World Tilley x246B Day Newark 2014

No, what breeds contempt is the sad but progressive decline in Tilley lanterns from the mid 50s to date, to the extent you can pretty easily render one scrap by over-pumping it. Then there's the seeming difficulty of obtaining a vapouriser with a single, correctly-sized jet, etc., etc.

Contrast that with Bialaddin/Vapalux, essentially unchanged for 70 years (barring cosmetic differences) and still the same high quality at the end as at the beginning i.e. engineered as opposed to being merely chucked together.

Ah, I feel much better for that!

 

Indeed...

Although looking at the rafters in my garage now I'm not sure if I should be grateful or not.

 

I think they will all look loads better in the dark, at Newark and with a scotch. Unless there is more of that superb drink about, was it sloe gin? Slowed me down anyway.

 

Having just aquired some 246 Guardmans I think David may be right.

Much better quality.

 

Well Tilley didn't respond to my message so maybe they aren't interested in the 50th anniversary of their X246B...

Either that or they are busy producing "anniversary lamps" and that is why they have run out of ordinary ones

 

It would surprise me if they even knew the B was first produced around November 1964. ::Neil::

 

Tilley could give us all a reason to celebrate if they started to produce a decent lantern again! Jeff.

 

Neil, they do know because I told them when I contacted them... Whether that message was passed on to the correct people is another matter.

 

Dream on, Jeff...

 

Just a quick reminder as Newark isn't far off...

Please bring your X246Bs along and see if we can make this happen.

 

I love the design of the X246 and X246A.
The X246B was an exercise in producing a similar lantern using simpler construction and cheaper production costs.

OK - so the lampie snobs do not like it.
But it is 50 years old. It lights easily and burns well.
What is the problem?

 

For a start, Trevor, it's a lantern you can easily destroy by simply over-pumping it - and many owners have...

 

The biggest problem for me is that they appear to be breeding..

After the lightup I'm having a cull and some of them at least will be sold off, I'll probably still keep one of each colour though.

So far I have Gold, Brass, Chrome, Bronze and Red.... oh and a special pink one I made for my wife Seriously though are there any other colours?

 

Hi David

I know about the over pumping problem.

The Tilley X246B is not my favourite lantern, but if used correctly it burns well and is perfectly safe.
I have used various X246B lanterns for nearly 50 years and have never wrecked one by over-pumping. Why would anyone do that?
But there again, I am used to paraffin stoves that only require a few pump strokes to work correctly.

 

I've always assumed people over-pump their lanterns when the vapouriser gets old and needs replacing so light output falls as a result. Instead of just replacing the vapouriser as you or I would, people try over-pumping which will, to some extent, ameliorate the problem and thus continues and extends.

The trouble with the X246B tank is that the brass walls are so thin and the base-seam was designed effectively 'upside down'. Over-pressurisation results in the tank base bulging down thus putting the base-seam under tension so that it eventually pulls apart.

I cannot think of any other lantern where you can do this - not even the cheap and nasty Far Eastern Petromax clones - except other Tilley variants which share the same X246B tank. In every other type, it is usually physically impossible to over-pressurise the tank with the manual pump to the extent that it is ruined. Usually you can pump them until your thumb hurts and you cannot continue pumping any more.

That's why I fail to be impressed by the X246B. I'm not a lantern snob, it's just that there are so many properly engineered lanterns out there for the same or lower price...

 

That's a clear and concise answer David and I concur! Jeff.

 

David, I know you better than most and I would never call you a snob. In fact the only reason I used the word was to get a useful discussion going.

I have already said that the X246B is not my favourite lantern. In fact I will go further and say that it is the least favourite lantern of the few that I own.

Have I ever taken an X246B to Newark or anywhere else? - No.
Did I intend to take one to Newark this year? - No.

But I will take at least two to Newark (one to light and one to give away) this year to mark the 50th anniversary.
In lantern standards, even the first produced is not 'old', but at 50 years it is older than many of the people who will be attending Newark.

Come on lampies - it would not harm you to bring at least one to Newark this year and join in the fun.

 

It's a simple one for me, as I still haven't got one of these to light. Or bring.

 

OMG Matthew!!!

On the CCS site in the Events and Meets concerning Newark I said:

No one has pleaded yet!

 

Later X246s?

 

X246As?

 

Ahh Trevor, I'm sure you'll find someone with a much greater need than I. I'm not allowed to play with liquid fuels any more. Not since last year anyway. I dare not have naked flames in or near the caravan these days.

 

What, she won't even let you light the gas hob? I didn't realise you were so pussy-whipped, Matt...

 

David, who is "she" and what is "pussy-whipped"? My young, innocent mind simply does not know. Just don't tell Trevor that i also lost about 1/2 a litre of meths into the carpet of my new car a couple of months ago as well. If any one sees big flames at Newark, it's just me pre-heating the caravan with my car.

 

Aye, stick with your lamps and stoves, Matt - it'll be cheaper in the long run. Don't ask me how I know...

 

I'll try my best David but it's difficult with all these girls clambering over each other for a 21 year old lamp collector that goes caravanning to different parts of the country to play with lamps and stoves with a bunch of [strike]other nut cases[/strike] like minded people. On second thoughts Trevor I might need the x246b to fight them all off with... The girls that is.

 

Fight them all off? - scare them all off, more likely...

 

Matthew, if only I was 50 years younger and unmarried!!!!!!

 

True it itself, but essentially the same tank as an X246B; so you had covered that one already

 

The point I was trying to make was that I've only ever seen X246Bs with bulged tanks. It's quite possible that later X246s and X246As suffer from this problem but I've never seen any in that condition.

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence so I confined my remarks to the X246B - which was what the original discussion was about...