Hello everyone, Today someone showed me an Aida 1350N lantern with a 1939 patent rapid. Could anyone tell me what N means? I think I read those starters were fragile and made of alloy. Am I right?
Hi @Adolfo , I found a document from 1951 which lists Aida 1250, 1350, and 1500, and another document from 1953 which lists 1250N, 1350N, and 1500N (all of them with the "Expreß" spray preheater). Similarly, there are 1233, 1214, and 1215 from 1951, and 1233N, 1214N, and 1215N from 1953 (with spirit tray preheater). From the pictures I can see no differences between the corresponding lanterns with or without the "N". Thus I assume that they might just have named them differently for whatever reason. (Maybe "N" for "new" ?)
...just read further through the documents. They even mention all the same technical details, e. g. the bottom valve of the vaporizer (even for those versions without spray preheater), and the regulating screw in the mixing tube... So still no differences to be noted. <edit> It is barely noticeable, but the difference could be the "fin" at the vaporizer. It can clearly be seen at all of the 1953 versions with 350-500 HK, but I'm not sure it is there at the 1951 versions. However, it could be there at the 500 HK version 1215 and the 350 HK version 1350 though. The latter should be a mixed up picture in the paper, since only the 500 HK versions should have had this fin. This might match the observation from Wim in the other thread that there is a patent DE873381 from 1953, which describes this fin.
That is very strange. All Petromax lanterns from 1953 are called E ! All AIDA lanterns from 1953 are called N ! There is something we don't know .
@Adolfo The diecast zinc alloy levers on the late 1930s-style rapid preheaters are quite fragile and might easily break off if you're not careful. I think that the Petromax-styled Aidas that you mentioned were only made since the early 1950s. Probably in Altena under the Graetz management as well. It might still have some older pre-war Petromax features and parts. Such as the 1939 type prehater and possibly the older frame-collar with oblong slots rather than the later designs that were patented in the mid-1950s. I have some difficulty finding the scratched dating info under the founts in some 1950s Petromax and Aidas. I'm not sure the suffix 'N' on the Aida would be similarly valid as for the Petromax according to this info on Wim's website:-
HI all I currently have a 1350 N this lamp had a zamac alloy preheater which I unfortunately have broken
And I see that its vaporizer has the fin inwards as described in the patent, and as shown in the 1953 document: Below are 2 pictures from the 1951 documents, which are a bit strange because the fin looks like it is soldered on outwards, and the more greenish one has it on the 1350 instead on the 1500:
