Bialaddin 300

This is how it came to me.

 

That is a great restoration project. The specimen I have is my favourite lamp. Lucky man!

 

These are a really nice lantern. Great runner, and this one should clean up really nice, too!
Enjoy!!

 

Happy fettling!

 

This is being fettled for a good friend and will be the test bed for the new Bialaddin spray-paint colour I found.

 

That’s a great fettling project @ColinG. Be interesting to see if that Chestnut paint is a good fit, so far it’s looking a good substitute.
Looking forward to seeing the fettle progress to the money shot.
Enjoy
Cheers
Pete

 

I thought I'd document the fettling process I go through in case anyone's interested. I want to make it clear that this is only what I do. I'm not suggesting these are the best methods or the only methods but they've worked for me.

Disassembly:









The fount was peeling badly over most of the surface but I will leave the base as I found it as a colour reference for anyone who owns it after me.

Preparation:



The remaining paint was removed with a new paint stripper I've been meaning to use for a while now.



While it was working it's magic I polished the filler cap, pump parts and control valve on my buffing wheel. Honestly, it's so quick to do. The knurled parts were brushed with a fine brass wire brush meant to clean suede.



This was the paint stripper. Despite the dire warnings it didn't seem that bad but it was extremely fast acting! An hour after application the paint fell away easily.




The fount was now free of paint but still tarnished so it was time for some miracle GSR (George's Stove Restorer) For the recipe you'll have dig around on the CCS sister site but it's basically wallpaper paste and citric acid powder. GSR gently removes the oxide layer and bloody good stuff it is too!



I mix mine up quite thick so it really adheres to the surface.


Like this...



The collar and frame had virtually no paint left so it was dunked in vinegar first for an hour. You can see the line on the rods where they weren't covered by the vinegar. The old enamel cap was removed and the burner, pre-heater tray plus the brass hood were dunked in the vinegar bath. From experience this might take longer to clean up, although I never try to get it back to pristine metal.



This was then covered in GSR and will be checked before I turn in for the night.

That's it for now. I'll post the next steps tomorrow.

 

What do you use the Thai green curry paste for?

Tony

@ColinG

 

Ahhh, that's got acetone in it. It's currently cleaning the control valve assembly of a Coleman 220C.

 

Great stuff. Looking forward to see the end result! I’m getting addicted to fettling lamps. There’s something magic in removing years of dust and grime and breathing new life into an old pressure lamp. It’s like restoring classic cars in miniature!

 

Got a bit further this morning...







The fount and frame are ready for spraying once I've gone over them with acetone and fine wire wool. The discolouration of the metal I'll leave as I don't want to strip away too much metal.

The air buttons are stuck fast and although I could force the issue it's likely I'd end up unscrewing the air tubes so I've decided to clean the hood and burner in one go... not something I usually do.

The vaporiser was clogged but after several heat quench cycles I can feel the pricker protruding from the jet so that seems positive.

Next stage, painting!

 

By the way, I know the hood has that coppery tint because of the vinegar but it'll be polished out soon with Mother's Mag. Good stuff that!

 

@ColinG
She’s stripped to the bone ........ and looking good.
Cheers
Pete

 

Well done .. So is it going to be Pink , Purple, Green or Vermillion Orange .. ? we all await with
baited breath ... go for it ..

 

It's in the oven as I type! All will be revealed later... but it won't be pink!

 

Swift work @ColinG, looking good. I'll be interested to see what come out of the oven. Top effort!

 

P.S I'm looking forwards to seeing your Coleman 220C as well......

 

Well done Colin she will be a real beauty when you're done with the fettle.

And please don't forget the money shots.

Cheers,
Norman

 

I just checked and it's looking pretty good but it's not ready yet. Another couple of hours should do it, then I'll turn the oven off, let it cool down naturally overnight and hopefully re-assemble it in the morning.

 

With all this teasing, you are a purveyor of lamp porn!

 

Preparing for spraying.






The fount and frame had three coats over an hour.





In the oven for 4 hours to fully cure..




While that was going on I polished the brass nuts and the hood.





Tomorrow it will be assembled and tested.

 

Looking good there @ColinG the paint finish is awesome, well done there mate.
@Norman and I were just talking and I suggested hot pink for a colour ..... Norman just about had apoplexy.
Cheers
Pete

 

Right then, after leaving the fount and frame to fully cool and harden overnight, here is the result...



And assembled...







As a colour comparison here it is with the other Bialaddin 300. I like the colour a lot, it has a vintage feel to it.



The money shot will follow shortly.

 

I'm sure someone somewhere must have painted a lamp pink, just not in this household!

Right now on eBay, there's some guy painting X246s in fancy colour schemes like VW blue and white, Jack Daniels etc - he's charging serious money for them too. As they're probably the most widely available Tilleys it doesn't matter but I still dislike them!

 

Before and after pic.... well, actually it's an after and before pic!

 

Amazing work
In nice chocolate brown and brass gold.
Wow

 

Really nice. Fine job, Colin! I have one of these I bought sometime ago. It still had a lot of the original paint as I remember. Will "shovel" out some of the garage and see if I can find it.

 

The chestnut colour is just red enough to be a close match to the original.

 

Looks fantastic Colin and I'm very glad you didn't paint it pink. What a horrid color pink would be on a lantern.

Let's see the money shots.

Cheers,
Norman

 

I'm going to do that in the next few minutes!