Hi all here is an Optimus 253 She is not at the top of health because of a previous owner who have scratched the nickel with something very agressif (sandpaper ?) I succeeded in polishing the bottom of the lamp but the top and the lyre have been seriously attaqued. I wonder if I shouldn't take all the nickel out and start the nickel plating again. I imagine that there are topics on this forum. Please refer me. The lamp has been revised: complete cleaning and change of the gaskets. It works well. Unfortunately the glass is missing. I went to see on Lovelantern, but it doesn't seem to produce them anymore. if i refer to the red knob, i think the lamp is relatively old. Can you give me an idea of his age? I am missing a small screw (n°7 picture), if somebody have this part, I should be happy to buy it.
Looks nice (and quite rare I think) There are lots of nickel plating kits avalable from car restoration suppliers. There are also You tube videos on how to do it. salut Chris
Congratulations on a very nice lamp. It is from the middle of the 1930s. It is annoying that no-one is reproducing these globes, as I know of several collectors who need one. I have had parts nickel plated professionally before with very good results. I have not tried to do it myself.
Very attractive @Michel. Whoever took abrasive to it committed a crime - not literally of course. John
Yes I think so ! A crime I don't know the globe's dimensions but you can see them here : Indoor Lamps
A pity there is no maker for this kind of globe I can present my lamp with a white 250 Optimus shade not so bad
You need quite a tall globe 142mm. Top diameter is 120mm and bottom is 108mm I got one globe from lovelantern a few years ago, and then later found an intact lamp in a local auction.
i have been on lovelantern but it is not produced at the moment And I don't think I have the slightest chance of finding such a globe in France
May be an idea to speak to a glass blower? Might not be as expensive as you expect? A very lovely Lantern @Michel
Hi all I have tried to redo the nickel plating I needed to polish seriously the parts before because of many stripes even if it is impossible to obtains the hood as new, that's better One can find some vidéos on youtube this operation is not very difficult with a 12volts/1 amp charger in fact, very easy and rapid on small parts but a little tricky on the lyre and the hood. I will try to let the parts in the nickel solution much longer tomorrow here is the result for this evening. One can see that the nickel thickness is not suffisant
Hum .. @Michel if that is your first attempt then you should be encouraged .. you must show us what you did with lots of your lovely photos please??
Good start Michel. Like you say - it needs thicker plating but your preparation beforehand looks good.
Yes, I have to get a thicker plating, but I do not know whether the power of my charger (in relation to the amount of nickel solution) is insufficient, or if I should leave the charger running longer ? Based on videos on YouTube, I used a 12-volt / 1 amp charger. On small pieces such as screws, the plating is almost immediate, of the order of 30 seconds to a minute. In order to cover the lyre, I had to prepare a lot of nickel solution. The transfer is very slow. It can take an hour and I can still see the yellow brass in transparency in some places. It is also possible that my nickel anodes are too small. I ordered more thick ones Any help will be welcome My installation is very artisanal
Some observations (based on the photos) The box (tank) is the perfect size - no waste liquid . Have you blocked off the inside of the lyre ? Wax is good - otherwise you are plating the inside at the same time. The connection on the lyre could be better. You can have more than one - I would put two on the lyre - or move it about. The surface area and therefore the amount of nickel to be moved with the lyre is much greater than the small parts. More time or more electricity (current) is the answer. Like you say larger anodes are good - you cant have ones that are too big ! keep with it - it will look wonderful and you have a new skill.. edit / this may be helpful: https://nickelinstitute.org/media/2323/nph_141015.pdf Chris
thank you all the lyre is shut, so no problem unfortunately I am not able to read all this pdf but I have found other documents in French I am better in french I think I am going to order this : https://www.amazon.fr/Galvanoplastie-Petite-Équipement-Connexion-Conducteur/dp/B08Y6JNJD5/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?__mk_fr_FR=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&dchild=1&keywords=galvanoplastie&qid=1619773956&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRU1BVElIODAyOFZZJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTE0NTQyRzE3UEQ4UUVPOVY5JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAwMjYxMzZaODg4SjZMS1MyTDgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl so I could be able to increase the current, for the big parts
Very professional ! - but more current = less time for the same plating. If you have lots of time you can use what you have now.
more time, here we are I think this is not the solution, because the nickel surface is not regular but this is perfect for the small parts, as the pump knob. It can't be more shiny, because I will be obliged to do the fount also
