The lantern is a 1945 Vapalux 300X that takes a double tie mantle. How do I get my mantle to hang pretty? The ones I have lit shrivel quite a bit on first usage. I notice that some lamps have long very large mantles. Can I intall these instead and get more light?
Hi Esarratt, my limited experience with Tilley and Vapalux lanterns is that if you use double tie mantles made for small gas lamps they do not work well and shrivel up to small, you need good Tilley mantles as they work on both these British lanterns, some German lamp sites sell 350 cp double tie mantles that are larger and work well to, i stay with these, they work, cheers Frank
Had good results with some Liberty double tie mantles. Not the "spec" type but they still use thorium
Mmmmm. Thorium. Nothing like a little radiation to light up your lantern. Thanks for the info. I do here that there is nothing like the old thorium mantels.
Indeed, some come close but there is nothing that incandesces like thorium. As long as you don't eat one or snort the smoke, no worries. The radiation only travels around 5 " from what my old Ludlum meter shows. Burn bright, be happy!
How to bind the filling for Tilley , Vapalux , Bialaddin? It's work and low cost. Please see this link. http://www.siamtakeang.com/webboard/index.php?topic=13439.msg147693;topicseen#msg147693
Ha! I am actually a substance abuse counselor. Thanks! That information is useful. I'll pick up some Coghlans. By the way. Is there any way to tell which mantels are thorium based versus non-thorium besides a radiation detector?
Not really, sans using them on the lantern. Or, and this is a geek response, make a cloud chamber and put one in it and watch for vapor trails.
There are designs for building a simple radiation detector online using a tin can, a multimeter and a couple of inexpensive transistors. There's also a chap on ebay from Lithuania who sells cheap geiger counter kits.
It's trial and error for mantles IMO. All the Bialaddin/vapalux mantle supports are the same so they can take a range of Mantles not just double ties. I found Tilley Happy mantles form best but give a yellow light. Vapalux V42's give a white light, more so if you can get them to form a bit closer to the support on burn off by letting them dangle at the bottom below where they should normally be. Thorium is an Alpha emitter, fine unless inside the body. It's not THAT radioactive in the sceme of things but caution should still be used. A thorium mantle could crumble in your garage or shed and that dust will emit alpha particles for hundreds of thousands of years albeit in very small amounts!
I have had very good reliable results using the Peerless 24A single tie mantles on both Tilley and Vapalux lanterns. I invert the mantle so that the bottom stitching protrudes through the neck, un-pick the stitching and tie this open end to the mantle support spigot using a spare piece of mantle string or thread. (the edge points upwards towards the burner) Then tie the neck of the mantle in the groove of the burner as usual. Arrange the skirt of the mantle to hang evenly and burn it. On the Vapalux the mantle has so far lasted for a full season of frequent use and is still going strong and the light is peerless: white and brilliant ;-) It may sound difficult but is actually not much more effort than tying on any other mantle. -Phil
I often think, after the event, that it's probably not a great idea to open the packets with my teath....
I'll start with the caveat that I haven't tried this on any double tie mantles as I don't have any working lanterns that use them. For single tie mantles I had good luck with this procedure: 1. Tie new mantle onto burner 2. Pump lantern up to normal lighting pressure (30-35 pumps for Coleman) 3. open fuel valve and allow generator to fill so lantern is ready to light but not dripping fuel from burner tubes. 4. Burn new mantle as usual. I use a long butane lighter and keep a flame under the mantle. 5. As soon as the mantles are burned, open fuel valve and light lantern. I've found that the pressure inside the warm mantle causes it to fill out nicely. It will hold that shape when it cools. No more shrunken, wrinkled mantles. I've also noticed, and others have commented, that if you don't burn the new mantles before lighting the lantern the mantles will shrink more.
When I fit a new Tilley mantle or any other brand of mantle, I always pre heat the lantern/lamp twice, one torch right after the other and I then let the lantern burn for at least one hour, I have found that this method helps to form the mantle properly and that helps with the light output. That method was the one which was used here in Shetland when the lamps were in daily use and the late Mr Herb Ebendorf (Coleman's historian) also recommended it.
Thankyou Jeff, see the issue im having is i brought 60+ Table Lamps from the Collector Jim Dick before he went into a retirement home, i tried to light a porkpie Table Lamp Tall Stem, had the cock in the off position, tank full kero, pumped 40+ pumps into the tank, lit the torch twice, new Mantle burned uneven as i could not get one side to stop hanging 500-600cp Liberty Mantle, opened the cock to get a huge fire ball. Not sure if the vap needs replacing ? Second go, got it started mantle had a dull glow, what looked like a faint fire ball around the mantle coming up as high as the burner arms and mixing dome, still almost transparent but it was there and the mantle was pulsing, but in saying that it was only running for a few minutes. So turned it off gave up, black soot everywhere, glass, burners, vap, bloody mess...... Advise needed please, i think i started it wrong. Also when turning it off for the night, people say leave the cock in the on position and pump unscrewed to stop pressure building, ? Wont this stink the house out, and allow moisture to get into the tank. Regards Darren
Table lamps are always a little harder to start than a lantern. The burner is more exposed and heats up slower. Best to soft start with no pressure and then when hot enough maybe 12-15 pump strokes to get it lit and then wait a while for the heat to build before pumping on. Moisture?? These pressure lamps of ours ALWAYS have moisture in them. It's in the air and you pump lots of it into the tank. You may never notice it but if any condenses out then it settles at the bottom of the tank and then gets pushed out through the vaposiser/generator. Doesn't burn very well of course but it does vapourise and vanish back to whence it came. ::Neil::
Hello Darren, it's best to use the proper Tilley mantles, those Liberty mantles are far to big, the vapouriser on that lamp may have an enlarged jet. When I shut off a Tilley lamp, I first of all turn the control cock to the off position, which means that the pricker wire is up and then I unscrew the pump until I hear the air starting to come out and I then gradually loosen the pump, once the air is out I leave the pump in the tank but not screwed in and once the vapouriser and burner have cooled down, I then open the control cock which lets the fuel which is still in the vapouriser trickle back down into the tank. It sounds more complicated than it is. https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/1946-circa-pork-pie-tilley-lamps.1752/
Thank Nell appreciate the reply, someone said to me having the pump screwed in and cock on off that pressure builds up when not in use, and the results are, kerosene slowly leaks from the vap.
@Kiwiboy00 They were quite correct. The Tilley cock on the Tilley is not a reliable shutoff valve and will leak, whereas the likes of Coleman actually have a needle and seat arrangement that does shut off. On my Tilleys I always loosened the pump and also turn the cock to the off position. If I fail to do so and on warms days I usually have had a puddle of kerosene to clean up. Cheers Pete
Thankyou Jeff & Pete, i hope if i do unscrew the pump and have the cock turned off that it wont smell out the house from the kerosene in the tank, wife’s already on my case about having to many lamps, i brought over 50 plus from collector and author Jim Dick, and have not lit one successful so as long as i lite it out side and turn it off out side i think im safe, just hope by unscrewing the pump wont stink the house out when not in use.
@Kiwiboy00 If you’ve not been able to light one of Jim’s lamps, you’re in trouble. If you want to talk to me about what’s going on your end send me a personal message. Tony
