Is this a TL136

Was I right and is this a TL136, something else or some sort of hybrid?







Also does anyone know what the two bumps, one each side of the globe are for?

It holds pressure, but there are a couple of issues. My cleaning wire is broken and the little pressure indicator doesn't seem to move as it is pumped up...

Is it common for these to seize and is there a simple fix?

 

Yes that's a 136, it needs some cream paint on the tank as you will see if you look in the gallery.

Cleaning wire is an easy fix, you just need to get a new one, the pressure indicator probably won't work if you don't have a tank full of fuel, or it will but will need a lot of pumping.

Your best bet is to change the seals, then fill it up and pump it up. It might be stuck in which case it will come free once you get enough pressure behind it, or you may find as I have done before, that it is cracked inside the tank so you will find that you have a leak from it. This can be solved in multiple ways, but best see if it works before going into those details.

The glass is not from a Tilley lamp and is in fact from a hurricane wick lamp. Those little bumps are where the wire goes around the globe to hold it in place.

Hope this helps a little and I look forward to seeing it running. Best regards Matt.

 

GZ Gneiss

Looks good

 

Don't try to run the lamp with that globe. Hurricane lamp globes often won't stand the heat from a 300 cp mantle and can break.

The pressure indicator has a spring loaded inner rod. You can find out if it is stuck by pressing down on it with a small screwdriver to see if it moves against the spring. If it moves like that but not from pressure in the tank then the diaphragm may be split and it will leak. Shove some pressure in the tank and then bung the whole tank in water and look for leaks. The pressure indicator won't leak much so you may ony get a fine stream of bubbles. No big deal if it does. You just drill down it a little and then seal with a dab of solder. ::Neil::

 

Thanks...

At this point I have to say hats off to all those with galleries and burners that look like they've just come off the production line amazing work compared to my attempt!



It's been the best part of the day just cleaning up those, I haven't started on the rest of the lamp yet. I want to test it all out before I go too far..

What I did notice is that the three knurled rings that hold the gallery on weren't very tight so there is a bit of play in the gallery with respect to the burner - Is this deliberate to allow for expansion or should they be tightened a bit?

 

What generator do I need for this and can i still get the globes from somewhere?

I'm not sure yet as the pump washer disintegrated but I think the stop cock is leaking fuel too... I read somewhere you can repair these with some sort of packing, is this correct?

 

That lamp was first marketed with the 606 vapouriser, but I prefer to fit them with the 169 vapouriser.

Both vapourisers will work, so the choice is yours.

The 182 globe can be obtained from Moncrief glass and they also stock Tilley vapourisers.

The link below is for the Fettle box and the Tilley washer pack which is shown is what you will need.

http://www.fettlebox.co.uk/tilley-washer-kit.html

The gallery springs need to be tight enough to hold the globe, but not so tight that it will crack with the heat.

The globe which came with your lamp is for a Chalwyn Tempest cold blast hurricane lantern and it will not handle the heat from a Tilley, Jeff.

 

Hi Jeff, if I'm right in thinking the 169 is a 7" vapouriser and the 606 5" then mine came with the 169... Assuming that is the case I think it would look out of proportion with the shorter one, but guess that's a matter of taste.

Slightly crossed wires on the other bit, I was talking about the three nuts on the air tubes that hold the gallery in place. These were very loose on mine hence there is play in the gallery with respect to the burner and I wondered if that is intentional to allow for expansion...

My little pressure gauge does leak too, although it was hard to tell as I couldn't get much pressure in, and now the cup washer has given up the ghost none at all

I have found a new cup washer to service my pump, not very impressed with the quality though... looked like it had been made by a child at art class!!

I have Tilley service pack 1 minus the vapouriser washer, so I hope I'm right in thinking that has an "O" ring to fit the stop cock...

PS. Thanks for the information on my globe.. If ever I come across one of those with a missing globe and at a reasonable price I'll be tempted to snap it up.

 

Here is a picture I took a while ago which shows my two TL136's fitted with both vapouriser's so you can see what they look like.



The burner nuts should be tight against the inside of the gallery, you don't want them loose else it will rattle and they may work even more loose and the gallery may fall off which won't be good.

With the pressure indicator, when you can get pressure into the tank leave it pressurised for a while and check it again as there will be air inside the mechanism which needs to escape so what appears to be a leak may stop after a few minutes.

An 'o' ring will be ok under the vapouriser, make sure it is fuel resistant. Probably best to fit a proper washer in the long run though. Also the packing that you mentioned is inside the little barrel nut on the control spindle. You need to unscrew the black button, holding the shaft with a pair of pliers (suitably protected) and also grip the button that should unscrew. Then you unscrew the barrel nut and slide that off, the packing washer will be inside.

 

And now my wife and I have a difference of opinion... I personally prefer the look of the taller one, I just think it looks more elegant, my wife disagrees. Perhaps we should have a poll...

Would mine have definitely been painted in that cream paint?

 

It's been a bit of a mixed day in terms of progress... I've had it lit, however there is a but!



There is a fair bit of yellow flame around the mantle, I need a new vapouriser, my little pressure gauge is leaking and having fixed the leak in the stopcock I now need to replace the washer under the stopcock - I probably should have just replaced them all from the start.

I may also replace the cup washer in the pump again, although the one that is in there is brand new I'm really not happy with the quality and I don't think it's working as well as it should. It's a pity the Coleman ones I bought the other day don't fit as they were fantastic quality.

 

Vapouriser length could be easily solved, tell your wife that the 169 is cheaper and you don't want to spend more money than you have to. As far as I know these were all painted cream but a more knowledgable person will put this right if i'm wrong.

The burn doesn't look too bad to me, if it were mine I would leave it until it was really bad. Saying that if you are going to use the lamp regularly then perhaps. Looking good though, you can fix that pressure indicator quite easily with Neil's method so you'll have a nice lamp when it's finished.

 

Thanks, I hope so...

In the end practicalities won the day on the vapouriser front... I already had an X246B and so just carrying one set of spares made more sense.

As it will be used outdoors too I went for an onion globe rather than a shade so I can use a bug screen, but as a compromise I've picked the etched glass version so it will hopefully give a softer light. Best of both worlds maybe?

 

Yes the etched one will be best if your are not using another shade as these lamps are very bright to have on eye level. 8)

 

Matt has answered your questions, but I would like to add that your lamp would have had the cream painted tank.

However, there is a chromed example of the tall version of that lamp (the 106) in the lamp gallery, so the 136 may also have been offered with a chromed finish.

In earlier years Tilley did offer the option of a chromed finish which cost a bit more, so they may still have been offering that option in the 1950s.

The link below shows my Chalwyn Tempest hurricane lantern, but you will need to scroll down the page to see it, Jeff.

http://0flo.com/index.php?threads/2172

 

It's interesting that it fits the Tilley so well, albeit upside down.

 

According to the Tilley book (page 26), these were 16.5 inches tall and could be bought either cream-painted or with speculum finish...

Actually, many of the wickie-crap hurricane lantern globes seem to fit upside-down in a Tilley gallery so I'd guess the 3.5 inch fitter was common to the lower end of these.

This one also fits inverted in a Tilley gallery (which was how it ended up here in GL):-

Marked 'British Made' - any idea what it's from, Jeff? More to the point, does anyone want it for the cost of postage only?

 

Mine is 16.5" tall with the 606 vapouriser so that also ties in with Jeff's comment earlier...

 

Hello David, that size and style of glass was used on many brands of hot blast hurricane lanterns, such as the ones which are shown in the 1926 advert below.

They were called hot blast because of that plate above the glass, the cold blast lanterns like my Chalwyn have a metal chimney above the glass and that draws the flame more,hence the cold blast lanterns are a bit brighter. Jeff.

PS., I forgot to check the Tilley book for details on the 136!

 

Those globes look fine on Tilleys which are just for display.

If you do find a complete Chalwyn Tempest lantern, then a spare globe is an asset.

The washers and seals from the fettle box are of much better quality than the Tilley ones, Jeff.

 

All my hurricane lanterns are cold blast lamps and none are old, they are all cheap Chinese copies...

I have no idea why they are called hurricane lanterns seeing as they blow out in anything more than a light breeze. My Eccles safety lamp on the other hand wouldn't even flicker in a hurricane...

PS. I've ordered a couple of sets of washers from fettle box... I think that's where I got my Bialaddin 315 washers from a couple of weeks back too.

 

My Chalwyn Tempest lantern stays lit in really fierce winds, Jeff.

 

Clearly this must depend on any vent holes the air intake etc, but mine are absolutely useless in the wind... It would be interesting to find out exactly why.

I know you can't expect much from a lamp that only cost £12 for four, but I would have expected them to be direct copies from other designs and so in theory should be better than they are. I hang them from the trees in our garden most weekends and they are often OK but equally as often one or more will get blown out by the wind.

Possibly this is a subject for another thread....

 

Well, I think the basic features will have have been copied but to get the cost down to that price, all sorts of things are likely to have been omitted.

Anyway, as you say, another thread...

 

My pressure indicator is a bit of a mystery, I does exactly as you said and appears to leak for a few seconds shortly after pumping and then stops. BUT it never appears to move and I don't want to overpressurise the tank by pumping any more than I am... I'm giving it about 50 pumps which is enough to notice quite strong resistance if you try to pump any more...

Anyway the good news is that all the bits I ordered arrived, so seals, pump cup, a new vapouriser etc everything works perfectly

The etched onion globe looks great too...



Obviously I still need to paint the font to restore it to it's former appearance but very pleased with it so far.

One thing I will add is that I now see what you all mean about the quality of the new Tilley vapourisers...

Whilst it works perfectly the jet end looks like something that has been made on Blue Peter

 

Looking good, I would have thought by 50 strokes it would move the indicator but I can't remember what the correct number of pumps is. You could try spraying some penetrating oil in it and let it soak for a few days, keep topping it up and perhaps give it some pressure. If it's stuck then it may well free off. Seems to be burning nice and bright, and looks good with the onion globe on, could you post a picture with the globe but lamp not lit? I'd like to see what it looks like. I have just ordered two champagne top hats which should arrive next week so I'm looking forward to that.

 

No problem...





I've done a bit of work cleaning up the brass that isn't going to be painted and preparing the rest for painting... I think it looks pretty good with just the globe, even unlit.

 

That frosted globe suits your lamp!

 

I have to say I was quite nervous lighting it for the first time with the globe on and with the flames from the priming cup licking around the glass a bit at the top

I've only ever lit lanterns before and the flames from the primer don't really go near the globes on mine, so a new experience for me

The globe actually held up my order a bit as I think they send them somewhere else to be etched...

 

By the way, I notice a couple of these in the reference library have been dated 1949 - 1954, does that cover the entire lifespan of this model or have those dates been narrowed down somehow?