Thursday, August 02, 2007

Tilley Lamp



My shack at home consisted of a brick out-house joined onto the house with a coal shed and outdoor toilet next door (it was state of the art in those days!)

My 'shed' had a re-enforced, flat concrete roof which had a crack right down the middle and leaked. So there I was with a polythene cover to capture the water and my shack underneath, where I was building 350v Power Supplies! SCARRY!!

The biggest problem with my Radio Shack was heating it. At first I went in the evening with just a light on and a coat, then later I used a tall paraffin heater which kept me warm, but left condensation all over and boy did it smell!! (Not good with high voltage everywhere)

The Tilley Lamp was a Godsend...I still don't know where it came from, but this little beauty would heat up the whole shack and made it warm and cosy, even on a cold and frosty night. I can still see myself snuggled up to the glow of my Tilley Lamp, pumping it up every half hour or so to keep it going. A marvelous invention!

The great thing about the Tilley Lamp was that it was portable, so I took it along to Field Days up on Rooley Moor to heat up the tent. Wonderful!!

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