Hi All I have started the restoration process on this early example FL-6 , the worst part is the bottom rim of the fount where the rust has done its worst , i intend to slip a steel strengthening band on the inside of the affected area & fix this in place with spot welds then fill in with some sort of metal filler & build up the bottom edge , luckily the fount is sound after a very minor solder repair Here are some pic's of the work so far including major rust removal , the burner quenched , the reflector polished up & the worst part of the tank being dealt with some Kurust , note difference in the brass name plate on the front Still a major work in progress & will keep you informed on the restoration as i work my way through Best regards Stu
Hi Jeff & Dan Yes progressing slowly but nothing too major so far , & Dan i used fine wire wool & hot soapy water on the reflector as this seems to be a hard chrome finish which came up like new , didn't even use polish Now going back out to try & fit the steel banding repair on the bottom rim , wish me luck Stu
Hi All Here is the next instalment in the FL-6 saga , "The rusty rim repair" Steel banding was pressed & held in place by clamps until a key was placed in the gap to fully push the band tight , this was then spot welded into place on the best part of the inside edge giving me something solid to do the repair work with Next job was to make up some repair patches from brass shim , i could have made some steel ones but the proximity to the base plate soldering & the condition of the rusty areas made this a bit risky & spot welding here would blow right through even on low power so i decided to do it the old fashioned way First i tinned the patches & the clean steel band then carefully sweated them into position. Using the large soldering iron i loaded/filled the patch edges with lead solder to make up the thickness & fill in the gaps this was also done in the large holes where brass shim was slipped inbetween the band & the rusted areas to help the lead repair adhere here too , & to finish a smear of chemical metal which will be sanded back & the first coat of primer applied Still plenty to do but the fount is now in much better condition & the restoration can continue , i think i can see light at the end of the tunnel Best regards Stu .
The next installment is just the resin red oxide paint being applied to the fount after the Kurust treatment , this is the first coat & tomorow i'll flat it back with wet & dry then recoat it starting to look a little better Unfortunately the metal surround that holds the glass is in quite a bad state & i think i will need to make a new outer rim & secure it over the badly holed steel , then re-drill the holes for the inner glass holder Just started to clean up the cast support & the main lamp body If anyone has any better ideas on the rim repair or has a spare please sing out Stu
Good grief Stu, what a task. Shaping up well though. The reflector appears to have unblemished silvering, surprising given the life the lamp must have had judging by the ravages of the tin worm on the ferrous bits. Alas, I've no spare rim to divvy up. John
Hello Stu, great fettling! You should be able to fix that rim and photos of the process will be interesting, Jeff.
Tune = O Sole Mio ( or 'Just One Cornetto' for the philistines amongst us... ) A glass support rim? I've one with me It's in my kitchen In Great Lumley It's purple What do you care? Send your address please It will be there....
Hi Stu what can i say but brilliant work so far, i am realy looking forward to the next installment, and seeing the FL-6 fully restored. The tank realy is rusted and a brilliant job on the rim,the method you have chosen to repair it is the best way i think,i will be dissapointed if this project when finnished is not moved to the fettlers masterclass. I dont know if you are going to treat the inside of the tank,i would give it the POR 15 treatment to seal the inside and protect the inside of the tank from future rust,with all the work you have done it would be a good idea. Just on snag on this project Stu you should have used one of your vintahe blowlamps to heat the soldering iron LOL
Amazing Stu. Look forward to the finished job. With all your reconstruction work you ought to have a formal "Topping-out Ceremony" Well done mate.
Hi All The fount was still looking a bit dimply after several coats of red oxide paint so i took some wet & dry sanding paper & took as much of the bumpy surface off as possible leaving it looking like this Next several coats of grey primer which were flatted down in between each one to give a much better finish , it's still not perfect with plenty of blemishes but nowhere near as bad as when i started Also have rebuilt the pump & the control cock / vapouriser assembly , if you look next to the control cock you'll notice the original metal mesh sock filter as this early type have no screw on filter , i don't know but are these still available & the pump has a spring mounted in between the handle & pump cap as the pump rod seems slightly too long even after adjustment , now gives a nice smooth action 8) I'll let the primer dry for a day or so before i think about putting on a topcoat or two , i have some new black engine laquer as i have finally found traces of black paint on the brass tank riser Starting on the main lamp body soon Best regards Stu
Hello Stu, it's getting there and all of those parts have cleaned up well and they are of excellent quality. Tilley dropped the XN control cock when they introduced the GF control cock in 1940, so those black cloth filters are scarce. Many but not all of the FL-6 lamps were painted black, Jeff.
Hi All Well the restoration continues , today i have been working on the main lamp body this is still badly scar'd with the demon rust monster & there is a nice little set of holes in the back edge but these will get the old lead treatment 8) First i took it back to bare metal with a bell brush in an angle grinder & other shaped brushes in the drill , then an abrasive flap wheel & this is what i ended up with Then i had to deal with these lttle rotters somehow the worst of the corrosion was on this edge only & after a good cleanup i went to work on it. Out came the brass shim again & a patch was duly made then sweated into place & the patch was loaded with lead to fill in the gaps. This was shaped back & prepared for paint I have left some of the scarring still visible to show the age & war wounds of a life lived I used satin black BBQ paint on the inside surfaces & the chimney/burner exhaust inside & out , i have used this is good stuff before & it's very heat resistant 8) Next the outside got a good few coats of grey primer as did the fount to give a better finish & then i did a trial fitting of the cleaned up reflector , you can even see the marks made by the person who spun it 8) . Hope to start putting some finishing paint on soon , & this is what i had for my tea belly pork , kofta skewers , chilli & garlic sausages , grilled mushrooms & skewered onions all with a homemade Thai satay glaze , glad to say it was all very tasty Nearly on the home straight Stu
That is some truly fantastic work that you are doing Stu. This one has been saved and will be running in no time. Is it safe to say that the burner tube extenders screw inward and collapse onto the burner so it can be removed? I won an FL6 recently but haven't taken delivery yet, so that one point has me perplexed.
Hi John The burner air extension tubes just unscrew off as normal & then you just lift the burner off as you would with any other Tilley lamp without a hood They should be knurled to make it easier to get a grip on them when unscrewing Stu
Hi All Well the sun shone & the weather was warm so ideal conditions for topcoating the lamp body & fount , the main lamp body was can sprayed & the fount was brush painted with engine laquer this is fuel proof & ideal for this purpose , had to work fast though as it was drying as fast as i could apply it i'm very happy with the results though The lamp cradle also got the paint treatment & i refitted the reflector back into the main body Then after peeling off the masking tape i trial fitted the pump , control cock assembly & slipped the cradle on to the fount Can definately see the end in sight now , just waitng for a replacement front glass holder rim/ring kindly donated by David Shouksmith 8) a truly nice lampie , to finish off this restoration Certtainly looks a bit different to when i started Best regards Stu
Looking very nice Stu. It almost makes me want to get on and finish mine Although i'm still on the primer stage of my Vapalux restoration. Hmmm the sun is still shining perhaps i'll go and do some work. Beautiful shine on the tank by the way and I love the brass plaque. Best regards Matt.
Hi Stu, Cracking good show Sir! Not trying to teach me granny to suck eggs , but let that new top coat paint really harden before any further trial fittings. Would be a shame to spoil it now. Excellent restoration Stu, Thank you . Steve.
Hi Stu amazing restoration so far and what a transformation,i can not beleive it is the same lamp.The paint work on the tank is fantastic, considering how much pitting due to rust,i would not have thought it would come as nice, unless it was all filled with body filler and sanded smooth. i vote this restoration be put in the masters class, well done so far Stu cant wait to see it 100% finnished
Hi Guys Thanks for the kind comments 8) , & Steve don't worry the paint had been baking in the hot sun all day & it is as hard as nails already , but i only put it on for a few seconds for the photo even i didn't want to take a chance on the paint being marked . Will give it a good 48 hours before i attempt to start building it up though There is still quite a lot of pitting all over but it has had a very hard life & this reflects that , i cheated & took the pic's from the best angles though Stu
Thanks Guys , still a bit to do though , but not as much as when i started Keep watching shouldn't be too long now Stu
