I bought this sorry looking Bialaddin 300X which someone had stripped all the paint off and polished, by the time I got it the brass had dulled somewhat. Not being a great fan of polished brass lamps I decided to restore it to it's original maroon painted finish, the components were prepared, primed red, sprayed with Halfords BMC Damask Red then finished with a coat of fuel resistant lacquer. The red enamelled hood cap was badly chipped so it was replaced with a good quality reproduction item. The lamp was rebuilt using a full set of new seals, the vapouriser was cleaned out and a new mantle was fitted. The attached Pictures show the restoration process:
I thought that when I saw the picture and went into my garage to check the lamp, no defect or contamination found so I think it's a reflection of something in the shiny paintwork.
I know I am not the only one who gets 'unbalanced eyes' by looking at a maroon colour in combination with red, as the second incarnation of Bialaddins after the initial black top. That red -or any other enamel colour -of the top gets darker when hot while the lamp is burning. I could be wrong but it seems in the pic of the lamp burning in front of a wall, the colours of the tank and the top are getting closer. It looks much better anyway. Perhaps there was some crafty intent involved?
