Hi all, I will continue from the post made here .... French early incandescent wick burner lamps and show you a handful of other French wick incandescent burners and below are the first two ..... 17. Bec Amiot This is a burner made from a patent of Gustave Amiot. Amiot was granted four patents from 1908 to 1912 and the main patent from 1908 shows an incandescent wick burner with a device for extinguish the flame by using a lever that blocks the jet orifice. This Amiot burner are a blueprint of the second 1909/10 patent. This burner has the extinguisher device and is pre-heated with an alcohol asbestos small torch. Probably gasoline fed and, as this is a small burner, maybe around 40 CP. This burner is small with a diameter burner tube of 15mm (opposed to regular size burners of 22/24 mm) and a gallery size of 36 mm instead of regular size 48 - 50 mm. This burner size is often referred to as "BB" (Baby) in catalogues and ads. I have not find any other paperwork for this burner, except the patents, so probably very rare. The last patent 1911/12 shows a developed Amiot burner with a pre heat cup with a different kind of inner device for heat transport to the vaporizing part of the burner. Also a spring in centre of the wick to enhance the vapour to the jet. This second burner is bigger and a more regular sized burner and the picture shown are from an auction site; so not mine burner. 1909/10 patent ...... The last Amiot patent burner ....... 18. Bec National I think the French made the best looking incandescent wick burners and lamps and this also applies to this Boivin “Bec National” from 1902. Manufactured by Emile Boivin & Cie, Paris. This is the forerunner of the better known Boivin 1903/1904 Bec National burner, which, like the later Hugo Schneider HS1 and HS2 burners, included a pump and a preheating cup. This Boivin burner comes from a 1902 patent FR326559A and is an alcohol fed burner, and has a lever that opens and closes holes for the vapour to the gas burner. Alcohol torch pre heater. Possibly not optimal performance when I tried it, but a steady performance. Probably around 50 CP. I couldn't find any documentation other than the patent for this burner, but there is additional documentation for the 1904 Boivin burner (Ralph Schoeneborn). /Conny 1902 Boivin Patent .............. 1904 Bec National ads ........
Another two French wick incandescent burners ..... 19. Bec Agaz Here is my newly purchased nickel version of the French “Bec AGAZ” burner. This wick burner is probably the number 3 with a light output of 150 CP and is powered by gasoline (or a gasoline mix "Benzol").I have earlier post about my AGAZ burners here ..... French early incandescent wick burner lamps, but since then I have some new information. The “Etablissements Agaz” was a manufacturer and reseller of lighting and cooking equipment and was headed by Marie-Francois-Pierre Vialard-Goudou. Pierre Vialard-Goudou is also the patent holder of two Agaz burner patents from 1909/1910, following an original patent from Pierre-André Vignat from 1906/08. The "Maison Vialard-Goudou" sold Agaz burners and additional lamps in the early 1910s. I have two Agaz catalogs from 1912-1915. Beautiful and well built burners that work well! Patents .... 20. Bec Idéal This unknown French wick incandescent burner has been in my possession for about ten years. The fibre button and the top part of the gallery were missing, but I managed to fix that. Good performance and probably around 60CP for this gas powered burner. I have not until recently been able to find the manufacturer or patent for this burner. While researching a French lamp a week ago, I came across information that could identify this burner. In an advertisement from 1912 I found information about, "Bec functionnant au Benzene, Lusol ou essential, sans aucun changement G. Pion Bté". I found out about Gaston Pion's patent and it is a blueprint of the burner I have. The seller and perhaps also the manufacturer of the burner was an E. Rozie & Cie, 104 - 106 Rue Oberkampf, Paris. The headline for this advert is “Idéal” and is a brand name used by E. Rozie & Cie. /Conny 1911 patent
Fascinating as ever Conny thanks for sharing- I live in hopes of seeing one of these for real in the UK but they are rare here.
@Fireexit1 Yes, except maybe for the Tito Landi burners and lamps, you would have a hard time find any of the other brands, outside of France. /Conny
21. Bec Gallia Hi all, This is an alcohol wick incandescent burner from very early 1900,s. No markings on this burner, but I would say it was sold in France as a "Gallia" (Bec Gallia) burner. The origin however is most likely a German 1902 patent from Johannes Meyer, Berlin. This shows a fuel filler tube and pump for pre heating alcohol cup, integrated into the burner body. Also a special slightly diagonal vapour mixing chamber tube integrated into the wick tube, and a low situated vapour jet that lets vapour out into the mixing tube. The pump rod has an pin going into the burner and closes the jet in the lowest position. This is regulated by the winder knob, or by a lever. This patent was also adopted by other makers and was made or/and sold in several countries under the name Finalbrenner (S-Final), Frontbrenner and possible other brand names. Similar integrated fuel filler/pump burners were also on the market 1905-1910, by Albert Silbermann, Allgemeine Beleuctung-Gesellschaft, Eckel & Glinicke, Hoffmann, Stobwasser, Hirchhorn, Ehrich & Graetz etc. This burner gave a full Bunsen flame, so my estimate is about 80 CP light output. I can't see any output information in the "Gallia" papers that appears to be from 1905. The kerosene wick incandescent Gallia burner in that paper is a burner manufactured by Wilhelm Weickart, Liepzig! An unusual and nice burner that is now incorporated into my collection. // The image of the lamp lit shows very well the disadvantage of upright incandescent burners. Also with a wide fuel container as in this image it gives a very big area of shade. That was probable a big issue for light inventors at that time and resulted in the advantage for the inverted burner. // /Conny Similar burners (courtesy Jörg Wekenmann) Patent DE148176C......
22. Bec EMKA Hi all, Here is a very rare and interesting burner, at least for a lamp nerd as I am. This "Emka" alcohol wick incandescent burner is manufactured around 1902 by Meyer, Kopp & Cie, 60 boul. de Clichy, Paris. Meyer, Kopp & Cie started in April 1902 a company "Compagnie de Bec-Emka" and was also granted a burner patent that same year. They made this eMKa (MK) incandescent alcohol burner for a year only and already in Nov. 1903 this company ceases to exist; so a short lived period for this burner. That is maybe why so few has surfaced and mine is the second I've seen during all my collecting years. This burner is in many ways different from most other wick incandescent alcohol burners from this time. Most other alcohol burners were built with a heavy cast metal core at the centre of the burner for maintaining heat for the vapour process after pre heating. This Emka burner is built more like an exclusive wick oil/kerosene burner, but with an extended gallery tube and without the flame spreader. My experience with "kerosene" wick incandescent burners indicates several important features; inner or outer burner tube flanges, flame spreaders etc. for making a Bunsen flame. I must say I was a bit curios and also suspicious that this Emka burner would not be able to get the Bunsen flame necessary. As the pictures show I was wrong about my assumption of failure for this burner and it worked much better than expected. The first thing that was striking, when getting the burner in my hands, was the build with screwed on outer burner tube and the wick raiser mechanism that is very typical for the kerosene wick Vulkan and Agni Brenner burners from the German manufacturer Wild & Wessel. This and also the pattern of the gallery match another more scarce W&W burner , the "Kronos" burner, of which I have one 16 ´´´ burner. So my conclusion is that the Meyer & Kopp Emka burner is identical to the 14 ´´´ W&W Kronos burner , with a prolonged and modified gallery tube and without the Kronos flame spreader. I even believe that the burner probably was made in Germany by W&W, or at least the main burner parts. The W&W company was overtaken by Hugo Schneider AG in 1903, and that can have been a factor of the ending of the Emka burner, in Nov. 1903. /Conny
Hello Conny, I reacted to your publication late. Congratulations on the quality of the images of these wonderful burners. The Amiot "BB" and "XXL" burners arrived in my collection via an auction site from the same seller in August 2022, they were complete and have since been restored. The bunsen diameter of the Amiot “XXL” burner is 22 mm. Thank you for sharing these wonders with us. Best regards, Titoo.
Here is a new addition in 2025 .... 23. Hi all, In 1906 the Guenet & Abbat company started in Paris. In 1909 they applied for their first patent; a gasoline/Benzol wick incandescent burner, that they named "Bec Abat". As many similar gasoline/alcohol incandescent burners at this time, this burner was equipped with a 14 line (39,5) standard collar thread, making it possible to replace older less light effective oil/kerosene burners, with this new incandescent light. What is interesting with this G&A burner is the technical design that is different from most others. This type of wick incandescent burners, pre heats the burners using either an integrated pre heat cup or a asbestos fork with alcohol. This Bec Abat use a pre heat cup but the difference is in the vapor distribution. The wick fuel ends up in a vapor chamber and normally the vapor from the fuel goes directly via the jet to the Bunsen burner. The Bec Abat distribute the vapor via a small thin tube to an angled side valve with a control knob for the jet. But also ( and here is the smart thing) is vapor distributed to a half circular part that surrounds the lower part of the burner. This parts has a lot small holes and when in lighting mode gives a supplementary burner heater. This secures a steady heating of the burner for its ongoing vapor process. Smart, but I think the supplementary heater also takes away small part of power from the originally Bunsen flame. In 1912 a second patent was launched and the burner also later changed its name to Bec Ramier. My burner was missing the Bunsen burner head and a mantle hanger; otherwise in good shape. I know of only two other examples among collectors of this burner, so kind of rare. /Conny 1909/12 Guenet & Abbat patent 1922 Bec Ramier Bec-Abat 1909 Trademark
24. Bec National 1904 Hi all, Here is a second alcohol incandescent burner from Emile Boivin & Cie, Paris., the ´Bec National 1904´. The first Bec National burner comes from a 1902 patent and this new Bec National 1904 from a 1903 Boivin patent. The new technical development for this burner is the integrated pump with a pre heat cup, which is probably one of, if not the earliest made for this type of alcohol incandescent burner. The burner was made for both 10 and 14 line collar size, and mine is the smaller burner. I got a lamp pair of this burner, and I think the lamps are original for the burners. Once again .... this shows the diversity of French wick incandescent burner making around the year of 1900 - 1910. One reason for that boost in this type burners, is that several patents held by Française D’Incandescence par le Gaz (Auer) ended in the year 1900. During the 1890,s Française D’Incandescence par le Gaz had sued numerous companies trying to develop incandescent burners and mantles. Now in the year of 1900 this obstacle was gone. /Conny
Thanks again Conny for showing more of these beautiful lamps with their ingenious burners that is great repoussé/chasing work with the vases
