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Found these on our local FB marketplace a couple of days ago. Advertised as 2 Tilley Lamps. I guessed the green one was a Veritas from some of the similar shapes to my superb. I arranged to collect them ( only 5 miles across town paid the asking price £40, and headed home. A quick look confirmed it was a Veritas even got the original glass. Is it a 350, and what sort of date please. Added bonus the Tilley had a mantle & paraffin so I warmed it up & it lit straight away.
Regards
Malcolm

 

You have done well there, two nice looking lanterns. The Veritas 350 looks to be in very good condition, wish mine were the same. I'm looking forwards to seeing the Veritas alive.

 

Great finds. Happy fettlin'

 

Happy fettling and the Veritas will be from the 1950's.

 

Thanks all, & in reality it’s not as good as it looks Alex. The whole lamp has been painted, possibly with a stick, the tank in silver and the frame & hood in black, the green enamel cap is still intact but has some chips as you’d expect. I’ve stripped the tank, back to the brass. Under the silver there was evidence of some cream paint. Would that be the original colour, if not what would be the original. Also the pricker knob is ceased completely, any suggestions ?
Thanks
Malcolm

 

I don't have one single Veritas lantern in my collection...(where have I been...?)

 

@malcolm race
Nice haul there Malcolm.

The Veritas 350 would be in the early 1950s, however when you get to clean it up you may find a date stamped on the rim of the frame's base.

Here is a picture of my 350's date stamp:


The stamped numbers are 551 representing the 5th month, May, and the year 1951.

Hope this helps
Cheers
Pete

 

It would be nice for me to find one with 550 stamped on it...

 

Thanks Pete, that’s very useful, & I see your frame is also plated, which I assume is original, can I ask what the fount is like, is it also plated?
Cheers
Malcolm

 

Be careful with the glass, they are hard to find so well done for finding one.
With regard to the pricker control, be very careful, I have had several of these snap off in my hand without much effort. I would suggest some gentle heat and a good soak In penetrating oil before you attempt to move it.

 

@malcolm race I have a similar Veritas in similar condition. The original colour of the fount on mine is cream. The cage and hood has remains of plating. The cage was very rusty so have cleaned it up and will paint silver, the hood can’t be painted as it gets too hot. Might have a try at plating at some point. Mine too has its original globe. You got a bit of a bargain I’d say....

 

Thanks Stevie, I reckon so too. But if yours is cream, I guess mine was under the manky silver. Like you say I guess I’ll clean & paint the frame silver & I’ll just have to leave the hood. I’m pretty sure the lamp hasn’t been used for years, and certainly not since it was painted. Hopefully she’ll be running again soon.

 

Hey @george , everyone needs a Veritas (or 6) in their collection, then you realise how good they are. They used to have a bad reputation but that seems to have been a little wide of the mark... of course the only problem with that is they are getting harder to find now as us lampies snap them up!

 

And the hunt is on! Tally ho!!

 

@malcolm race

The seal itself is made from some form of treated rubber and has probably stuck itself to the spindle, so good advice from @James K. I would also undo the gland nut.

The seal may need replacing so the unit will have to come out. If this proves difficult, hold the spindle in a vice and pull the valve assembly away from it, you may have to remove the assembly from the tank to do this. Suitable material, for a replacement are graphited string, graphite sheet and PTFE tape twisted into a string.



If the cleaning needle is broken you can use a 350 cp Petromax type as the threads are the same but you'll have to file off the corners for it to go far enough into the jet.

 

Thanks Henry, those photos are great, I now know what I’m dealing with. It’s supposed it come out as well as go round. The lamp is totally stripped down so the valve unit only has this piece stuck in it. It’s getting a bath of penetrating oil, but is still not budging. As for the pricker needle, well the whole rod is missing.

 

@george Tally ho to you too Sir, the hunt is certainly on. I've picked up two recently.

@Henry Plews Thank you for you wisdom again. As ever it is appreciated. I've got one that requires a pricker, and I've Petromax 350CP needles in the spares box. Great stuff!

 

Well I've just been into the garage to take a couple of meter readings and chanced to look across to Via Veritas (next to Bialaddin Boulevard and along from Coleman Crescent - Tilley Terrace is just around the corner ) and counted eight of the little blighters. There's another one on display in the back bedroom and one I'm currently slowly destroying fettling. So that's 10, not including 5-6 Superbs. Hmmm...



The one with the mica globe is a Veritas Nova from memory. Which reminds me, there's a Veritas bowlfire in the summerhouse. So I think that qualifies me as a fully paid-up member of the club...

 

With that many, you're the bloomin Headmaster of Veritas College! I reckon you need to start sharing the love around! Veritas love that is!

Personally, I've got a Coleman a Cul-de-sac, Vapalux Vale and an AshFlash Avenue... which is down my Chinese Track.

 

On a different note, I have a 350 pricker control that must be a homer...

 

@malcolm race
Yes my Veritas 350 has a plated fount, it’s known as the 350A
Here is the link to its fettle.
Veritas 350A - Fettle
Cheers
Pete

 

Thanks Pete, I’ve looked at your fettle and found it very informative, though I think at present some of your methods are beyond my capabilities at present. But we all keep learning. I’ve got some new seals on the way, hopefully should be here by Monday. Meanwhile I’m cleaning the rest of the parts, ready for painting. I have found the date stamp, or part of it. It’s faint but definitely says 52, I can’t see a month yet though.

 

@AussiePete can you share details of how you do nickel plating at home? I am sure many readers would like to try this themselves.

 

@Graham-Melbourne
Yes, I will do a write up with pictures when I get back from holidaying in FNQ (Far North Queensland) with my new found lady friend.
Cheers
Pete

 

@Graham-Melbourne

https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=nickel+plating+at+home&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

 

Well done @Henry Plews just the ticket.

 

I’ve finally got the the pricker control to rotate really well. There is a little lateral movement, but still can’t get it out. Any suggestions?

 

@malcolm race
It should eventually pull straight out coz it’s a graphite seal that expands in the sleeve that is probably causing the jam. The construction can be seen in the pictures posted earlier by @Henry Plews
In which the black graphite seal can be clearly seen. Perhaps the expanded graphite seal is jamming it and Henry’s suggestion for removal may need to be employed.
Cheers
Pete

 

Can I ask why you want to remove it? Do you really need to? If the graphite seal is still in there you could add a little graphite cord and tighten the nut until you get a seal.