Dear Classicpressurelamp friends, Here is a Petromax about which I could find almost nothing on the Internet. After my Britelyt had turned out to be a clone and far too dangerous, I wanted to turn to a ‘safe original’. The fact that ‘original’ is written in many places on this lamp and that ‘ALL BRASS’ can also be read on the base inspires a great deal of confidence. But then I saw a Phillips head screw on the pressure gauge cover and my first doubts arose. Pressure gauge without Petromax labelling? The cylinder glass is also wafer-thin and, unlike the original glasses, it can be compressed by a few millimetres. But it is not so clear. Worried, I took it apart and was horrified! ‘All brass’ is such a lie! The mixing tube, bonnet, support frame, inner bonnet and even the needle linkage are all made of steel. The spirit pot is also skilfully made from sheet metal. An art that is slowly being forgotten in Western Europe. However, this lamp requires two fillings with spirit, as this ignition aid is smaller and the flames from the spirit do not flare up as high as with the Petromax lamps. I've never seen the lower part of the carburettor before and it's completely unknown to me, just like the mixing chamber and the pump bottom valve with the stamping. The upper part of the carburettor with its unusual stamping, the knurled support screw and the pump knob are also unknown to me. For the sake of completeness, here are photos of the pump union nut, the needle linkage handwheel and the centring plate. View attachment 131920 View attachment 131921 After some research, I think I have recognised some parts as Indian Prahbat parts. But I am very, very unsure about this. However, I have lovingly given this lamp the working name ‘Petrobat 523’ until more concrete facts emerge. I would therefore like to ask anyone who has read this far to share information with me that helps me to narrow down the manufacturer and production period. The Petrobat is also one of my five favourite lamps at the moment. Like every lamp I'm currently spending time on and learning about. As the brass plates of the tank seem thinner to me than on an original Petromax and I am an anxious and cautious craftsman, I only slowly increased the pressure to 3 bar in a few stages. It then shines very brightly and stably. For me, a very nice utility lamp, like my Britelyt; original or not. ‘Thank you!’ for your interest.
I don't know what it is but I know what it is not: an original real Petromax. Seems you live in Germany so finding a real Petromax should not be an issue.
Yes, I suspect that too. Nevertheless, I would like to know who made this lamp and when. I also don't believe that a brand manufacturer would put its good name at the disposal of such a copy, with all the risks involved. So I continue to speculate and think this lamp is illegal. And.....It works and is probably well copied. For me, this lamp simply raises so many questions. I have a number of supposedly original Petromaxes from various decades of the last century and I love them all.
@Willy It is certainly not a Petromax. It is a copy of the design. There had been many similar lanterns found particularly in India. They were locally made by the numerous metal workers. A lot of them were not made using heavy, modernized equipment of that period but by much simpler, non-automatic equipment and toolings plus lots of manual labour with hand tools. Sort of like a backyard shop-factory setting. Most were not made for export purposes but for the local market/communities of that period. It needed to be affordable yet workable. Some would function just as well as a non-defective original Petromax. Most had been made during and after WWII, when European imports by Racek and others had ceased.
‘Thank you!’ MYN, I have the greatest respect for this craftsmanship, especially when it works. I am very pleased to have such a lamp in my collection. It's just a pity that the chance of finding out the manufacturer and period of manufacture is even smaller. However, I do not believe (speculation on) that it is that old. If the pressure gauge belongs to this lamp, the Phillips screw can't be that old. The overall condition of the lamp is also almost very good. The steel parts had little to no flash rust. I suspect it is more likely to be from the 70s to 80s. But I don't know anything about it.
This reminds me of what are referred to as "Khyber pass" copy guns. Carefully made by hand from whatever material is available.
It might not necessarily date back to the 1940s. The craft had been continued up to fairly recent times(1970s, early 80s) to cater for rural communities where electrical infrastructure was still lacking. It wasn't just in India but in much of Asia as well. Although imports of the real Petromax and other makes from Europe were resumed some years after the War, not everyone could actually afford them. The local products were of course, much less expensive, although their qualities might not be comparable. This lantern just happens to bear a lot of characteristics indicating that it has an Indian origin., i.e., a certain style.. The pressure gauge/filler cap would likely be a relatively recent replacement. It is usually almost impossible to trace the original makers of such lanterns. They might or might not put their 'signatures' on the units.
Hello Wilhelm This is a very nice pressure lamp and you cleaned it very carefully It is probably a product from the little company Nanda Light house in New Delhi.You could write to the company directly and ask. Pradip means light or lamp
‘Thank you very, very much!’ MYN and Reinhard! I don't know how you did it Reinhard, I myself searched for hours and compared pictures endlessly. I'm so pleased that things are moving forward now! I will write to the company and if anyone is interested, I will publish the results here. Thanks again!’
