Hi, after some advice. Not sure what I should do with this. I've never really refurbished lamps before, just got them working and enjoyed them in the condition they are in. But this one needs a bit more work. How can I get the reflector shiny again? I'm not sure I love it (yet!) so may want to sell it one day, so is it better to leave as is or repaint tank and frame etc? Going out to the garage to try and light it now
@dibblette If you are going to sell it, don’t paint the tank would be my advice. I would use a gel-based “rust remover” (Hammerite) on the reflecting surface of the reflector, followed by a careful polish with Autosol and cloth (not steel wool or similar). Cheers Tony
Thank you, I'll try that. It lit nicely but losing pressure so will replace the washers tomorrow and give it a good clean.
I would look for another reflector from a r1 heater, as yours will show copper through when you start to polish it....
Is there no way to repair the surface? R1 reflectors don't seem that easy to find either and maybe I'm wrong but I prefer where possible to keep all the original parts on lamps I get rather than cobble together lots of different ones.
Would the original reflector have been a steel or copper one and if the latter would it have the Tilley logo? I have a few unwanted reflectors which were destined for the scrappie.
It's not steel, but it doesn't have a Tilley logo (that I can find - where should it be?) . It's my first lamp with a reflector so I don't know what the surface would have been made of, sorry.
Hello! It's a great looking Lantern with fantastic aging patina...Why not take off the reflector and give it a polish with Autosol and see how it looks? Then just give the rest of the Lantern a clean and wipe or light polish/ wax, change the seals and see what it looks like when it's going? Then you can show us the pics and show us how you got on???
Nice restoration project. Parts and seals etc. are available from the Fettlebox, the link is on this forum. When you’ve got it running please post your “money shot” ( a picture of its first light after restoration). Have fun and enjoy the restoration. Cheers Pete
It is the age old conundrum: preservation or restoration ? Personally I prefer preservation every time. However temporarily fitting a better dish and keeping the original with the item is still preservation. But whichever you do it is better than the scrapheap, Cheers Chris
