Hi everybody, I Hope you all had a great Xmas and New Year. This is just a hello and a little bit about myself and pressure lamps. I first came across Tilly lamps(all pressure lamps were Tilly's whatever the make) about 45 yrs ago when I started Beach casting, I couldn't afford one because of wife and children but my brother had a tilly that we used on our all night sessions, I lusted after an Anchor lantern, bit different to the proper Tilly and all over the sea angler magazine at the time, I never got one but met other Anglers that had them and it soon became obvious that salt water didn't like them. Fast forward 45 yrs, gave up sea fishing a long time ago and then Covid struck. I'm a bit of a conspiracy theorist, NO I don't think the queens a Lizard or anything stupid like that BUT it was obvious that the WEF was using the Covid crisis to further its New World Order/Build back better agenda. Being a Boy Cub/Scout when I was a kid, I decided to put a few cans of food away each visit to the supermarket just in case things went a bit haywire, Next I got a Water filter and I filter all my tap water, not a Brittax jug thingy but a proper Stainless steel Berkey Type thing(only £135) Its capable of purifying ditch water if necessary but makes tap water into virtually spring water. So what if power goes down, I remember the 3 day week and candles are not fun if its the only light you have. You guessed it, I got a Tilly lamp, well Not a Tilly but a Butterfly from The Base Camp. I had done my research and knew that the butterfly had a Brass tank and considered one of the better of the oriental Petromax Clones, and for fifty quid I figured I couldn't go wrong. After I had bought it I realised that 500CP was a bit much for my little flat so I bought a Vapalux M320, I paid more than I wanted to(£135), but it had been spruced up to a standard that I myself would have done if I had bought cheaper and without the Hassle, I'm getting lazy in my old age. That was it, I don't want to start a hobby collecting Tilly lamps at 73. BUT(here we go again lol) I saw an add on YouTube for an obviously Chinese Lamp, sort of a half sized Petrolux clone, Black Tank and Hood and only fired up once to make sure it worked, It was just so cute and small, It was coming close to the end of its advertised time and nobody had put in a bid, so I put an offer in just below the starting price, To be honest I was quite surprised when my offer was accepted. So does 3 lamps qualify me as a collector Because I AM NOT BUYING ANY MORE(promise)! When I have all three lamps up and running I will do a little photo shoot if that's OK.
Welcome @whiteturbo! Unfortunately You cannot stop with three lanterns. There will be some more. Regards from Sweden; Matti
Pressure lamps breed when you have more than one and before you know it you become a collector, that's when you start suffering from lampitus with no known cure, welcome to the forum and yes we love pictures of lamps Regards Ian Another ex beach angler.
You could reduce the brightness of the Anchor by swapping the 500 jet and needle for their 350 candle power equivalent Magnalux Lantern Spares The price reflects the quality. Here's an alternative, Petromax Spares Price List
Hello and welcome! Some great advice and pointers already You may be able to get a frosted glass/globe for your Butterfly? That would also help reduce things and if you are not buying lanterns then accessories perhaps instead? Pics are always welcome and look forward to seeing them ttfn
Got to admit Matti those Optimus lamps do look the Bizz, If I am tempted again the Optimus 1200 will be top of my wants!
I'm busy cleaning and polishing it as I type, the only thing wrong with it that I can find is the Gauge doesn't work properly and the pressure release screw isn't seating properly and has to be overtightened to seal so I will probably epoxy that in place and use the whole thing to release pressure. A new gauge and release screw is the answer but is it really worth it?
Well, I would give them a ring.. they may have a spare gauge?? Failing that, why not try a dab of fine valve grinding paste and try and re-seat it? I’m sure @Henry Plews would know if that was a viable option or not
Hi Henry, I'm told you are THE expert when it comes to these lanterns, parts etc, I need to replace the pressure gauge and release needle on my Butterfly and there seems 3 choices at The Base Camp, Magnalux, Anchor and Petromax. I don't have much money so I don't want to buy one that doesn't fit the butterfly thread size. Can you advise me on which one to get(or none at all). Thanks in advance for your Help. Ray
I don't know about being THE expert, there are many who know much more than me. Pressure gauges aren't really necessary but many users like them - especially when they work. Have you tried dismantling the gauge and cleaning it ? A little light oil may improve its function. I can't recall ever having had a problem with the air release screw on any of my lanterns, the only thing I can suggest is examine the point of the screw; is it dirty / pitted ? If pitted; will polishing make it smooth again ? Try using a twist of steel wool to clean the seat. The Magnalux, Anchor and Petromax fillercap/pressure gauges will all fit your lantern and this post from ColinG will clarify the difference between the Anchor and Magnalux gauges. Relum Magnalux (Anchor 950) If you decide to keep the original gauge, A couple of turns of PTFE tape on the air screw may be all that is needed to prevent loss of pressure and it's less permanent.
Hi Henry Thanks for the reply, Your opinion is thought highly of on this forum, so in my eyes THE Expert fits . I fired The Butterfly up today after fitting a new mantle. Unscrewing the gauge as advised by The Base Camp to release the pressure did not work, or should I say it did not work until the final thread when the whole gauge was projected across the room at great speed and a loud bang. So I will Play about with the air screw as you advised, the gauge itself seems to work fine even though The Base Camp said there was a problem so maybe just a new air screw would be sufficient. I'm getting a black band across the centre of the mantle, so I will clean the jet and pricker assembly and check all the joints for air leaks, I didn't do that because the seller said it was working fine, Maybe I shouldn't be so trusting. Anyway I'm not in a hurry as my Vapalux M320 is working fine and I have what looks like a Baby Petrolux clone coming next week to play with. Being a pensioner I don't have much spare cash at the moment so the Butterfly will probably go on the back burner for a while until I can give it the attention it deserves.
. Perhaps it was - in his opinion but how high are his standards ? Soot deposits on the mantle indicate a rich mixture which could be caused either by too much fuel (loose or worn jet) or too little air. There is no need to change the mantle ! Once the cause has been rectified, the soot will gradually burn away and the manle will be as good as new. Have you checked the "air gap" between the top of the jet and the mixing tube (J tube) ? A bigger the gap means more air and for both 350 and 500 cp lanterns with this type of burner, the gap should be around the 14mm mark but can vary a little from one lamp to another. One end of the original wrench acts as a gauge to make it easier to set the air gap, item 66 here Petromax Spares Price List but anything that will fit will do, I've even used an acuratey cut piece of stiff card on more than one occasion. Make sure the needle is down. Loosen the screw that clamps the J tube and adjust accordingly. You may have have to increase the gap to 16mm to achieve a clean burn.
@Henry Plews, Thanks very much, Its working as it should as I am sitting here, The gap is between 14.5mm and 15mm, and the pressure seems to be holding OK. The mantle is burning bright and no black spots so I can call that a resounding success. I will still renew the gauge and release screw when I have the money, I'm also thinking of getting the pump replacement cap so that I can use a bicycle pump to pressurise it. So just waiting on my Baby Petromax clone to arrive in the next few days, then I can start thinking about taking some photo's to show them off.
@whiteturbo Hi I've also got a butterfly lamp but the little 200cp model. If you look at the picture attached you'll notice that my pressure gauge/ manometer the thumb screw has a flat tip and there is a very small ball bearing (in the jaws of the measuring stick) this sits under the thumb screw and blocks the hole when tightened down , I don't know if this original as non of my other petclones have this feature but I have no reason at this time to think it isn't . Marten
Welcome to the forum @whiteturbo! As others have mentioned, the lamp collection will grow, they’ll find you! A rather battered Tilley X246B turned up on my doorstep one morning, a neighbour found it in his shed and knew I was interested in old pressure lamps....
Hi mate and welcome, I believe most of us keep saying we wont buy more lamps, but somehow they just keep on adding up hmm. Its got me buggered
