Hello guys (are there girls?) I would like to show you my most recent pressure lamp find. It's a Tilley. I believe it's called a pork pie. When I was cleaning the lantern I realized that I should heve takensome pictures first. The tank had a very dirty spot round the pump. close to the pump at least 1 mm thick. I guess it was all dried up fuel from the pressure releasing. For the rest the tank was quite clean. The dirty spot is cleaned with a cloth and some petrol and at least one hour rubbing. I didn't want to damage the paint since that's in supprisingly good condition. The rest of the lamp (except the orange hat) was all covered with a thick layer of a black substance. It wouldn't come of with petrol. I placed the top part in a caustic soda solution, I use this for my hurrucane lamps too. After 2 hours I wanted to se how far the c.s. did his work. To my spupprise the layer good be whiped of with my finger. I brushed of the dirt and then I cleaned the top part using a little polishing paste on a small sponge. I didn't want to make the brass parts all shiny, wouldn't look good with the tank. After cleaning I made a new gasket for the control cock and the pump. The pump valve was in good order. I placed a new generator on the lamp, one good read a news paper throught the orifice of the old one,replaced one of the air tubes (one with a crack) filled the darling up, preheated her, and there it went. First it glowed only on one side of the mantle, after one minute it glowed all around. Great lamp. As said I replaced one air tube, the replacement came from a Guardsman, straight legs. I noticed that it wasn't exactly the same as the original ones. The replacement threads in further. I shortened it a little and placed a small copper ring between the tube and carburettor. Is it normal that the old air tubes are different from the newer ones? What's the effect when I thread in the "new" air tube all the way? groetnis Henk The cleaner tube is the original one.
Hello Henk, that is a first generation X-246 lantern and Tilley introduced it in 1946, it's a fine lantern! A tall and a short table lamp which also had that tank were also introduced then and they are all commonly known as pork pie Tilleys, because the tank is shaped rather like a British pork pie. Tilley were always tweeking their products and the only way to find out if the other air tube will affect the burner is to try it, but if your lantern is working well, then perhaps you should let it be! Jeff.
