Picked this Bialaddin 315 up for spares, and she fired up lovely first time after a brief check. I have plans for this.....She's a bright one!
@JEFF JOHNSON Yes, very good nick, and I was surprised! Seals all good, Pump excellent, no leaks, pricker rod OK. There is a glass for it somewhere.....
@BigStevie It took me by surprise, I checked the pump....OK. Checked for Needle up/down...OK, I then thought 'why not'....stuck in some paraffin, and a mantle on and fired up.....Popped into life without a flicker. Left it for half an hour and kept eye out for leaks...Nothing! Got a good one there.
I depends what are trying to achieve, that tank is from a 300X. You could couple the 315 frame to it if you really wanted to, enjoy the 315 as it is or restore it. You can date it with the dots underneath. (Big year, small month) Decals are also available.
I can't think of any other explanation why W&B went to the bother of printing/painting those dots on the tank, especially considering that there are always between 1 and 12 smaller dots and the number of larger dots always corresponds to one of the years during the date range the lanterns were produced...
I have been looking through all my lanterns and the theoretical code only appears on civilian lamps. I can make the code fit for every lamp bar one which puzzled me for a few minutes. An errant Bialaddin 315, production dates 1960 -1966 when it was replaced with the Bialaddin 320. Yet this one is 'dotted' underneath June 1968. Then it dawned on me, the Bialaddin 320 ran from 1966 -1968 when Aladdin ceased distribution of pressure lamps. It appears Willis & Bates continued the 320 after 1966 as the Vapalux, firstly with Bialaddin red hoods until they were used up. Then for a short while, green hoods, finally settling on the standard black hood. Willis & Bates must have used the stock of specific Bialaddin 315 spare parts to make up complete lamps in 1968 at the end of the Aladdin contract. So this 'errant' date does fit in with the dating 'theory' and maybe points to the 'Dotty' code being fact?
I wouldn't swap tanks if it were me, especially as it works so well. The tank can be sprayed up and new decals are available on eBay I believe... if you want to spruce it up a bit but I'd save the shiny brass tank and try to gather enough parts to complete it in its own right. Just my two penerth!
@Mike the stove According to Ian Ashtons book about Vapalux and Bialaddin lamps the 315 startet in 1958. Your eight dots lamp most likely was produced then. So there's no mystery.I have a 315 without large dots, so made in 1960. Matthias
