Hi I picked this up a while ago for a decent price, however, the tank has got some damage. It’s the round gray area, there’s a couple of them. I don’t really understand if it’s the surface come off or what ? If so any suggestions as what to do. If it indicates wearing ? Etc. As I say good price so not too concerned but it would be nice to look it’s best. Thanks in anticipation
It looks like a patch that had been put on the tank maybe in an attempt to repair some damage. Does it scrape off?
That lamp would have originally been painted cream I think, could it have been a factory repair, i.e originally underneath the paint. Solder or alloy to repair a dent? Otherwise not sure, difficult to tell on a picture.
Just a bit concerned about lighting it.. but appears stable, can’t see any reference to previous paint maybe just clean it up a bit and try
It was almost certainly painted. That model was never sold as polished brass. Most were painted cream and a very few were sold with a nickel type plating. That looks like a professional lead filler job to me not a crack repair and the tank will probably stand the pressure with ease. Good practice anyway to shove some pressure in a new acquisition without fuel and let it stand a while as well as doing a water test to chack for leaks. ::Neil::
Here's a good example of the paint scheme 1949-1954 circa, TL13 Rover (motor car) Arrum Beige is a near perfect match to the original if you wish to get it looking as original as possible but it's your lamp and you won't be put on the naughty step if you choose a different colour.
I am new to the world of lamps but I have helped restore some cars much older than I am. Lead/solder as a body filler was not uncommon. I have even seen it on aluminium bodywork. From the photo it does look very professionally done - so I think follow the sage advice of others and test before using it in anger, but I would expect a happy outcome.
Thanks ... sorry fairly new to this could you explain the pressure test/water test ? would like to keep colour same. The paint could that be spotted on as oppose full tank ? The rest to tidy up would 00 wire wool clean it up ?
A pressure test / water test / dunk test is when you pump plenty of air into an otherwise empty tank and immerse it in water, air bubbles will indicate any leaks. Occasionaly, lamps which have passed the dunk test have been known to leak fuel from a failed solder joint or hairline stress crack when pumped up to operating pressure. Pressure test by putting a small amount of fuel in the tank and add pressure, sit the lamp on old newspaper and see if any damp areas appear. Do this overnight if possible as sometimes these leaks are only very slight.
Not sure what you mean by spotted. Refering to the lamp in the link I posted, protect the areas which should be polished brass with masking tape and spray the rest. Use a good metal polish on the unpainted parts, Autosol and Mothers Mag are popular choices. DO NOT use Brasso. Brasso contains ammonia and ammonia dissolves brass. Spray with a coat of clear lacquer to preserve the finish.
@RobP You will not be able to polish the tank and hide the solder. If you want to have the whole tank polished and not painted, the solder repair will be visible. So your choice is to copy the original paint scheme as Henry has shown, or polish with the patch visible. Cheers Tony
You have received some great advice above. However, if you are curious, find someone with a reasonable inspection camera and see what is on the other side of the patch such as a dent. Those cameras are getting cheaper all the time. Just a thought.
I have the same tank, with the same spot , but not in the same location, and it works perfectly well, i have repainted it you would never know, also it works well, so now I think it came from the factory like that, as they were painted, which would hide the spot. So you still got a bargain in my opinion, and i would paint it as well, good luck
I agree with Neil, I think it's a dent that was filled in with lead, and I think it was done by Tilley. Since the font would be painted that "patch" wouldn't even show. When I was young, my father-in-law, who was an excellent body man and mechanic back in the 1930's, when this technique was used, taught me how to use body solder on auto dents. It was a case of applying the solder working it with a wooden paddle and heat until you got it pretty well spread and then with a series of files of various size and finess you used them like wet/dry sandpaper on plastic body puddy (Bondo) crap used today. Then you painted the area! Most body men were alcoholics (lol) since you could go nuts trying to get a nice finish! Good for a laugh but probably little truth. My father-in-law was no drinker but he was one hellva good body man - God rest his soul.
Thanks for all the advice, going to try the tests mentioned and possibly see if can paint the patch to colour match as much as possible. We have the camera scopes at work so if have a spare minute may have a quick look what can be seen on the inside out of interest. Still very pleased with it so all is good.
