I recently got this Tilley X246 Guardsman which I hope bringing back to life, but did not start yet. Looking inside the hood two questions are coming up. 1) There is a multi hole disc around the dome, maybe thought against insects like the shield around the generator. Is it original, aftermarket or home made? Keep it there? 2) One of the air tubes is slightly bent on the thread end. Can it be screwed off and exchanged in case of not being able to straighten it? It's only my second Tilley so the experts advice is requested. Matthias
Yes - that is an insect shield. Don't try it with an early burner (because it is different) but with the type burner fitted to a Guardsman, the air-tube should unscrew. But the threaded end in the burner can readily be seized and burnt-way by the heat - and wrecking the burner is all too easy. So think carefully before you try to unscrew - and do not use great force or you are likely to regret it!
Hi @Sellig33 That looks good to me Ian is spot on with the advice the threaded bushes should unscrew to release the hood but may need help with penetrating oil.. The air tubes.. hmm .. I have made clamps for air tubes and domes in the past and nearly always have to heat carefully and use plenty of penetrating oil as well, rocking it back and forth increasing the movement bit by bit until it starts to free.. all too easy to wreck things.. Does the bent tube alter how it sits on the frame?
When I started collecting Tilleys I thought I was doing the right thing by completely disassembling the burner but honestly I don't think it's worth it. The air tubes very often get corroded into position and even if you do manage to get them out, they almost never screw in again correctly! And as if this isn't enough to put you off, the end of the air tubes were cut in a curve when the burners were assembled and the chances of getting them to screw in the exact same position is impossible. Anyway, there's very little point in bothering in my opinion. Clogged burners can be cleaned by blowing through the tubes to clear out any debris... so I'd leave the bent tube where it is.
The burner does look fine to me as well, I've seen plenty that are worst than that and they work perfectly. I would test the burner first because it may be fine, you know what they say if its not broken dont fix it, or it soon will be. Nice lamp by the way.
All good advice. Tilleys are put together hand tight, you don’t need to over tighten any of the parts. It looks like a good original lamp and should come back to life without too much fuss!
Thanks a lot for your useful advice which will help me treating burner and airtubes carefully. Penetrating oil will loosen the air screws so I can take out the burner unit for cleaning and the insect shield will be removed. And I'll not touch the air tubes. Matthias
