This arrived this morning from Montevideo. Question for the Knowledgeable ones, is the vaporiser correct. Thanks Jon
That is a rare lantern, but that's not the proper vapouriser, it takes a standard Bialaddin/Vapalux vapouriser. Jack Imber was the head of Aladdin UK., and the Imber Research brand was used on some of Aladdin's exports.
That’s what I thought Jeff, but wasn’t sure due to it being an IR if there were minor differences from the Bialaddin 310 other than the branding.
Correct, I have one like this. It's identical to the Bialaddin 310, so it takes the vapalux/Bialaddin vaporizer. These are nice and since it's basically a 310 in disguise, I really like these a lot from the design standpoint. They're a little rare, too. I believe mine came from Peru or one of the South American countries. I know they're hard as hell to find in the UK and not really easy to find here, either. Enjoy!
As far as I can make out IR product was always export to the Americas which makes them rare in the UK. My IR310 came from Peru so I expect they were also sold in other SA countries. 310 will date from about 1955 to 1959 when it was replaced by IR315 which was only sold that year. The IR brand was not used after 1st January 1960 so there should not be any IR320s. ::Neil::
Neil, I'm trying to understand Imber Research and whom they were. Was/is Imber Research more a less an inventions laboratory? Any feasible inventions created by Imber Research were manufactured under the Imber Research brand, by companies that Imber Research sourced? So, Imber Research wasn't a manufacturer just an inventions lab? I would also assume that Imber Research produced inventions not just for themselves but for other companies such as Aladdin Industries also?
Imber Research was Jack Imber CEO of Aladdin UK and IR was an Aladdin brand alongside Bialaddin. So not a factory but just another brand for selling Willis & Bates product branded for Aladdin UK. It may have been an R&D lab as the name suggests but we really don't know although some of the patents for Bialaddin are joint with Aladdin or Imber Research with Stanton Bates so there was certainly some development work involved by IR. I always assumed the IR brand was in the main to avoid brand copyright problems in the Americas. ::Neil::
That's more-or-less my understanding of it, too - to avoid confusion with Aladdin USA. I don't think I've an Imber Research 310 but I have three IR bowlfires which came from North America (Oregon and Florida - I can't remember whereabouts the third originated). From memory, the only differences between them (the IR bowlfires) and the Bialaddin version are purely cosmetic - the badge and knob are green instead of red and are marked Imber Research (badge) and IR (knob). I'd be interested to know whether that globe is marked Imber Research or what. I've an fairly comprehensive Imber Research catalogue somewhere around here which I did scan many years ago but for some reason didn't post - hmm...
Now that's odd - when I searched my 'puter for the Imber Research catalogue scans, all that came up were a series of IR310 images which I captured in January 2018, including this one:- Is this the same lantern? If it isn't, there are at least two with non-standard vapourisers...
OK, I've found the scans and the question is, where do we want them posting? - UK (where they were made) or USA (where they were mostly sold)...
Is it that Aladdin Industries is the UK Aladdin and the Mantle Lamp Company of America is the American Aladdin? Both the same company but each representing different parts of the world? I'm pretty certain that the Mantle lamp Co of America used the name Aladdin Industries in Australia. Apparently Ralph Anderson was the sole USA agent for Imber Research Ltd and was based in Miami. Of course he would have had retailers across America.
You mentioned Willis & Bates, so trying to get my head around Imber Research I had a look at you PLC to familiarise myself with Willis & Bates. In your PLC you state: The company states that they were in the Pressure lamp business from 1912 but I can find no evidence that they made a complete lamp until around 1938 to 1940. Certainly no evidence has been found to confirm their statement and I suspect their involvement was in the production of parts for other manufacturers of lamps. All the Willis and Bates patents for their vaporiser and the lantern were applied for in 1940 I had a look and found a Donut lamp from 1917 (applied for, 1916). This patent is to Alfred Bates, a stirrup to aid the stability of the Donut lamp. However, Bates describes the lamp very well and I think the lamp was being manufactured prior to this patent. It would seem that once production of the lamp begun it was found the lamp needed to be stabilised. I suppose it could be that Bates was manufacturing this lamp for another company that held the patent for the lamp and it is just the stirrup part of the patent that belonged to Alfred Bates. Either way, it would seem he was manufacturing the lamp. GB106114A • 1917-05-14 • BATES ALFRED Earliest priority: 1916-04-13 • Earliest publication: 1917-05-14 . Improvements in the Manufacture of Oil Gas Lamps. I, ALFRED BATES, Engineer, of 155, Springhall Lane, Halifax, of the County ofYorkshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows - - - Such improvements relate to certain parts or members of the lamp. From crude oil a gas, later mixed with air, gives an intense flame. A tank containing the oil having inlet, outlet, pump or valve, .and pressure gauge by the aid of a pump certain pressure to force the oil is obtained. By, mcans of a pipe' the outlet of tank is connected to the vaporiser with certain intermediary members. A stop tap for turning on or off, and a metal gauge plug to* check the' flow and filter the oil on its way to the vaporiser. . The, vaporiser is, preheated by the aid of ignited spirit, when the oil is allowed to flow gently into,the vaporiser from which the gas generates, and is. forced through an injector nipple, absorbs air, passes through bunsen tube, and on being ignited, gives sufficient heat to sustain vaporisation and execute the purpose for which the lamp is intended. STIRBLIP. With, due regard to the testing, building up, and later cleaning of such lamps the composition has been carefully considered.. In assembling the lamp it is usual to secure the various parts one to the other, involving after complication, and attach a plain stirrup for suspension. My improvement consists of an extended skeleton frame of suitable metal shaped and designed with adjustment that the various parts of the lamp may be assembled in simple order upon it and suspended thereby ; at the same time admitting of any member being detached without disturbing other parts. COMPLETE SPECIFICATION. Improvements in the Manufacture of Oil Gas Lamps. I, ALFRED BATES, Engineer, of 155, Springhall Lane, Halifax, County of Yorkshire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner.- the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement : This invention relates to oil gas lamps, and in particular to the method of assembling the various members of such lamps and consists of a skeleton frame which I hereafter call a stirrup ; its purpose being to overcome difficulties in assembling, complications, fractures of parts and to reduce labour. The present method of building up such lamps is to connect one member to another by the aid of lugs, solder and screws, involving much care and labour to ensure all the parts registering accurately one with the other. This frequently causes undue stress to the whole lamp. Further, in the instance of a defect of any one member, much labour and difficulty will be involved in taking the lamp apart for adjustment involving the risk of fractured parts and joints. All such defects are overcome by the adoption of my stirrup frame, which is readily adaptable and flexible, disposing of much labour and unnecessary accuracy in the registering of the parts. It also admits of the various parts being more self contained for their adjustment in use. It is constructed to carry the whole lamp, and support each member independent of another, and safeguards important parts being disturbed when being assembled or disassembled for any purpose whatsoever. The stirrup is constructed of suitable metal strip of convenient width and thickness. It is shaped to carry, suspend and centre the various parts of the lamp in due order of assembly as illustrated in the-accompanying drawing, which shews the stirrup frame a in position on the lamp. The upper portion b centres the vent cap a of the lamp ; a screw is passed through the central hole i in the stirrup, the cap a and the suspension loop k, and is secured with lock nuts ; at tho upper end and inside of stirrup the chimney c is centred. The middle portion of the stirrup is grooved at two points d, the purpose being to secure the oil tank e ; this latter being of the collar type, admits of the stirrup parsing through the central hole, when the two opposite grooves d engage and embrace the bead joint of the collar tank ; the same being made firm and secure by outward tension of the stirrup. The lower portion consists of feet f which carry the body g and reflector h of the lamp. In both feet f are elongated holes, through which screws pass to engage the body : the object being to allow of sufficient movement to obtain ,the necessary tension required at d when the feet are secured by the screws. The accompanying drawing shows : A line view of the stirrup in position on the lamp.
A little diversion... Matty said: ”I'm pretty certain that the Mantle lamp Co of America used the name Aladdin Industries in Australia”. So, briefly, Aladdin Industries Limited (Australia) was incorporated in 1924 (NSW, 2 May) with the Directors being John Seddon Baker and Lilian McCahan Baker as directors. The company still exists. Aladdin Industries was first an importer (from USA, Canada and UK) but began manufacturing parts (1926+); later importing pressure lamps (1930s) and manufacturing pressure lamps 1940s+). The best book on Aladdin Industries Ltd (Australia) is that of my dear departed lecturer and friend, Allin Hodson: “Aladdin Kerosene Lamps in Australia”. Tony
Anything to do with this topic is awfully confusing. You need to have a little working knowledge of quite a few companies to get even half the gist of it all. Aladdin Industries Bi Aladdin Imber Research Willis & Bates Vapalux To a lessor extent Bairstow Bros The Mantle Lamp Co The Tilley Lamp Co @Mackburner I'd like to offer you some information that you may be interested in. It is said that Imber Research was named after Jack Imber. I'm not here to dispute that but what I can't find in your PLC or on this site is mention of Alfred Imber. I have pre 1960 patents of Alfred Imber that one was assigned to Aladdin Industries and one was not. The one that was not assigned to Aladdin Industries was a lamp generator. There are lamp related patents by Jack Imber that some were assigned to Aladdin Industries, some were not, a couple of space heaters from memory and other non lamp related patents. You have said that Imber Research ended its relationship with Aladdin Industries in 1959, I think you are quite right and I'm not here to dispute that either. It should be noted though that the above Alfred Imber assigned a patent to Aladdin Industries as late as 1969. I don't have a clue if Alfred was working with either Imber Research or Aladdin in 1969, he may have developed his patent independently. It is certain that Imber Research didn't cease as a company despite not being aligned with Aladdin Industries from 1959. Do you think it would be beyond the realms of possibility that Imber Research manufactured their own lamps in Greenford and in 1959/60 Aladdin Industries bought out the the lamp side and possibly factory of Imber Research and Aladdin then began manufacturing in the Imber Research factory?After all, Aladdin Industries did say (PLC) that they were going to manufacture in Greenford. It would be interesting to know if Jack and Alfred were brothers or perhaps father and son. They may not be related at all! I have found Trade Marks of Imber Research that are not in the GPA field. You are probably aware of the patents belonging to Imber Research in relation to military ordnance. (I was surprised to see Imber Research take out an Australian patent for a cluster bomb in 1985.)
Correct - I've now posted my dealer catalogue here:- https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/imber-research-dealer-catalogue-1957-1958.15639/ I hope it's some use to you in your researches, Matty - it does contain some limited company information as well as details of the pressure products, including British Patent numbers etc. To answer the original question about the vapouriser, the parts numbers are given in the catalogue. What W&B / Aladdin of Greenford seem to have done is add either a '3' or '30' to the W&B part number to give the IR part number. Thus the W&B vapouriser part number (V40) has become V3040 for Imber Research products - doubtless the same part in reality. Hope that helps...
Interesting stuff. I have up to now not really bothered to look at Jack Imber. Mostly I guess because it was just an Aladdin brand. Seems Jack and Alfred were perhaps worthy of a search. These Imber folk took some serious finding. Not helped because in on line family trees Jack is named John. Might have been what the family called him but his birth record is Jack and he is Jack in all the census returns. Found him in the records born in 1892 but nowhere could I find Alfred. Got him in the end I think but there is some doubt because in the 1939 register he is listed as a wood work machinist. He was Jack's son born November 1918. ::Neil::
Thanks David. I actually had zero intentions of researching Imber, it's just that I found a patent of Alfred Imber then Jack Imber so I wondered whom they were and it led to here. I was really only trying to give Neil the information so he could run with it if he wished to. When I asked my first question, I didn't realise I'd asked it in a forum for Imber Research, I just thought it was a topic on Imber Research. I didn't realise until a bit later that Imber Research was a brand of their own. Once I then looked at Imber Research in the PLC I realised that Alfred Imber had flown under the radar So I thought it would be of some interest to Neil. I'm fair dinkum hopeless, I've just spent a couple of days messing around with Imber Research, something I have little interest in because I don't own any lamps of theirs or BiAladdin, etc. I'll leave it at that and I hope anything that you and I have contributed might be of interest to others. I suspect your catalogue will be. Thanks. I wondered if it was possibly Jack's death that led to Imber Research and Aladdin Industries parting ways. I didn't look and I'm not going to, I'm moving right along
Well I certainly know more today than I did yesterday and I may well investigate a bit further. Mind you it's a way down the list so it could be a while yet before I get bored enough to work it all up. ::Neil::
Here are a couple of Trade Marks by Imber Research that will help you. Also an Indian patent. The Imber Research Trade Mark is the second Trade Mark shown. When I cut the Trade Mark out of the article I wanted the TRADE MARKS title as effect and therefore had to capture the first insignificant TM.
