Just found one of these. Going to clean it up and try and get it working. It had a white opel/frosted shade with it which is the wrong one. I think in need a 182 globe. 85mm. There’s a reproduction one on eBay for £20. Also found a Tilley box with some bits in. Looking for a bit advice on cleaning,parrafin,pressuring and hopefully lighting for the first time. No experience with them. Also can I use it outdoors ? Any help appreciated.
Hello and welcome. Clean the outside with warm soapy water and a soft cloth. For the inside, it depends on how dirty it looks. If it looks clean and "brassy" you'll probably get away with a good detergent but if it looks decidedly grubby then you'll need something more drastic. Options include a good cleaner/degreaser, varnish remover, acetone, citric acid or caustic soda though I'd be careful with that stuff. Pre-packed paraffin is relatively expensive and some of us here in the U.K. use central heating oil which although a little heavy for wick lamps, works fine in most paraffin pressure lamps. For myself, I'm lucky enough to be only a twenty minute drive away from a fuel merchant where I can fill a couple of jerry cans with heating oil from the pump. You can check if the seals in your lamp are still functual by pressurizing the tank and immersing in water, bubbles will pinpoint any leaks. Of course the pump leather needs to be in good order i.e. no splits or tears and supple, if it's dry, rejuvenate it with most light oils - olive/cooking oil, 3-in-1 or neats foot oil. Never use linseed oil ! Raw or boiled, the leather will become rock hard and useless. That said, it may be adviseable to invest in a seal kit from Fettlebox, Tilley Washer Kit When it comes to lighting, this may help How does it work? It was made for indoors and the design means it will be susceptible to draughts. Check the Lamp Reference Gallery here to see the outdoor version SL61- SL62
Hi @johnnybgood Welcome to the forum ! To answer the outdoors question : as long as it is not too windy, not raining and there are no moths to destroy the mantle. Or you can try and find a different 'hat' for it and basically turn it into an SL 61 SL61- SL62 As to other restoration/fettling tips just follow any of the Tilley advice on this site.
