I got this tilley about 30 years ago, never tested it tho. It was just nice item I wanted to have but didnt give any attention for it until now. It has been in heavy use in 50-70's, its actually owned by my grand parents. Not sure how old this Tilley is but I think its 50's model anyway according to its details. No date codes, it has owl logo and older style burner and control cock. So I finally digged it from my storage and put some lamp oil in it. It was leaking badly (dangerous I know!) , couldn't keep enough pressure etc.. however I managed to get some light from it but it was poor as excepted. Time to do something so I bought all the service packs and new NOS mantles, original thorium ones. Did some polishing work too just to make it look better ofcourse. Top hat is corroded badly so it will take some more work to get rid of old enamel paint and rost. I have high temp black paint waiting for it (should withstand at least 650deg celsius). Today I put it back together mostly and did a quick burner test. Everything seems to be good so far and the burner seems to work as it should I think. I dont want to waste any mantles with bad burner.. Soon I will finish the top had and we'll see how it actually works Some pictures: As it was. Standard candle is brighter than that! Service packs, NOS mantle (got 6 of them) and NOS vaporiser + needle. Sadly the burner parts are newer ones having shorter nozzle and dome. Also those air tubes are different and not as good as original ones with threaded ends. But they are ok and compatible ofcourse. Polished tank Parts going together. I also polished the pump and control kock. Burner back together. I had to use some exhaust sealant paste for the worn threads to make sure there is no leaks. Test burn. What do you think, good enough?
Welcome @Tonskulus , you have a good looking lantern and yes, the flames from the burner are about as good as you'll get.
Welcome aboard! Your lantern is a Tilley X-246 Guardsman and it's most likely from the mid 1950's, but if it's a late 1950's lantern then there will be a date code on the bottom of the tank. The link below shows the relevant gallery page. X246
Yes it seems to be mid 50's podbros, vapouriser and its pricker needle are both new (nos) so nothing to worry about them.
@Tonskulus Well done on your fettle, your lantern looks and runs very well. If the lantern bug has bit you and you progress, some say regress, in this hobby you will find other examples of your lantern where you can use parts in better condition. Basically, making one good lantern from 2 not so good ones. I’m looking forward to seeing your future posts about other lanterns you have or about to collect and save. Cheers Pete
Thanks! For sure I'm looking for more mantle-lanterns. My friend gave me today Petromax 829/500, it's been sitting on storage for a very long time. Oh well.. it seems to be chinese version but I will restore it anyway It has some rips of thorium based mantle installed (checked with geiger-counter). One more photo of my Tilley.
@Tonskulus The hood (“top hat”) you have is the first version of the black enamelled hood. It might not look pretty, but it’s a bit of history. Cheers Tony
Well done an excellent job, I would be very happy if that was mine Tilley lamp. I buy Tilleys for the parts as well, better to have a great lamp by pulling others apart for spares and better parts. As some lamps are to far gone, but some of the parts are in better condition or okay to use, it depends on what parts your looking for. Also the price as well, top job mate, and I always use the worst lamps for lighting in my shed.
