I'm fettling a nice Veritas 350 (well it was nice when it burned). I took most of my lamps apart to schmick 'em up a few years ago, but they went onto the back burner as it were, as my health interrupted. Now I'm back one lung lighter, trying to sort them, I'm paying for my lack of organisation when I dis mantled (see what I did there hahaha?) them. I have some bags of spares which will need I.D.ing -photos will follow one day. But... Meanwhile, this Veritas, -I'm trying to assemble the Vaporiser (V2/31) but don't seem to have a pricker spindle atomiser (?) the right size to go around the spindle and into the vaporiser tube. Does anyone know if it's a spiral wire wrapped around the spindle or is it a brass wire gauze wrapped around it like an Austramax? Any ideas?
Now... that nice lump of brass, your opinion... to polish? or to leave patina? That wire spiral has been wound then flattened a bit by the looks of it. That could be fun. I wonder how critical the shape and form is. Suck it and see maybe.
@Julian Whittaker . just make it out of the fine mesh wrapped around the rod. I don’t think it will make any difference. It’s just to restrict the flow as the heat vaporises the fuel turns it into vapour under under pressure. Check out my threads in the gallery under veritas.
These links shows relevant paperwork. https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/veritas-350-spare-part-list.7974/ Other Brands
Julian, the Veritas 350 didn't have anything wound around the pricker rod originally. That wound wire has been added by an owner, probably trying to reduce flicker in the lantern. Have you found all the parts ?
Interesting Martin, nothing around the spindle originally ?, -though I notice one model does have a gauze. (in other brands '50's 350) -Would be pretty difficult to add a gauze to mine, as the I.D. of the tube is only about 4mm. Yes I do have all parts I think... new pricker ordered from TW Sands, new glass. I'll know after I test it next week. Ta.
I had completely forgotten my 'other' Veritas that I gave away years ago... found it in the Gallery. My theory is that the Needle fitting restriction shape works as a sort of diffuser obviating the need for a gauze or similar around the needle spindle. That make sense?
Luckily I was able to get a new pricker, however it's not a simple fit and forget. The pricker is mounted in a small brass block, but when the pricker is mounted screwed in it, the block can't fit into the jet, so the needle can't reach to enter the jet hole. I wonder if I have non-standard components.
@Julian Whittaker . you Pricker body is probably square or triangle with a cylindrical tip with Pricker.. if you have a small drill chuck put it in slight tension. Slow rotation. Using a small fine file . File away slowly and check the size to fit the jet space. This how I have sorted this issue. It works.
Thanks Darryl. My lathe is an ancient wobbly (but rather nice) 'Seneca Falls', I'm not sure it would be fine enough for a tiny delicate job like this. Could be that filing the tip by hand could be safer. Maybe I'll give it a try on the lathe with another piece of brass to check. I'll need to do some careful measurement beforehand to ensure the whole pricker is the correct O/A length. Yes, it's a square x-section brass tip about 10mm long, with female threads top and bottom, one goes into the long spindle and other into the actual pricker. the actual pricker has a male thread one end and the pricker wire at the other. I'm just a bit concerned to get the total length of the spindle and pricker assembly right. Obviously something is 'non-standard' -maybe the nipple jet, which is a shame. The other option is to shorten the brass tip and/or drill the jet to allow the square tip to enter into it further. I think a 'dry assembly' and measure up is in order.
Right I've found an old jet, can't ID it but it's a fair bit shorter so it sits lower and doesn't interfere with the square brass which the pricker screws into. I can adjust the pricker height on the thread. Might work. The jet does look a little worn though, but worth a try. I sort of feel I should upload a photo of these parts to clarify what's going on.
So far so good. The new arrangement seems to be working. Pics below, (note no mantle) at first big yellow flame, after a minute or two and closing the regulator almost closed I got the blue burner flame. I reckon the jet is worn slightly too big. I need to fix a kero leak around the regulator now. Feel like I'm getting somewhere!
@Julian Whittaker , hi there, my pictures show how I file down the oversized Pricker body.this is what I use
Interesting Darryl, I might have rigged up something similar, but luckily I found an easier solution. I found I had a shorter used jet, and, using that and adjusting the length/height of the pricker (screwing in/out, it worked). Not perfect, I think it could be brighter, so I might have to juggle with the main jet / mixture. It may be a little rich? Bearing in mind the old jet I used does look a little worn. Thx for your input Daz.
Whilst I'm at it I might as well include this, my Radius. I can't ever remember this running, it came with the ute-load I got years ago. It needed a pricker. I had collected some misc spares, and amazingly I found a pricker that nearly fits. It was labelled something else. Anyway, first light up, add a mantle and see how it goes tomorrow. (That should be 3 out of five).
Not so happy today Jeff! It's 2 steps forward and one step back with my lovely Radius. Now the pricker wire has broken when I tried to straighten it. It seemed to start and run okay but I could see it wasn't right. The pricker adjuster wheel wouldn't turn over TDC. I can see a way of fixing it using the fine brass tube I have, but I need the pricker wire. Has anyone ever tried the High G on a 12 string guitar or banjo? They are close to the 0.18 I see recommended, at 0.22. I'll snip a string off now and try it in a few jets, (I couldn't be so lucky of course!)
The jet in a 300cp lamp is no more than 0.2 mm, so a 0.22 mm wire will be too big. If it does go through then the jet is enlarged. Stainless steel acupuncture needles seem to be the way to go and come in various sizes. Btw, your 'Radius' looks a lot like an Australian Aladdin (which was a copy of a Radius ).
I'm having some success using a 0.10 High G banjo string, rubbing it down with 1200 wet and dry. It enters a couple of spare jets I have, I just need to do more work on it. 0.22mm = .0086". Very difficult if not impossible to measure the jet orifice. Nils, how do you tell the difference between them? (Obviously more likely to be an Aussie Aladdin).
To start with, a Radius would always be stamped on the tank. From what I can see in the photo, yours has all the features of a nickel-plated Aladdin from about the 50s. It has the flat filler cap, the pump up on the 'corner' of the tank, a separate plate in the middle of the globe cage base, the long ceramic flame spreader and what is possibly the red/brown ribbed plastic cleaning wheel.
Sounds dead right to me Nils, thanks. So do I refer to it as an Aladdin? or Aus-Aladdin? Radiladdin? Whatever I call it, it is a really handsome thing. I need to get it running nicely. Any spares around for them?
If you need to define it better than just an Aladdin, then refer to it as an Aladdin 1A. I would expect that TW Sands would be a good place for spares.
