A fine looking lamp. The top half says Petromax but the bottom could be anything. Greetings from Ireland!
It sure is a one of a kind. I think it s frankenlamp. These lamps are not rare but most of the time one of a kind.
Hi Wim, it's a Solex 200, it belonged to the passed away granfather of the person who's selling it, so it has been for many years (50+) in a basement. This lamp was into a small collection of various lamps (not pressure ones), but this person was not mainly a lamp collector but used to buy and store everything. Because this history behind this lamp I don't think is a frankenlamp, from other images I received it looks too well made to be a sunday project made by a person that wasn't into the pressure thing. If I think about the 300hk solex wall lamp posted by james some time ago, I can say that Solex made a long list of models, inspired by other european manufacturers, but probably some of them were made in a very few number, probably to test the market. For sure the standard Solex 200 and Solex 300 lanterns are the most common ones. I will give you some more detailed info soon. Nicola
I asked the owner to try to remove the lamp from the base, but it seems it is a single piece, so more points to the original lamp theory. Then I can clearly recognize the Solex style of pump and filler cap, the tank shape is absolutely different than a standard Solex 200, as well the pump and filler cap positions. Everything let me think that this can hardly be a frankenlamp. I think that Solex designed this table style tank for the 200 model, just to use tha top parts that were already in production, instead of designing a completely different lamp, from top to bottom. Nicola
But I have to admit that it looks weird and strange, seems a lantern melt into a table lamp... also for this reason i really love it
Could be a prototype, who knows... it's hard to say if the lamp is bare brass or nichel plated, too dirt on it... if it's bare brass probably the solders look more visibile...
I suspect it may be original and not a frankie. The final proof that it is genuine would be to look at the top of the the fount where the lower vaporiser screws in. If the fount is from a wick lamp there should be obvious signs of modification there. Besides, wick lamp founts are usually too flimsy to serve as a pressure vessel.
I remember that the owner said that the lamp is "heavy", so this let me think about a thicker brass. Anyway I'll try to ask hime some photos with the top part removed, now I'm courious to discover the truth
Weight: most tabel lamps have a extra lead weight in the base for stability. The top part must be removable to chance the vaporizer. I can solder original petromax part into any metal so that the parts are original doen's mean a lot. I must admit however with the extra pictures that it is well made and possible a weird original solex lamp. But then more should be around.
Wim, I agree with you that a skilled person can solder anything on anything. From a person like you, a skilled and experienced collector, I could expect a custom lamp well made like this, but the old owner, a banker, not a pressure lamp collector, I don't think would make such work. I asked his nephew if his grandfather used to do such things and he totally excluded this eventuality... his grandfather was just a collector of various things. Then, another point, this lamp has been in a basement untouched for 40/50 years and 40/50 years ago i don't think there were pressure lamp collectors or lovers, these were everyday objects so they were not hobby objects at that time. I've seen old lamps modified, but most of the old modifications I have seen were made to fix or to adapt a lamp for a specific use. A custom table lamp, 50 years ago, doesn't look an hobby project of a collector... I'm not sure if my point is clear enough. Anyway, soon we'll know better what the hell this lamp is Nicola
Looking at the last batch of pictures I think its original. But never underestimate the local blacksmith 60 years ago. Way back the use of all kind of oil lamps was more common as would be the repair shops.
On balance I think it might just be right. Hard to tell sometimes because it is a one off. Some paper or another turning up might confirm it but for now I like it and I will record it. ::Neil::
Moved to Italy and title changed to Solex. I also think it look original, and Solex made some oddly chaped things. Just look at the tank and pump position of the 253. If it turns out to be something else, it's easy to move again.
Hi guys, today after a long time I finally tested the lamp of the original post, still some work to do on it. The ugly glass that I use for tests broke… lucky me it was not the original one marked solex. In the last months I’ve also found a second example, so probably not a prototype but a small production. Cheers, Nicola
