Welcome aboard! That is a WW2., Vapalux steel lantern which was made by Willis & Bates in Halifax in Yorkshire and the original meths trough has been removed and a later one fitted, the lantern is in rough condition, but it may restore well enough. 300
Hi and welcome to the forum. You’ve got an interesting lamp! Looks like a 1940s Vapalux 300. It’s got a steel tank which probably dates it to wartime. If you look carefully around the edge of the hood you may find a date and the MOD crows foot mark. I believe many of these were originally in a grey painted finish. Other members will have more information. As to repair or restore... that’s down to personal preference. Being a steel tank it may have suffered from corrosion, I’d be tempted to pressure test it before any restoration, assuming you want the lamp to run. All the service parts are available such as seals, non return valve and pump leather. These parts are available from The Fettlebox, our sponsor or other suppliers found online. Avoid cheap seals! There is a certain pleasure gained from getting an old lamp running, the moment it pops into life you’ll be hooked! Subscribe to the site and you’ll get access to lots of information. It’s worth mentioning that if this is your first lamp you may find it won’t be on its own for long, they do tend to breed! Happy fettling! Stevie Crossed with Jeff.
I've resurrected a couple of steel tank 300s and yes it's possible but it's a labour of love. Brass tank versions you can leave with their patina but with steel you're kind of forced to do something to stop the corrosion.
I have restored a few of these, just looking at yours the tank looks to have the E41 recess in the top, also with brass control cock. Similar to one of mine. Vapalux 300 there was a theory that these were some of the earliest Vapalux 300s, 1942 ish utilising some E41 parts.
Thanks mate I’m looking forward to restoring the lamp I’m going to clean the top brass and paint the tank in the same grey as the lid Just got to buy the new glass if I can’t find an original with the hole then a copy will have to do
I do like the Vapalux 300, a solid lamp that has stood the test of time. I have restored a few 1943 Vapalux 300 Look forward to seeing yours up and running.
