My first Tilley!

I brought home my first Tilley today! I picked up an R55 with the CH1 lamp, wind shield, spirit heater, funnel, spare mantles, and some documentation that I've posted in the library.

Heater is running on the back porch right now, so I have a question for all:

How long will this heater run before I have to pump it up again? I'm seriously thinking of making a bicycle pump adapter for it to speed the process up a bit...

Anyway, I'm a happy camper

Here's a link to my Facebook album so you can see large-size versions of the photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2407012729664.2126411.1081556789&type=1&l=fe967d85b3

 

If you fill with 4 pints of kero and pump to the full 30 psi it will run for 24 hours straight. Real English pints mind you not your short measure US ones. ::Neil::

 

I have some English pub pint glasses, but maybe you could tell me what a proper pint is in ml?

I did the full 6 pints and I don't think that there is enough air volume above the fuel. I don't see any fuel leaks, but I'm going to leak test it with just air in it tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

Hello Al, click on the link below for information on British and American pints. Jeff.

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pint

 

Now I know why pints in a pub in Canada keeps me up at night! LOL

 

That's a real beauty. Are you the first to fire it up?
It's not often you find one in that condition. It took me three tries to get a working R55. The first one had a pin hole in the TOP of the tank due to rust, the second had a sprung bottom (wobbled like a weeble), but the third one was a charm.

Tilley actually made a bicycle pump adapter that fit these heaters. Hard to find though. Probably contributed to sprung tank bottoms too.
BTW, what's the date code on the tank bottom. I'm guessing early to mid 60s.

I appreciate the documentation. All my Tilley heaters are Thacker imports. He was a big Tilley distributor in those days. Seems like every Tilley heater for sale here in the US has a Thacker sticker on it.

Dan

 

I'm not the first to fire up the heater, but I was the first to fire up the lantern.

I got the pressure indicator working by putting some penetrating oil on it. Then pumped the pressure up and bled it until it worked loose. I'm leaving a drop on it overnight so that it can soak down and get to the rest of the movement.

The only blemish so far has been a seeping leak between the fuel cock and the fount. I may order parts from Base Camp to just replace all of the gaskets above and below the fuel cock.

Tough luck on the bad R55s. I have some Coleman table lamps that I had to rehab because of dud parts. Many leaks, but luckily, no leaking founts.

Date code is A559. What does that translate to?

Al

 

NICE R55! I just LOVE mine! The paperwork states that it will burn 48 hours on one filling. Burns CLEAN too! No odor at all. The A.W. Thacker brochure says it holds 3.5 quarts. Another Tilley catalog page says 6 pints. Whatever the case it holds a LOT of K-1. Your date code is May 1959.

I think that the reason for the US 16 fluid oz "pint" has to do with the 8.34 pounds/gallon of water. Hence the saying "A pint's a pound the world around." Everywhere EXCEPT "Merry Olde England".

So how long did Tilley make the R55? Whatever became of A.W. Thacker?

Bob

 

May, 1959 I don't know the significance of the letter.

Good info on service washer kits So how long did Tilley make the R55? Whatever became of A.W. Thacker?[/QUOTE]
According to Jim Dick's Tilley book, the R55 came out in the mid 50s and lasted well into the 60s. Thacker was advertising them in magazines as early as 1957. I don't know when they ceased business, but in 1969 they has a falling out with Tilley and a lawsuit went on for several years.

Dan

 

I don't know from mls. This is England not a province of France so why we have to use their system is beyond me. It used to be so wonderfully complicated but it worked so why change.

Anyway an English pint is 20 fluid ounces and a US pint is 16 floz. The rest of the measures follow so both UK and US gallons are 8 pints but with different pints you end up with diffferent gallons. Sounds like some enterprising dealer 200 years ago was short changing the settlers in the colonies. ::Neil::

 

LOL!!! You're KILLIN' Me Neil. I recall going to Canada back in the days of the "Imperial Gallon" and buying gasoline. I TOTALLY agree with you about "metrics". I can look at a 1/2", 9/16", or 3/4" nut/bolt head and know what it is. Now "is that a 10mm, 13mm, 15mm?". I wasn't "broke" now was it? Especially cars. Now we have a mix of BOTH on them. UGH!

Bob

 

Hi Al,

That is a beauty!!

I love the light head! Kicks out some light there!

Thanks for posting it on here!

Adam

 

I've updated the photos to show more detail of the CH1 for those that are interested:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2407012729664.2126411.1081556789&type=1&l=fe967d85b3

I've also uploaded a video to YouTube that gives a better perspective than the still shots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iccsn6lE_C4

 

Hello Al, you did well there, it's in decent condition.

It's not a good idea to have the meths torch always soaking in meths, because meths affects the wire handle of the torch and will cause it to break sooner.

Just add meths when you are going to use the torch, when the wire handle does break, the torch can be rewired, I always do, because those torches are expensive now.

Also the seal on the jar lid leaks as it gets older and that will cause the meths to evapourate. Jeff.

 

Many thanks for the tips on the meths torch! It stands to figure that alcohol would eat away the metal over time. I'll go to the garage and take care of it as soon as I post this.

I just knocked some carbon deposits out of the vaporizer/generator, and I'll pick up some carbon cleaner from the auto store tomorrow. It would run for several hours and then just stop, and I'm thinking that a flake of carbon was clogging the tip. It would start running fine after a few twists of the valve.

Many thanks for your help,

Al

 

Hello Al, yes, carbon will have that effect, but before you try the carbon cleaner, remove the pricker wire from the vapouriser and gently scrape it clean.

Stay away from the point though, because if that gets broken, then you will need a new pricker wire, Jeff.

 

I did what you said to get the first batch of carbon out of the vaporizer. I notice that you can't remove the jet, so I'm wondering how to get the carbon out of one end and not just clock the tip some more.

Suggestions?

 

Tilley vapourisers have a limited life span, because once a vap., is completly carboned up, there is not much that can be done with it, except to save the pricker wire and the washer.

Some folk heat the top half of the vap., with a blow torch til it's red hot and then quench it in water to try and loosen the carbon.

Treating the vapouriser in an ultrasonic cleaner might do the job, I have not tried it though.

My advice is, if you find any Tilley vapourisers in the USA., then buy them, even if it's a 606 rather than the 169 which is the one for your heater.

You will probably obtain a Tilley lantern sometime and the 606 vapouriser is used on most of them, Jeff.

 

1 English pint = 20 fluid ounces. Hope that helps.

 

Interesting this difference in measure. I assume that as the US was originally settled by Englishmen they would have taken their measures with them and indeed the same measures are in standard use over there for just about everything but somewhere along the line the pint changed. I don't know when or why but you have to wonder if there was not some sharp practice involved. ::Neil::

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pint

 

Since the Tilley vaps have a limited lifetime (speaking of traders) some continental guys in germany started to make there own. Take a look at this article about Springmann generators.

 

Hmm - first, get yourself a lathe...

 

yeh I know.
I must get more sheds too:
one for the mancave,
one for the wood working,
one for the metal working,
one for the junk itself,
one for ....
and

 

Brass ashtray arrived today, and it's awaiting conversion to become a very nice smoke bell! (Best use of an ashtray I've thought of in a long time...)

 

Hello AL, they also make fine replacement tops for some lanterns, Jeff.

 

Wim

You sent me that very same link a couple of years back on BBL, It inspired me enough to make one myself, though it didn't run as expected.

 

Well to start: I don't have one myself but it would be interesting to know why they don't perfom well.

 

Wim

Very probably my error, maybe i drilled the jet oversized or something. Run a bit to rich as i remember, was a few years ago now but definately remember the link. Got a pic somewhere of its yellowish glow

 

I removed the lacquer from the top of the font this evening and decided to light it up for a moment of celebration. I diligently preheated it (with a new mantle in place) and was pumping it up when I felt moisture on my hand. The NRV was leaking, and the seal for the valve to the fount was too.

I've ordered SP1 just to do it all right the first time. It was a spendy order, but I can't complain since I'm exempt from the VAT that most of you endure. Now I wait.