Hi Folks I picked this up from a car boot a couple of years ago. After I recently picked up a 1920's Coleman, it motivated me to do something with this one, even though I dont know what it is. There are no identification marks anywhere, even after de-rusting and spraying with Aluminium Oxide paint. Anybody got any ideas about it, make, model, year etc. Hoping to fire it up tomorrow. Cheers Ian
Hi ian not sure about this one myself but my money would be on a Nulite or badged nulite type, early\mid 20s no inbuilt pump and a torch lit burner sure Neil will be able to pin this one down a bit closer than i can good luck with it cheers pete
Thanks for the lead Pete. I just had a look through the gallery, dont know what you call them on lamps, but the mechanism is like the one on the link. Approx 1912-1916 Best outdoor wall lamp Cheers Ian
Hello Ian and welcome aboard, this lantern was sold by Stanleys in the UK., and it was made by the Best company and is lantern 304. The first link below shows a 1922 Stanleys advert and I reckon that your lantern is shown in it. The second link shows a 1920 Buck & Hickman advert which also shows your lantern. This section of the website is only open to subscribers. The third link shows a page on Terry's website, if you scroll down it, a Best 304 lantern is shown there. Jeff. https://classicpressurelamps.com/index.php?threads/522 https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/1920-best-model-304.1823/ US lantern manufacturers A - I
Hi ian reckon jeff has it named now early lamp petrol 400cp sold by stanleys in the uk early 20s would be very very weary of sticking petrol in this one you got to make sure there is definately no leaks at all cheers pete
Ooooooh yes! Best 301 or 304. Very nice find. I have only ever seen one of these in the flesh. There is a Nulite tie in here. They acquired Best some time around 1915 to 1919 ish and it is quite possible that they flogged off some old stock to Stanleys in the early 1920s. You would normaly expect a Stanleys lamp to have a label soldered in the base with company name and address. ::Neil::
Thanks for the comments,there is no label on the base Neil, just a nut that screws into the base of the tank, and on to whatever it screws onto inside the tank. Now, this is where I need the advice. There is a slight leak, where the lever is, that is attached to the tube. I cant see how to get the rack out, without knackering something, to be able to pack it with more graphite tape. There doesn't seem to be any other leaks anywhere else, just around that lever thingy. My description is absolutely wonderful - not! I hope you all understand. Thanks Ian
Hello - Me again. There is something stamped in the base of the tank - looks like - The Best Light Will put a picture on when the paint has dried out.
I assume you mean the leak is at the packing gland for the pricker operator. Where the small dia steel wire entes the brass nut? If so you don't need to remove the rack inside to repack it. Get the steel red hot and straighten it out. Then you can unscrew the gland nut and pull it right back so you can insert more gland packing. Graphite or PTFE will do the job. Screw the gland nut back on and then heat and re bend the lever back to its original position. Be careful though not to heat the brass too hot or you can melt it. ::Neil::
Hello Michel, that's good looking lantern and now we know of 3 examples of this model, perhaps more will turn up, Jeff.
I have done a little page on this lamp http://metronius.free.fr/Lampes_m10_bestlight.htm The documents are Neil's courtesy thanks again but sorry it is in french
Thanks for the advice Neil, spot on. Never did like speaking up in front of class. Michel : Did you make the Mica case yourself ? Neat !
There are no dumb questions. If you don't know you have to ask and I will happily answer the same questions repeatedly because spreading the word is more important than getting irritated because the same questions keep coming. Anyway the guy up front is normally only asking the questions that all the rest are too embarassed to voice. Took me a while to work it out but when I did it became easy to stand up and be looked at by a horde of the dumb and silent while I got the answers I wanted. I decided I really did not care what people thought of me. I took the attitude that think of me what you will but get over it and move on. In any large group of people in a meeting or whatever only about 5% will stand up to be noticed and make comments or ask questions. The other 95% are the dumb ones because like I said if you don't know or understand then you gotta ask. Be nice to see your lamp running when you get there. Mind you I shall hate you for ever 'cos I don't have one. ::Neil::
Hi Neil Thanks very much for your comments above. I am sorry, but you are going to hate me I have still got a bit more tweeking to do on it, as I have found another leak at the control spindle. Just think, I nearly threw this thing away ! Thank you very much for helping me bring it back to life.
I moved it to Best. Can anyone tell if it's 301 or 304? (For the title of the first post.) In an ad linked above, the 301 has another type of collar, but I guess that just as well can be a variation between periods.
On balance I believe this is model 304. Trouble is I have conflicting information here. These lanterns were sold in the UK by Stanleys and they always used the manufacturers model numbers. The conflict comes because Stanleys advertised two different lanterns as 304. However I have one piece of Best paper showing model 301 which this one ain't so I assume its correct number is 304. Here are the three images. Left is the Best illustration and the right hand pair are from Stanleys paper. ::Neil::
