Roughing it with lanterns......

[British Red]

I have been reading about the joys of Vapalux and Tilley lanterns for a while now. I liked the idea of them as they are more "indoor friendly" than my petrol Coleman etc.

Having shopped around and begged advice from Rik_uk3 - this is me roughing it with my new Vapalux complete with top reflector

Life is tough

Red

 

[topknot]

Now that is roughing it with a empty glass!!

 

[chas brookes]

Hi Red
looks like the glass needs an ample portion of malt or sloe gin perhaps

 

[British Red]

Theres about an inch of 12yo Calvados in it - trick of the light I expect

However I have topped it up to be safe!

Red

 

[bikething]

Hi Red
looks like the glass needs an ample portion of malt or sloe gin perhaps

It's probably evaporated with the heat from the lamp

funnily enough, I'm reading that same book at the moment

 

[MartinK9]

Nice bit of leatherwork in the background too, amazing what you can "knock-up" in the wilds

 

[British Red]

Indeed - I have topped the glass up too!

Is that better?

Red

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Black powder muzzle loader ? .50 cal ? Looks fun anyway

 

[British Red]

Antique naval boarding pistol


Thanks for the inspiration on the photo my friend

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Always a pleasure

 

[British Red]

Oh - its a 10 bore by the way - 3/4" ball

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

Bit extreme to switch the lamp off then

It does make a great scene, just hide it from Cap't Badger LOL

 

[Mike Ameling]

Oh - its a 10 bore by the way - 3/4" ball

Something of a standard companion pistol to the classic British Brown Bess musket! They generally ran around .72 or .75 caliber - a round ball approximately that diameter.

But that also was back in the days before modern cartridge guns - just those muzzleloaders. The extra size was necessary for the gun design of the times. Now days most high-power military riffles are .223 to .308 caliber.

Nice boarding pistol. I've shot similar ones over the years.

What's the difference between the Coleman style white gas lantern and those Vapalux or Tilley lanterns? From the pic they look pretty similar.

Interesting book. Another one to add to the ... list ... to pick up sometime. I've only got the older The Poachers Companion by Walsh.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

p.s. And working on a snifter of 20+ year old ....

 

[British Red]

Something of a standard companion pistol to the classic British Brown Bess musket! They generally ran around .72 or .75 caliber - a round ball approximately that diameter.

mmm got an 1800 Tower armoury stamped Indian service model one (later converted to percussion though sadly)

Now days most high-power military riffles are .223 to .308 caliber.

Got a few in .30 calbre and .223 - but they just wouldn't have looked right in the photo

What's the difference between the Coleman style white gas lantern and those Vapalux or Tilley lanterns? From the pic they look pretty similar.

Sort of. The main difference is that they run on paraffin (kero to you). As a result they use a methylated spirt pre-heater. The upside is that they are fine indoors - downside is a bit more of a faff lighting them and not quite as bright. Nice period feel to them I think though - especially the polished brass ones.

Red

 

[pwb]

Lovely atmospheric photo BR .
I went and dug out my old lantern . It's a Bialaddin 300x the same as this one:

http://home.12move.nl/tantan/Bialaddin.JPG

It gets used now and again when there's a power cut, not for a few years now though. I'm always a little disappointed when the power comes back on...Just a little.

I did a search and see I can still get some spares, not sure about washers and generator tubes. The washers on it are pretty hard now and It's 'gen tube' looks quite rusty. I can see a day ahead smelling of paraffin, meths and Brasso .

Atb. Pete.

 

[British Red]

Try these guys for any washers and so on you need Pete (if you haven't already)

They seem to have most things

http://www.base-camp.co.uk/Vapalux.html

Red

 

[IanM]

Looks nice, I would like to handle the pistol one day. Does the pistol still have its boarding belt clip? it doesn't show in the pictures.

I assume that you have checked that it is still not charged. Unfortunately I find a fair number, say one in twenty, of black powder pistols, especially in antique shops, still hold a charge (I collect and shoot them). Scary is it not?

Nowadays I ALWAYS drop a rod to the touch hole of any pistol I handle just in case, like opening a shotgun to hand it to a friend. Just a courtesy.

 

[Aaron]

Great Hugh, great; but you missed the rest of the image off:

 

[British Red]

Indeed - there is another wing back facing my chair across the fire. Once in a while me and a buddy are "verra verra dwunk......"

IanM, worry not - its cleared (but funtional). I occasionally dable in black powder shooting too

 

[pwb]

Try these guys for any washers and so on you need Pete (if you haven't already)

Thanks Red, will do.

Pete.