good encouraging hints from members
Actually, it's a nut. If you choose to remove the baseplate but still can't extract the wire, just solder in a new piece of tubing. Before resoldering the control cock bush, make sure it's orientation is such that the feed tube will not foul the pump.
Henry, Thank you for that picture. It looks as though I am going to have to look for a replacement tank as I think the work involved in removing the base and that nut is excessive. Anyone have a suitable item?
Great photo @Henry Plews @R100 The wire will be held by the curvature of the pickup tube and minimal friction. Could it not simply be pushed into the tank by another length of wire (not connected to a drill this time) and retrieved, with a bit of shake, rattle and roll, through the filler neck? I know you attributed pulsing to a ‘partial blockage’ but I doubt that the broken off piece of wire will offer much resistance to the passage of pressurised fuel. After all, the jet orifice is a pretty small constriction. John
I wondered about that. It may work but to eliminate the risk of the two wires jambing each other, any wire used to push out the broken piece will have to be a close fit in the tube. If unavailable, perhaps pean the end of a thinner wire to give it a bigger head ?
Ah but think of the experience gained. . . . can be easily be fixed. Have a look here Tilley Pork pie problem
The length of wire stuck inside the feed tube is around two inches whilst the end of the tube is only 1/4 inch from the inside of the base so no amount of pushing with another wire is going to shift it. Don't forget that the stuck wire is 1.5mm steel so not that flexible. The wire was not the original blockage, rather a wayward fillet of solder. The wire was used to push out the solder. I merely snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I may remove the tank bottom at some time and try to sort it out, after all nothing ventured as they. Thanks for all input to this thread. It is much appreciated.
@podbros Thanks for the reminder of the video. I have watched it albeit some time ago. I'll hang on until the better weather as my worksop is inside my house and I am reluctant to use so much heat indoors let alone inhaling the inevitable flux fumes.
If you want to go down the route of a R1 tank, I've got a couple of donors and I'm not too far away from you. PM me if interested
That's right and if the expansion of water when it vapourises is anything to go by, the fuel will expand around1800x in the vapouriser as it passes from the liquid phase to the vapour phase. Fuel flow through the pick-up pipe when running normally must be minimal - a full tank of, say, 800ml will run the lantern for around 8 hours so only ~100ml / hour. It would have to be almost a total blockage to prevent that. Worth a try anyway before you get the big guns out...
