Well folks. This lamp stuff gets kind of addictive! I like this one though. Just missing a glass and mantle so we'll see what happens when they turn up. There is nothing stamped on the collar but it says Bialaddin 300X on the top vent between the air intake. Pumps up and jet seems clear with pricker showing itself. It also has a pressure tit so I'm not sure of the date. (Wife won't let me search for tits on the web for some reason) I'm just going to leave it as it is (except new seals/washers). Was tempted to polish the filler cap and pump but then you're onto the cage etc etc and then the tank looks dour and the list then goes on. Best wishes Brian
First version with that tank and pressure tit dates from about 1948 to maybe 1950. Ian can probably spot it better. Bialaddin dropped the pressure tit early in the game and it has gone by the early 1950s if not late 40s. Nice lamp but check it for stress cracks. ::Neil::
That is a nice one Brian. As Neil says, check the tank for leaks, as some Bialaddins from that period are a bit prone to stress cracking. Well done, Steve.
Cheers Neil. the tank looks okay (but I'm not sure what i'm looking for re stress cracks!) The base seems to be brass with a steel base ring.
There is no steel in a bialaddin tank. The lower part of the base ring is tinned so appears as white metal and it may be that which seems to be steel to you. Stress faults which may develop into cracks willl be vertical ridges which you can feel if you run your hand around the side of the tank. It does not affect all Bialaddin tanks but I have found a few from that period so it is worth a check. Not really a big problem so long as you do an underwater pressure test before firing it up. ::Neil::
Thanks guys. There are some very regular lines which run vertical when the lamp is sitting the right way up. I've tried a photo but not too sure if you'll see them. they are in the middle. i thought they were maybe casting lines.
Hi Brian, Mine has what looks like the same lines when I stripped the old paint off. Looked to me at the time as a mark left when the dome was pressed. Seeing them through the paint is a bit odd.
No worries about performance Brian. Very well made lamps the Bialaddin's are. A new set of seals and you'll be up and running.
Hi, These are the stress cracks that you need to be looking for if you are buying a lamp, sometimes difficult to see. I don't know if I have just had a bad run but I have had quite a few 300x's with leaky tanks this year, all around the base. The seepage can be very small, so give them a good long dunk if you are doing a water/air test. The 300x you have is the first model, distinguished by it's black heat deflector with the rolled over edges. The more familiar maroon top followed on from that. The Bialaddin 300x was introduced in Autumn 1946, the first advert I have seen is October that year. Pressure nipples are not commonly seen on the Bialaddin 300x, so I would guess they went out in 1947. As Neil stated they didn't appear again on W&B lamps after that.
