Arrived early January, but I've just got around to posting it: Rapidal Grey, steel tank with pip, all steel frame, glass with hole No date marks, but I'm guessing early 1945 . Looking at the condition of the inside of the hood, the burner and the pricker wire, it's only been lit once or twice, then left to rust...
Sadly, there's none of the original paint left on the frame, and only about 5 to 10% left on the tank (although quite a lot of the tinning survives), so once I've treated the rust I'll have to repaint.
Thanks gents. So far I've just had a dismantle, sourced a 300 pump rod and pressure tested the tank. I'll have to find a correct NRV as well, at the moment I've got a ShawClone one in there.
Nice find I’ve got a steel tank with pressure pip that is quite rusted, what are you using on it to clear the rust, I’m concerned about the pip as not sure how it seals and don’t want to do anything that will damage the seal. I need to de-rust inside and out. What’s your recommendation Thanks
In another thread I mentioned I had one dated 1943, with the early E41 gray top. These are a great lantern. You're in for a treat when you start your restoration. They are not difficult to work on and yours looks like it will turn out great. I'm not sure but I think the pip is brazed/soldered in the fount. The pip works up and down like a bellows. So far, I've been luckey, all mine have worked. Don't know about my latest though, haven't started on it yet.
Update: I was looking over the bits to assess them for cleaning, tried to blow through the pricker control- blocked! Had a poke with some 3mm wire rope, and found bits of solder coming out... To cut a long story short- desoldered the pickup tube to find the bottom part of the cock blocked solid with solder, probably due to a mistake in manufacturing, which I drilled out carefully and resoldered the tube. Looks like the lantern came from the factory defective and has never been successfully lit...
That's why it appeared to be used very little or not at all. Made for the military and if it didn't work they just threw it in a corner and forgot about it.
