First free day for weeks,out in the morning then an hour in the (very hot) shed, got this from a car boot a few weeks ago but its the first time i've had a good look at it, Its a table lamp with a removeable column, column itself is 9.75". it looks original with the lamp but cant find any info on it.
Hello Dave, in my opinion that is a home made column, it's fine though and the whole lamp should restore well enough, Jeff.
Thanks Jeff, its a bit ungainly being that tall with the carrying handle,the column seems very well made and even has the little grooves machined in the top face to give extra bite to the vap seal, I've an old glass somewhere and will give it a fettle as soon as i can,,,
It looks interesting what ever it is. Is the socket for the control cock in the top a shallow one or a deep one? It looks strangely similar to the very early Tl10's with the fuel shut off on the side of the tank. I wonder if this was a conversion that Tilley sold so that the owner could choose between a short table lamp and a tall one without buying two lamps. Some one will know I'm sure and even if it's not original, it could still prove to be useful.
Matthew, the socket is the shallow one, the depth in the tank is the same as the depth in the column, Attached another couple of detail photo's
Nothing there looks particularly home made, I might be wrong but it looks like it could be an original accessory to me. That fluted top where the cock screws in is more like the later TL10's now I can see it clearer. Does it look like it's been cut and soldered together, or is it all as would be expected from Tilley?
I agree with Jeff here. Not certain but very probably a home made conversion. Tilley did not make long columns like this. They were made with in internal small bore fuel pipe which was continuous from the top fitting to the bottom of the tank. You can't do that with a detachable column and it is this that tends to make me reasonably certain this was not a factory made piece. ::Neil::
Had another look at it,,,,it just looks too good to be a home made job,the top especially,maybe the male thread could be interpreted as a shed job but otherwise i cant see anything home made about it,however in the 1950's (it looks the same age as the rest of the lamp) there were a lot more skilled lathe turners around, next time i'm passing stu's i'll drop in for a second opinion.
It could be a genuine Tilley column salvaged from an earlier lamp. They were screwed in place with the same thread as the valve so all it would have needed would be a short length of 1/2" 26tpi threaded tube and it could then be screwed into a valve socket. Probably have to remove the inner fuel feed but it would still work. A while back I did exactly that with a fluted column from a TL10 and attached it to a mid 1950s radiator tank to make a sort of mid 1950s long stem version of a TL14. ::Neil::
Neil, I think thats the most likely way it was made,if anything the male thread that screws into the font looks the most home made bit of it with some excess solder dotted about but the top looks very well made,,,
Neil, I can't see a good TL5 photo but the old brochures do show a very similar section at the top,,,,If anyone on the forum is restoring a column-less TL5 i'd be happy to donate the column as it doesn't look right fitted to its current font.
Hello Dave, perhaps that column would look better if it was fitted to an earlier R-1 tank and the whole lamp was polished up. It's an idea anyway, Jeff.
i managed to restore it (less the column) and returned it to how it left Hendon works ,treated myself ,after a bit of thought, to one of John Moncreiffs champagne shades,note to the forum sages...is the control knob correct? It really is a decent shade and i'm well pleased , its one lamp that wont be too bright for mrs norf and has pride of place in the sitting room.
Thanks jeff, It only needed a set of seals,pump leather, a bit of paint and a clean up and it worked fine,,,,burner and vap cant have done much work at all.
I've bought several of their Aladdin shades along with quite a few pressure lamp globes over the last few months and have to say I've always been pleased with them. They also come exceptionally well packed so would definitely recommend them When you say "bit of paint" did you completely repaint the tank? If not then how did you get it looking like that?
Chris, Yes i did completely repaint the tank, I used the recommended plastcote metallic brass but not 100% happy with it,maybe in sixty years time it'll be ok,I didn't want to polish it as i wanted it back to how it was, the original paint was badly scratched but the font was dent free...
Neil, Yes, like most restorers I'm looking for a tin of 70 year patina , shame that the original paint was just too damaged to do it justice...
To be honest I'm quite happy if the paintwork comes out looking like it has just left the factory; the rest of the lamp seldom does so I think you can still get an idea of age...
