Lol. I only got it because I REALLY need a bright light! My main gripe is that the pump barely works. When I have fettled my 246b, I will look into it. Plenty of candles in the Cathedral, you won't need a lamp there!!
You can get the schroeder valve attachment and use a foot pump. Works much better. I only use the hand pump after it's running to top it off.
@Tony Press The Tilley vaporizer you have from kkn4602 is no longer available or he hasn't produced anymore at this time. The only vaporizer kkn4602 offers at this time in this one. Which looks like a match for the original Tilley generators/vaporizers. I will contact kkr4602 and see if he is going to be making the version you have again sometime soon. As for the all brass Tilley vaporizer version which philbeagle makes. I was checking his feedback and no one has any complaints about his Tilley, Vapalux or Bialaddin vaporizers. I don't know where you bought the all brass vaporizer but whoever made it must have used poor quality material and did some very dodgy work. Coleman has been making their generators/vaporizers with either copper or brass for many years without any problems. I have seen some that were twisted up but this is due to the dodgy work of someone who doesn't know how to turn a spanner. Since he has some very good reviews I will give this all brass vaporizer a try. When done I will post my views on philbeagles all brass Tilley vaporizer. Great review on your vaporizer and thanks for sharing. Cheers, Norman
@Norman Can you weigh your brass vapouriser? I’ll dig out my European one and weigh it. I saw one of those brass vapourisers the other day and they look to be made of thicker brass than mine. The difference between a Coleman and a Tilley is the heat directly on the vapouriser: the Tilley vapouriser is enclosed in the spigot and completely enveloped inside the mantle. That’s a far hotter environment than a Coleman, I imagine. Cheers Tony
I have three Tilleys, an X246, an X246A and a two X246Bs and the oldest straight leg X246 is the best. It's easy to light, steady as a rock and gives a good light. My Bialaddins and Vapalux lanterns are all pretty much bullet proof and much better than the two X246Bs. All my Coleman lanterns are so easy to use its almost no fun, but they give a superb bright light with minimal fuss. I have three Chinese Petromax clones: 2 x Anchor 950s and a Light Brand 350. One of the Anchors works just fine although it pulses a little, the other worked once when I got it and now refuses to do anything apart from burn all its fuel outside the mantle in a blazing yellow halo.... but the Light Brand is just so cute and works flawlessly - I love it to bits.
@Tony Press I haven't ordered any yet but I'm fixing to do just that and yes what I can see of the brass tube it's looks to be pretty thick. I know no one has complained about his vaporizers or at least not yet. I have exchanged emails with him several times on different items he offers and he doesn't do dodgy work so I believe his vaporizer will stand the test of time. I just ordered 2 of the vaporizers plus the replacement jet and needles when and if needed. I have a Tilley X410 and the vaporizer is slowing going bad. I contacted Phil about my X410 because the vaporizer on the X410 is about 9 mm longer, but he let me know the 5 " vaporizer will work just fine. I also contacted, @David Shouksmith, about the same problem and he also stated the 5 " should work fine. Since I have 2 people who know a lot more about this then I do saying pretty much the same thing I feel much better using the 5 " vaporizer on my X410 lantern. I also picked up another Tilley X246B so it will also be the host for one of these new brass vaporizers. My other Tilley lantern is running great. I'll keep you informed has to how these new vaporizers work. Cheers, Norman
Hi David, did you try a Petromax 250cp lantern in comparison to the tilley 246 ? This is one of my most reliable lanterns. Quite nice proportions and look. Very similar in all aspects to the Tilley. But also the Tilley Princess is one of my favorites. The Petromaxes may have their downsides. The weak side of Tilley is the disposable vapourizer. Same as for Coleman. Regards willi
I agree on the small Petromax style lanterns. Bright, reliable, a handy size. The list would include Hipolito 250, Optimus 200 and the like. Compared to those, I find the Tilley lanterns to be generally unwieldy and dim. On the other hand, I really enjoy using the PL53 and Tilley table lamps with the 169 vaporiser.
Perhaps I was overstating my case a bit. "tend to be under-powered for their size and weight when compared to other lamps" would be more accurate. On the plus side, they have excellent run-time, are easy to fettle, quiet, and the older models are quite well made and reliable.
Hello, I do it this way: I edit the evaporator on the lathe and so I can use a nozzle of a Petromax and clean the carburetor inside. A wire is soldered to the cleaning needle to clean the nozzle. So I can continue to use the evaporator of a Tilley lamp. B R
Hi, I would love to hear more about your conversions such as parts, threads, and general performance. Vielen Dank, Josh.
Hello, here are the steps: cutting off the generator on a lathe, making a scrap metal / brass fitting that fits into the generator, soldering, drilling, and threading a Petromax nozzle into the bushing. Filligran is the work of the cleaning needle: There are two possibilities: Number one: Drill a hole in the wire of the Tilly needle and solder in a cleaning wire. Number: Two Insert a threaded hole in the Petromax cleaning needle / carrier and cut a thread on the needle bar of the Tilly. This will change the needle later. All generators work perfectly
thank you very much. Your vaporizer looks quite big in diameter for a tilley? by any chance is it a vapalux part?
I've only worked on generators from Tilly so far. But I think that would work so well with others. I would be glad if the reportage is interesting.
@Tony Press Hi Tony, I recieved my new generator/vaporizer. I weighed my new 5 inch made in Taiwan and for comparison I also weighed the original Tilley 5 inch vaporizer. As can be seen the new brass vaporizer is twice as heavy as the original Tilley vaporizer. Taiwan vaporizer. Original Tilley vaporizer. As stated above the new all brass Taiwan vaporizer is twice the weight of the original Tilley vaporizer. Granted this doesn't mean much but it should be considered. I have 2 Tilley lanterns which will receive the new Taiwan vaporizers. Once done with the rebuild I will post the results. Cheers, Norman
Hi there, I had to replace almost everything on my X246B except for the pump leather because all it needed was to be soaked in some oil. Here are the pictures of the first firing of this lantern. This lantern was a dirty beasty and still is. I just cleaned off most of the dirt. I decided to take the lantern down to the basement where it is very dark so I could get some simulated night shots. I let the lantern run for over an hour without any problems. The new Taiwan vaporizer is working very well indeed. Cheers, Norman
Hi Tony, It is Kleen Strip K1 Water White. I do use the Amish mix though. It is 25% Coleman type of fuel with 75% Kerosene. The Amish state the generator/vaporizer will last may times longer with this mix. I kinda figure they know what they are talking about because the only source of light for them is lanterns. The other Taiwan vaporizer was placed on my Tilley X410 lantern. The X410 vaporizer is 9mm longer in length. It sits a little lower but still looks good. I had to use a spacer to keep the bug guard in place and now it sits on the preheater which Kerry made. You can see the brass vaporizer. The lantern is running pretty good. This X410 lantern has been running for an hour without problems. Cheers, Norman
Hi Tony, I forgot to show the size difference between the X410 vaporizer and the standard Tilley 5" vaporizer. The X410 is the top vaporizer. Cheers, Norman
@Norman I thought you might have been using the Amish mix. There’s a lot of talk here about kerosene quality. As you know, I use Jet A-1 (because I can’t get Jet A in Australia). It’s the best kerosene I can get, and it’s available world wide. I use it with 10% Shellite (Coleman fuel) in my lanterns, but straight in my stoves. Cheers Tony
Hi Alan I noticed your post about the Tilley lamp ... I have a Stormlight x246 B ... it is well made ... just had to buy a replacement vapouriser for it ... hey nearly as much as the lamp ... lamp is really Ok but it is nowhere but nowhere as good as my German Petromax 829 ex Budeswher lamp which is really made of the finest steel and brass and has never let me down ever .. it illuminates my garden at CP 500 and really is my " go to lantern ".....much brighter and more dependable .. other lamps I have a Coleman Powerhouse 295 (petrol ) two Fuerhandys red and yellow .. and a spot on cared for Chinee Sea Anchor... all I suppose vintage ,except for the Fuerhandys ...oh I have a small gas camping lamp.... I service all my lamps as a hobby ... good luck Albert in St Helens
Hello Albert, I am also watching this thread - dormant for a few months. Any good Tilley vapourisers are hard to find now and I need some - no machine shop available so modifying on my own with hand tools - I don't think so. What I can buy via internet from Korea or elsewhere - the money is staying in the wallet so far, lamps stay dark. It is not a good comparison to put 500 CP Petromax (or clone) against a 300CP (if you are lucky) Tilley. They both have their advantages and disadvantages about glare and noise. A Tilley working well is good enough for most purposes - but how to keep them working well with the currently available parts is the problem today.
@JonD I've bought several different vaporizers from several different ebay sellers. These aren't cheap but they do work quite well. The vaporizer I use mostly is from this seller gksk2146-3. He makes these vaporizers for the Tilley, Bialaddin and Vapalux lanterns. All of his vaporizers come with extra jet and cleaning needle. I like the design due to being mostly steel. The steel tube is much thicker then the original Tilley vaporizer so these vaporizers are less likely to warp or become deformed due to the heat from the burner. He is also quick to respond to answer questions. He is very nice to deal with. The other sellers are philbeagle, kkn4602 and lovelantern2014. All have very good quality products. I hope this information helps. Cheers, Norman
