Hi All, I bought this at a local market for £12, a bargain I think. What model is this and is it complete and correct? Looking forward to your comments. Regards Thomas
Hi , you have got a vapalux 300 from the early 1940s, the feference gallery has quite a few of these in there , it should restore well enough, looks like it has a steel tank on it , if unsure test with a magnet. Regards Ian
£12 is excellent! Take your time and you'll soon get the old girl working again. PS. That's what's in my display image only it's a brass tank not steel.
Glass is probably later, but everything else is there and could well have left the factory together. With the pressure pip on the tank it could be an early one from '42; have a look for a date stamp on the hood. I take it the hood has "VAPALUX HALIFAX" in raised lettering?
Hi, I've cleaned the hood and it has Vapalux Halifax Eng. but not in raised letters. It has the number 839212 and the date stamp 1942 with crows foot. The glass is the one with the lighter hole, would this not be original to it? There is no name on the glass. What mantle would have been used on this? Would you also know which mantle was used on the Tilley TL136? Kind regards, Thomas
Very nice and a lucky find with the original glass with lighting hole, it might be worth getting a replacement later glass if you intend to use the lantern as the original glasses are getting hard to find, i got my first one recently after five odd years of collecting, it was worth the wait though being it is a new old stock Pyrex glass.
Oops, my mistake- I couldn't see the hole in the first photo, so assumed it was a replacement- as @MG says it's uncommon to find 300's with the original glass. They usually have Pyrex makers marks IIRC: perhaps whoever drilled the hole drilled it over the mark- I have seen ones where the mark is upside-down at the bottom, they weren't exactly picky about such things in '42... The incised lettering is earlier and much less common than the raised style; 1942 seems to be the changeover year between the styles. Is there a split pin through the pressure release screw to retain it? If not, that's an early feature as well, as are maker's marks on the face of the filler cap. The mantle is part number "V42", same as other Vapalux/Bialaddin lamps and lanterns, but most non-pre-tied twin tie mantles will do. Pre-tied Tilley mantles won't fit as the Vapalux burner and spigot are larger in diameter. The TL136 probably takes the standard 164X mantle, again most non-pre-tied twin ties should fit.
Hi, Thanks for info. The pressure release screw does have a split pin and no makers mark on filler cap. regards Thomas
The steel tank was introduced because of WW2 when brass was needed for the war effort. As for whether your brass tank model is older or younger, im not sure. Can you post some photos?
The steel tank was preferred as it’s more durable than brass. All the Vapalux air ministry lamps I have are all steel. 1942, 1943 and 1945 appear to be the most common markings on the hood. Is you brass tank brown by any chance?
Hi Everyone, many thanks for all the useful information you have provided, it's much appreciated. Here is a photograph of what the lamp now looks like. Still a few things to do but nearly there. I will post a few photos of the finished lamp in the Lamp Gallery. Kind regards, Thomas
Hi, I used Holts HGREY04 which I saw someone else suggesting in another post. That's 1 down and about 50 to go
Nice job , ugly duckling to beautiful swan, nice to see my choice of colour used by others. Regards Ian.
Looking nice, I like the grey. Must remember the colour reference for when I get around to repainting my own 300. Bialaddin 300x, with the second version of the heat deflector, stamped on the collar not the hood, knurled round brass filler cap rather than the alloy or brass "cogwheel" shape...1947 probably. Burner is (probably) a post 1950 replacement (round air buttons, not hexagonal), glass with that round "Heat Resistant" mark is possibly 1970's.
