Moin, I got my hands on an AIDA 214, which I was able to snatch from the hands of the previous owner with the energetic support of my Friend and Petromaxbuddy Seppo Ruckzuck. After the first inventory, it quickly became clear that I had made a lucky buy. The lamp is technically in top condition, but the rocked look clearly showed that the lamp did not have to work much, but was rotting for many years. I was only able to partially recondition the corroded surface, in places there was simply nothing more usable from the old shine. I saved myself and the lamp from having to completely polish the old AIDA, which is known to be crumbly, and I wanted to stress as little as possible mechanically. That's why I limited myself to cleaning and gentle care. The tank was inside clean, even the pump bottom valve with a valve insert made of cork was ready for use again after cleaning. A low / pressure test did not reveal any leaks and the test run with a 500 Geniol Socks went smoothly. The old lady is technically good and presentable again in a suitable look. However, one question remains open so far: Can someone tell me when the lamp was built? There was an incision in the bottom of the tank, but it has not yet become clear to me what the meaning is.
Great work on the lantern! I can’t help with the date, but I’m sure a couple of your countrymen will speak up. Cheers Tony
Great fettle and results. I'm inclined to believe that the Aida 214 or perhaps another model is the origin of all Petromax-styled lanterns. It might date back to the mid or late 1920s. Hirschorn's Aida was among the first to have the modified Preston loop design. That was probably after the patent by Preston expired. It was quickly followed by E & G with their Petromax.
Lovely example. I just found an all brass one that I’m working on. I can’t find any scratched dates but I’m still looking!
Wonder if the all brass Aida is newer than the nickel plated ones? Perhaps the war had something to do with it. Seems both sides moved towards eliminating the nickel first then the brass. Our US 5 cent piece or “nickel” as we call it contained nickel. Then in 1943 (?), believe it or not the nickel alloy was replaced by silver! Quite a difference. In 1943, our penny or one cent piece was not made of copper but zinc coated steel! That’s the only year the mint made these. Desperate times call for desperate measures!
Moin, I have no knowledge of whether the lamps were ever made without a coating. I have the impression that the coating was only applied extremely thinly. I also got that from a Petromax. Over time, the coating simply peeled off during cleaning. The "war models" by Petromax, Hasag and Standart were made from sheet steel and painted.
Following the writing's flow I suggest to read the scratched numbers as 105 which means October 1935. But it's only what I see. Matthias
