Tilley lantern ...

[caffeine]

Bought one brand new from the boot sale for £10 ... great piece of kit.

Just got round to testing it all works.

Some notes ... I think the lantern had stood for a few years without being used ... the seal on the pump was completely useless to begin with but after filling with parafin and giving the seal a gentle massage i got it working and holding pressure.

I thought I'd primed the wick but I think I messed the next part up the wick seems now to be ash lol but it still lights and gives out a good amount of light.

My question is this .... is it possible to make another wick using a cotton diskcloth and some parafin / wax ??

also have i damaged the wick or is this what they're supposed to do?

any comments appreciated
peace caffeine

 

[ex-member BareThrills]

do you mean the mantle John

they are very delicate and easy to break. cheap to replace though

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Vapalux...ing_LightsLanternsTorches&hash=item3383fe4f5f

 

[wingstoo]

What make and model do you have?

I have a number of them which I light occasionally to make sure they are still ok.

Great bits of kit

 

[Gray]

I think your referring to the mantle. Yes it does turn to....well ....like ash but stays together and produces the light. If you touch it, it will crumble and fall to bits..like ash. You can get replacements from ebay, i keep a few just in case i knock the lamp etc but what your describing sounds right to me.

 

[Karl82]

post a pic of it John and i will be able to let you know. if its the priming clamp you soak in meths the you can buy new ones but it dose go a black colour should not have burnt away. if its the mental as said it goes a white colour and don't touch it or it will crumble to ash.

 

[caffeine]

thanks for the replies ... yes im refering to the mantle ... its ok though just think i need to buy a few spare ones (after having a go at making one hehe) .... the model is the x246b storm lantern (ironically it ****** it down when i went out to try it 1st lol) ... makes a lovely noise and the light is good but as gray mentioned thats what happened i lit it saw the mantle go up in flames opened it to inspect it and damaged it slightly ... mine seems to pulse light and sound almost like a heart beat is this normal ?? from what i remember from the one i've seen in action made a consistent noise.

cant wait to use it out sometime

i will also write up a thread if i have any success in home made mantles lol

and karl mate you should see that knife its cleaned up really nice ... still needs a polish but it looks 10x better than when i bought it

 

[Karl82]

give it some more pressure pump it a a few more times till its a constant shhhhhhhh. post pics of the knife mate you cant just say that Ahhhhhh.

 

[David Morningstar]

Pressure lantern mantles (Tilley, Vapalux/Bialaddin, Coleman, Petromax, Campingaz etc) all start out looking like a little cotton mesh bag. The thread is impregnated with rare earth elements. When you first fire the lantern up the cotton burns away leaving a ceramic-like mesh of very fragile oxides that will glow like crazy when heated up. The mantle will last a fair while but will eventually crumble, especially if bumped about. It is wise to carry a couple of spare mantles with your lantern.

 

[wingstoo]

Cheaper in bulk as well...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50-x-GENU...ing_LightsLanternsTorches&hash=item3ca5cb2ed6

Some useful info about mantles... http://www.shurdington.org/Downloads/GasLamps&Cookers.pdf