Hi. I am new This topic. I purchased a lamp and an estate sale And would like to restore it to working conditions. In appears to have been Refurbished. Good or bad. It is what it is. I can't even find any kind of reference to what this lamp is called other than possibly a fancy student lamp. I assume since it appears gravity fed that it actually uses a liquid fuel and Not a gas. Can someone tell me what type of lamp this is? It has A manufacturer of Bystrom gas company And a patent of July 02. I did find a patent by the Bystrom company For the burner. The knob below the burner turns, but the knob next to it on the tube does not. I assume I can loosen the nut and get it working. But I don't even know what the knobs do. From what little information I have found I assume it needs a mantel, but can probably function without. I would like to know what kind of fuel is best for this type of lamp And if it probably had a hurricane, or an outer decorative glass piece, or both, and if the fitter on it is all that should be there. If anyone can point me in the right direction. I would love to get this thing working. thanks.
Hi Paul, You have got a Bystrom T1043 gravity Reading lamp from around 1905/10, made of the "Bystrom Gas Lamp Company", Chicago! Gasoline fed lamp and the horizontal control is for on/off fuel and the vertical is a cleaning needle function for cleaning the jet orifice. It needs a mantle to function as it was meant to be. I have a Bystrom Arc lamp and you can see it here ... Ca. 1900 The Bystrom Arc Lamp Design Nr. 5 /Conny
Very nice lamp Paul. The gasoline today is not the same as it was back then and Coleman fuel is about as close as you will get. You will need to make sure the mesh screen at the top of the burner is in good condition. They need to be preheated and you do this by putting a spirit/alcohol in the cup under the burner. From memory I think the needle that screws up to clear the jet is a steel rod ground down to a point rather than a fine wire. This is good because it should still be able to do its job. Below are the type of mantles you will need. There are different coloured boxes and it usually takes some improvisation to get them to fit. They do come up on ebay often enough to get what you need. The flame coming out of the holes under the burner are there to keep heat in the burner. The burner must be (and stay) hot enough to vapourise the fuel into a gas.
Hi @PaulStLMO and Welcome ! Well done on finding such a lamp, so many have been drilled for wires and the like I hope you can find a chimney and mantle.. good luck with everything
Hi Conny. Thanks so much for the information and the pictures. My "horizontal valve" has been turned pointing down, I'm guessing during the restoration. I hope it will still function pointing down. Do you know if that valve is welded on are screwed onto the tube? If it's screwed on, I assume I can maybe spin it horizontal. Thanks again.
Thanks for the info Anthony. And the fuel suggestions. Not thinking I laid it down sideways as I brought it home. When I got it out it had a small amount of fuel on the side of the burner, so I assumed someone used it or tried to use it. I have to unstick the on off valve and also get the fill cap off the fuel Reservoir. It's not turning. If I get it running I'll have to figure out the shade situation. And what my options are.
Nice lamp ! As for the valve, I would leave it as is. It fits well and if it seals too I would not though it ;-) The same aplies for the rest of the burner, clean it first then check if fuel will pass and there are no leaks. If you take it apart you never know what problem you may create if parts don't line up again or fit or seal.
Hi paul, Very nice lampe ! Your lamp is absolutely beautiful, with care and patience you will have the reward of its light with a upright mantle fitted with Coleman fuel. Welcome and thank you for sharing. Best regards, Titoo.
Hi. Thanks for all of the info so far. I have a couple of questions about my Bystrom reading lamp. I assume I normally keep the cleaning pin in the down position Except maybe before I turn it on to make sure the The pathway is clear. Secondly, Do I turn the On \off valve all the way on when in use, or do I just slightly crack it open or what? Lastly (for now), All I've seen so far By way of a picture of the Glass Is a sketch in a sales brochure. I'm not sure if I have the correct fitter for my lamp. It appears it just holds a decorative outer globe. Do I have to have a smaller Chimney inside of the globe to make it burn correctly? Or will The mantle be fine burning in the big globe? The picture appears to me That it has a chimney and a globe. But I'm not sure. Thanks.
