Got a lantern off the ebay, arrived from Spain after 30 days waiting, design quite similar to Primus 991, but definitely not a Primus one. Some solder residue on the frame waist, I believe is where the brand/model plate used to be. I checked the parts carefully, but found no information about the brand or model. Not sure whether the barometer is original or installed by previous owner. I attached some photo, hopefully somebody would recognize the lantern. Any help is greatly appreciated to identify the lantern.
I wish I could help, however that is a really good looking lantern! Someone here should be along shortly with good info.
That is definitely a Primus clone, but not one I have ever seen before. I'm just as interested as you to find out more about it. The manometer fitting does look like a later addition. Or a very poor repair. And just like Primus, the alcohol pre-heater cup is missing.
I also believe it is a Primus clone, more specifically a 991 clone, because the lantern size and glass globe is same as 991. The material in use is pretty solid, the finish is not as good as Primus or Optimus. Add some photo hopefully would help for identification
Pretty interesting lantern. I've not heard of clones of the Primus. There aren't many other makes that have the extra lip near the bottom of the fount, characterized by Primus lanterns. The Radius for instance has a such feature. Somewhat similar, the Musa Solaris from Uruguay found in the reference gallery.
A collector friend of mine in Denmark sent me photos of the same lamp that he has. He doesn't know where it comes from either, but guesses it is Spain. Here you can see that the manometer fitting should be there and what the alcohol cup looks like.
@Nils Stephenson Hi Nils I confirm that exact lamp is coming from Spain, it was on sale on a local website, purchased by a Spanish trader and then sold on eBay. Could be made by Cimsa, that is known to be a producer of lamps, stoves and heaters of some inspiration from Germany (Standard 2045 hood style) and Sweden (fount style). Cimsa as well used enameled hoods on their lamps. Some of them come without any brand, some other identical are branded Cimsa, so probably they started to brand in a later time if not only at the beginning, I cannot know this. Excluding Focus that had its own recognizable style all the other Spanish producer were taking inspiration mostly from 821 Petromax lamp, like Estelar, Klabeish, Columbus etcetera. Nicola
These are some Cimsa products, you can notice the same heater with Cimsa logo and without, tank style clearly in the style of Primus 1010. Hood and inner hood of the lamps in the style of Standard 2045.
This hand lamp is still by unknown brand, for this I would say Cimsa too by looking at fount style and manometer fitting. I had the same idea about a lamp that most attribute to Focus, but that I would like to think that is a Cimsa too. Nicola
Nils, thanks so much for sharing this information! Now I have confident to clean up the solder under manometer! It seems not difficult to get a spirit cup for it.
@Mackburner I well know that advertising that probably is the only document we have about that lamp. To be honest Mestres, for me, is just a retailer, like so many others. Most of Spanish products are advertised by retailers for what I have seen. But can Meatres be a really small production, not industrial but at artisanal? Yes, maybe... in the end both the hand lamp that the “Mestres” lamp share some rude details, like filler caps that really look hand made. We can’t know if these small production had some parts made by other companies and then they created their models starting from there. I hope to discover this soon! I just see some aesthetic similarities with Cimsa, but that’s just a feeling. And Cimsa had a very wide and huge production of pressure lamps, stoves and other products of this category, for many years! Nicola
A catalogue by Mestres... to me looks like a “selection” of products, not a production... but I can be safely wrong Nicola
Being wrong happens to me often enough and working with a language I don't know makes it more likely. However Mestres is so far the only paper to show that double loop generator lantern. They may be retailing a lantern from another manufacturer and Cimsa is perhaps most likely with Focus a possible but, until we see better evidence of a manufacturer, listing it as Mestres brand is the best I can do. I mostly list lamps by brand name rather than manufacturer although often they are the same of course. In this case I don't know which Mestres is but either way we do have evidence Mestres catalogued it so for now that is how I will list it. More research may turn up more evidence but I would have great difficulty with understanding Spanish so that is not something I would feel competent with. ::Neil::
Hi Neil, I would never disagree with your decision in general and the choice to list it as a Mestres lamp is totally right, as you say, for now, Mestres is the only evidence about this particular model. Additionally, my observations are not meant to underline a mistake made by you or to pretend to make you change this information in your book. I am just expressing my feelings about this particular lamp and Mestres as producer. I will continue to search more info about it and I hope anytime to find some products labeled by Mestres, that would confirm it as possible producer. For now, on that catalog, I see a clearly French range stove, a three legs 2 pint classic model, this lamp and a laboratory stove... so the investigation continues I am really thankful for the splendid job you did on the PLC, that’s my bible, so I really hope to be able to give any kind of contribution. Nicola
Looking at internet searches, it would seem the name Ricardo Mestres is not an unusual one. Note that the two documents posted above have different addresses. Maybe relevant or maybe not. Google maps reveals that neither look like industrial places, but more retail, however times were different then. The invoice is for a miners oil lantern, lanterns with refelectors (maybe carbide) and pilot lanterns (again maybe carbide) , icing cones, cookie cutters, something called "simple grills" (possibly what I call "desktop barbeques") and I think chip forks. Interesting ! Chris
@nep036 some very lovely lamps there ; I do like the ‘Cimsa’ logo that handlamp is very interesting it reminds of the small Focus type
