Pls need help dating this Bialaddin 300

One of my Brown 300's - too good to fully restore.
Vapalux 300

 

Haha.... yes Colin it is an adorable little lamp!!

I followed advice given with soapy water for the fount..vinegar + nuts to remove rust. Then 1/3 vinegar warm water soak light scrub with a toothbrush for the rest.
Thinking that the hood was painted over I was suprised when the brass underneath revealed itself.
So I'll have to ponder on whether I'll paint the hood or just allow it to go black with use as it was ‍♂️... painted is perhaps neater maybe.
The disassembley was pretty easy and I found the more permanent type quase metal seal was used at the stopcock.

I agree with some others about these brown models with the single triangular vent and hole in the glass... I assume it just took a little time for them to cotton on that they didn't work well together, or just to phase out the holed glass.

I see nobody here shares my enthusiasm about the inscription of the previous owner...maybe it's too common a thing to get excited about but for me it adds more intrigue! It looks like two members of the same family owned the lamp and it was probably stored since them thus reflecting its condition. I plan to not remove the names and perhaps even go over the engravings a little deeper to ensure that their names can still be read in another 75 yrs.

I haven't had much time to work on the lamp or to decide exactly what to do with it... I could leave it as is..it would look lovely and keep the rustic originality and charm. Or I could polish it all up just leaving the hood painted with the brown enamel hat thing. Or perhaps my favourite is paint the fount, polish the collar/cage part and paint the hood..and then of course there's the time to do it!...but when it's done I'll get a few pictures up.

 

Oh that's a lovely example

 

The one thing about the hood that you only realise after messing around with lanterns for a while is exactly how hot they become in use. Loads of people have tried various different paints that are supposed to withstand high temperatures but even the best of them carbonise after two or three firings, and most of them are black... which is the colour it'll turn if you simply leave it to oxidize naturally! The only surface treatment that actually works is vitreous enamel and it's the only one that gives you colour which is why virtually all manufacturers used it. Having said that even enamel cracks and flakes over the years. The only other alternatives are chrome plating and stainless steel. Chrome is good if it's a good thick layer but both chrome and stainless can turn blue if they are overheated.

My advice would be leave it to oxidize naturally and replace the top hat section if or when it becomes too corroded.

All that aside, you've got a wonderful old lamp in amazingly good condition!

 

Talk about confusing!
I checked my Vapalux 300 and what do I find? It's a steel tank alright, it's dated 1943, alright, but... it has a pressure tit!
Not alright! So I guess it's a "grab and add" military lantern!
I don't care, I still have a warm place in heart (blush) for it... It was the first Vapalux/Bialaddin lantern I ever bought!

 

George too many lamps like yours turn up for them all to be mix and match. My guess us it's original and dates from the period 1943 - 1945 or even as late as 1946, I suspect wartime production specs were subject to alteration due to material shortages or even diffrent branches of the forces requiring or not requiring the pressure pip. Also some of the hood stampings on these lamps look dubious to me, I think some have dodgy dates and crows foot to try to make the lamp more valuable, some of these stampings look quite recent and do not have the patina to match the rest of the hood.
You have a great lamp there circa mid 1940's is how I would describe its date of manufacture.

 

@DP2 Thanks! I knew with the presence of a pressure tit there would/could be some question about the lantern date. I figured maybe it was a very early 1943 and therefore, had the tit.
Anyway, like I said, makes no difference. I think the lantern is great and is one hellva good burner! Never failed me yet!

 

I agree these lamps burn bright and tend to be reliable, the quality of early vapouriser's appear to be better than later products