I added a small treasure to my collection today. A Petromax “baby” 900; this one is tiny. Here’s a comparison shot. The patina requires me to leave this one pretty much alone; I’ll do some chelation rust removal on the burner and cage but that’s about it. The needle is intact and I am tempted to try and light it after a careful inspection and once I find a suitable mantle; but not with this glass. Does anyone know when the knob style changed; I love these old flat knobs.
A very nice find. The Px 900 is rated at 100cp. For the one I have I use a Luxor mantle 100. I'm sure it will light, and you take care of the glass On those 30s Px lamps two knob styles can be seen. I think it was a matter of ordering. Are there any numbers scratched on the bottom which could tell the age? Matthias
Hello Matthias, Thank you for the tip on the mantles. Unfortunately the bottom appears to have been polished; aside from a fingerprint or two I cannot see anything that looks man made on it. Thank you, John
Great find ! - in your pictures the base looks like it is made of copper not brass - or is that a trick of the camera ?
@Fireexit1 Its probably brass, I was trying with flash, without flash and trying not to get shadows in order to see if anything was scratched into the bottom. A photographer, I am not.
A very nice addition. Petromax 900 isn't very common. Parts are not interchangeable with most lanterns. Those flat toothed knobs are what we usually call 'fibre pricker wheels'. Perhaps made from 'Pertinax' type materials. They are found on Petromaxes (and many others) from the 1930s and earlier. There were already bakelite knobs available by the 30s. After the late 30s or early 40s, I think they no were longer fitted with those fibre type knobs.
@John F R stands for Franz Racek, importer of Px and HASAG lamps to Bombay, India before WW2. Just out of curiosity, did you find it in an Asian country, or was it offered in the US? Matthias
@LatMag49 I purchased it in the US but the seller said that it had came from Bangkok several years ago. That’s a good eye on the globe; I was so worried about the picture coming out clear that I didn’t look at all the stamps.
It is done. For those that are interested, the NRV uses a 4.5mm pip and a standard stove sized lead seal. I tied a 150cp mantle as high as I could then pulled it down about halfway.
