I have an FL6 with a duff reflector. It has a dark-ish patina behind the mantle which I take to the the speculum coming away, and whoever had the lamp before me appears to have gone at the remainder of the reflector with a brillo pad, it looks awful. I was idly considering getting rid of the whole lamp but when I looked online I discovered somebody selling 'new old stock' reflectors which appear to have a complete, mirror finish. I've ordered one and I'm hoping that it will bring my lamp up to the brightness you'd expect from something so large. I suppose my question is am I likely to get what I want do you think, or is a hazed reflector not that big a handicap?
I think it will depend on what you are expecting and just how bad your relector is... We have some horrid 1kW Halogen spotlights on our house that were put up by a previous owner and it's no match for those! However placed in one corner it does a good job of lighting the garden. There are several other reasons why it may not be as bright as it should be, but if you really want to get rid of it I can think of a good home
The new reflector will make a lot of difference, but a good vapouriser and a well cleaned and fettled burner will also help, Jeff.
Burner and whatnot seem fine, the lamp is difficult to look into when lit but I'd say not as bright as yours, Gneiss. I'll get a pic of the current reflector tomorrow. I'm glad I just went ahead and ordered a new one, the guy (Kibworth) had seven and they flew out. It's also leaking slightly, from where one of the support pillars joins the tank. My crummy soldering clearly wasn't enough.
That's a real shame about the leak... I'm not sure if soft solder will be strong enough, assuming that's what you used.
I've used soft solder to repair a base-seam without problem and I can't see that the top of the tank will get hot enough to melt it, either. I'd guess it was what Tilley used originally...
Soldering should do it, just not my soldering. It also means stripping back the recently applied paint . Still, it wouldn't be fettling otherwise, would it?
I'm not thinking of it melting, I'm thinking more about the strength... There's a fair bit of weight on those pillars and quite large bolts that are tightened down into them so potentially quite a high torque.
Hmm, you have a point. Well I'll solder it this time and if it breaks then I'll have to consider either a weld or a replacement tank.
You need the area as clean as possible and use plenty of fux... A heatproof (not nylon) brush is a good way to wipe the joint and get a nice finish... Good luck...
I'm not 100% sure because I've never taken one that far apart but I think the solder is for sealing rather than strength...
Yes it is. All bolt fixings in Tilley stuff are inserted from the inside. Those pillars will be bolted from the inside and the solder is only used as sealer. Clean the seal area to bright metal, add flux and a turn of solder around the pillar base and then heat the top of the pillar until the solder runs. Remove heat and wait for cool. Simples! ::Neil::
Win! I didn't think to apply the solder like that. I shall do so, although maybe when the weather has cooled slightly. The shed is like an oven at the moment. Gneiss, I shall use several.
Check out my scummy reflector. If you look at it square on, there's no reflection from the rear of the mantle at all. Hopefully, this is where my troubles lie. EDIT: It looks as though the lamp is lit, in the third photo. It isn't.
That looks about average for an FL6 reflector and I wouldn't worry too much about it. Still, you've got a better one on the way... BTW, you need to click on 'Fullsize' in the File Manager to add the images themselves to your post - see the instructions in red. Click here.
It took me several reads of that to work out what was wrong. I had to solder the studs on mine when I restored it, I haven't noticed any seeping paraffin from it, but honestly I haven't had fuel in it since I painted it.
I saw those new old stock reflectors myself and thought about it as they would be more pleasing aesthetically. Brightness wise I wouldn't expect a huge difference from the one in the pictures.
It arrived this morning! Now if that doesn't make me more successful and attractive to women, then I don't know what will. If you look closely, you can see three other lamps in the pic. None of which are terribly exciting. I'll fit it later and try it out.
That would have been a nice find; nothing there though. Anyway, quake before the power of the beast! (Excuse the washing) I'll shut up about it now.
