Greetings! I've just signed up and thought I'd say hello. I'm the new owner of a Bialaddin 310, it looks complete although with the steel hood and aluminum parts corroded. I cleaned the (non-original) glass of copious soot before realising I should take a 'before' photo. It's marked 106 underneath so I'm assuming from posts on CPL that it's an October '56 model. I love the patina of age and my immediate goal is a 'get it into working order' fettle rather than a 'make it like new' job. Knowing me though, that might change... Dan
Welcome aboard! That is a fine restoration project and the link below shows relevant information. https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/1950s-1960s-bialaddin-lanterns.1462/
Love these 310 Bialaddins! Nice find. I am curious about the date... I 've never seen one stamped like this before. Usually they have a series of "dots" on the bottom. I think the small dots indicate the month and larger dots indicate the year, 1954-58. Some have no dots at all. I have a NOS chrome 310 without any markings on the bottom, so it can't be dated.
Hi Dan and welcome to the forum. You’ve got a good first lamp, well made and they work well too! Do be warned, it can be an infectious pastime and two lamps will breed! Stevie
@paul m That is a lovely example. I don't suppose you're going to lite it? I sure wouldn't. Just too nice to light!
Maybe it's not 9 60 but 09 (5)6? Suggesting that these number codes predate the better known dot code.
Blimey my eyes are bad, but i don't see a 5 in there.... No George, it will stay like that, i have a chrome one too with matching reflector My everyday user lamps are Coleman 237s
@paul m Good man! I hate to lite a NOS lantern. Mind you, I have but it hurts because you realize once you do lite it, it is no longer "new".
Sorry I probably put that badly- I was trying to say not "9 60" but "09 6": as in the month and the last digit of the year (like the Bialaddin dot codes ) so September 1956, and Dan's is 10 6 or October the same year.
Yes, too many numerals that can be read upside down - 0, 9, 6 (and potentially, 8) - so maybe that's why they switched to the dot codes... I can't say I've ever seen these numerals, either, so I'm guessing they were short-lived.
Welcome! I have only the one Bialaddin, a humble 320 but a nice silver and red job, that looks great when working (in fact I'm taking it camping this week)..... I hope to add a couple of earlier ones to my collection whenever I get the chance. Happy Collecting.
