Hello fellow enthusiasts, I hope you’re all well, Covid free and still enjoying the hobby. After a year of mainly fettling Victorian wick lamps (another of my passions), I have casually found a pressure lantern for sale on eBay that I liked and bought. it was advertised last week as ‘ unidentified brass lantern without markings’. I recognised it as a possible early Vapalux model, so I put in a decent bid and won it. It was for collection only, so had to drive up to a town near Birmingham to get it. It looks like an E41 but I’m not sure it’s all original. Something isn’t quite right. The tank is coated in metallic gold paint (which looks professionally applied must admit) but there is a pressure pip which shouldn’t be there? Despite the sellers claims, the top of the brass hood is marked AM with a strange symbol. Air Ministry perhaps? Other markings and Pat pending marks are also there. the glass globe has a lighting hole but no visible markings ( although I haven’t cleaned it yet, so you never know). There are a couple of shallow dings in the tank, but apart from that it appears to be in good nick. See photos. What does the community make if it? Original or frankenlamp? Is it worth restoring the dings? (I’m thinking of ice expansion). I’ll be fettling and lighting up soon. Presumably I need a x300 seal kit from the fettle box? stay in the shade next week! Thanks Alex
@Alex74 That certainly is an E41 and a very nice one at that. I wouldn't worry about the dents, I think it was Ian Ashton that told me these were made from soft brass, so finding one without major damage is lucky. Clean it, wax it and use it.
Also pressure pip is right, the E41's came with the tanks with the recess in the top where the cage sits, so yours has to be correct.
Moved to Reference Gallery, and title amended according to the positive identification in the discussions.
Very nice lamp and a lucky find, does AM stands for air ministry? Is there a date stamped on the edge of the hood, it may be very faint.
Thanks guys. I can’t see any dates stamped on the side of the hood, but the clue might lie in the long number stamped on top of the hood which contains /41/…. 1941 perhaps? One year before my father was born. The bottom of the cage reads ‘patents pending’, as you can see in the second photo. Is the paint original perhaps?
Whilst googling ‘Vapalux E41’ to learn a bit more about this lamp I came across what appears to be a Japanese all-brass modern replica??
The one you have has what appears to be an all brass top, so it’s an E41 made maybe around 1941, for the RAF.
That’s George. Maybe that website is Korean, yes. I find it amazing that vintage British lanterns are now being reproduced in brass, 80 years on!
Hi Alex! That’s a great find and hiding in plain sight too In Ian Ashtons book he talks about the E.41 and also mentions that some do have brass tops/heat deflectors and that he has one stamped A M for 1941 He also mentions the pressure nipple being present at this time. The glass with the lighting hole is a nice thing too He also mentions that a chap from Korea, Jae-Jung Won bought the right and tooling in 2010 from Bairstow Brothers so what you see is not a reproduction but the next generation Vapalux
Hi Tim! Hope you’re keeping cool in the heat! wow, it’s amazing to hear someone has bought the tools and the rights to make them again. What do they sell for? Would be nice to have an original and the modern version going side by side….
Well any rate is good to by that book ! As for the korean vapalux'es: vapalux.com is the site to check. Personally the prices are high I guess but they also have spare parts. Or at least they are on the site visable. All things are out of stock for years now. Base camp has the lanterns in stock however. Not sure how this works but it seems there is some kind of production going on.
This S. Korean production is a mystery. Everything on site is “sold out”! I just don’t get it… Depending on the shape of the original E41, the new ones can cost more than the originals! Yes, the all brass tops on some E41’s were made for the Air Ministry (AM). Great find!!
Thanks George. I’ve now seen the price from another website. Quite expensive indeed but then again it’s a quality item you don’t purchase again!
Cleaned and fettled but not stripped or polished. All left as found. Just changed the seals and pump leather. She fired up first time and tons of pressure.
