Good morning, I’m an Italian guy and I recently bought this lamp at a very low price (I’ve attached the photos sent by the seller). While I’m waiting for it to be shipped, I’d like to know if in your opinion it’s worth trying a restoration. What model do you think it might be? From what I’ve read online, it seems similar to a Solex 300, but I’m not sure. Finally, since I think I’ll need to replace several parts, can I rely on Petromax spare parts? If so, which Petromax model exactly? Thank you in advance for your reply.
Well, I see quite some vital parts I do not see, which makes restoration (to a working condition) hmmmm a little difficult. I am uncertain about Petromax parts. There are lanterns in the shape of a Petromax where the dimensions just do not match. Also I can not say which specific Petromax-style lantern you got exactly. We will have to wait until you have the lantern in your hands and provide some more detailled imags. Erik. The complete part #117 "inner hood" seems to be missing as well as the globe.
Thank you very much Erik, as soon as I receive the lamp this week I’ll get back to you with more photos. Thanks again for your availability. Have a nice day!
Good Evening Tommaso! I am also quite new to the Forum, but welcome! Which part of Italia are you in? Sunny or Snowy? About your Lamp, of course you should restore it, but as Erik said above, without knowing which Model, from which Manufacturer you have, it is difficult to advise - So many Lamps look like a Petromax, but in reality, are not the same at all! You must be brave my Friend! Someone here will always know the answer to your question! I knew nothing about these kind of Lamps, and purchased a pair on eBay for a good price, One is a cheap Anchor (Made in China), the other is a Hipolito (Portugal). You can find the story of the Anchor on the Forum (Search Scruffy Old Anchor 909). The Hipolito I have not written about yet. I was brave, I rebuilt both lamps together, using Petromax Service Kits, and luckily everything fitted pretty well! Lots of fun adjusting and fiddling to make them run right, but they are both pretty reliable now, and I love them! Best Regards Mark
Good morning Mark, I live in the snowiest part of Italy, specifically in Verona. First of all, I would like to thank you for sharing the wonderful work you have done with your lamps; you have given me some hope that I might also be able to turn my lamp into something nice and functional. I will wait a few days for it to arrive at my home and then I will start looking for any markings that can tell me what kind of lamp it is. I am sure you will be able to give me some advice on how to proceed and how to choose the right spare parts to buy. Thanks again!
Good Afternoon Tommaso I'm sorry, I have never actually been as far as Verona, last time I was in Italy, we rented an Apartment in Germignaga on Lago Maggiore - Beautiful! And, I have toured around the Northern areas - Cortina / Bolzano / Dolomites on my Motorcycle. You live in a fabulous part of the World! I wish you good luck with your Lamp when you receive it! Best Regards Mark
Good evening, I received the lantern today. As I expected, it's a Solex 300. As Erik said, I confirm that the entire burner assembly is missing. In addition to this, the fuel cap gasket, the leather gasket placed on the pump, the fuel regulation rod with the corresponding pin placed on the rod, the nut from which the pin comes out (the number 300 is stamped on it) and the glass. In the meantime, I had fun disassembling the components, washing them, and descaling them, restoring the entire structure to its beautiful brass color. I'm also trying to straighten the sheet metal. I'm asking you for some advice regarding purchasing the new components since I'm afraid of buying something that won't fit my lamp. I look forward to hearing your kind advice, and I wish you a good evening. Thank you so much.
Greetings Tommaso! What a wonderful looking Lamp, I must admit, I have never heard of Solex before, are they made in Italy? You have good polishing skills too! Interesting construction, I'm sure more advice will be forthcoming from some of the proper "Experts" on CPL, but the Fuel Tank / Fount almost looks like a British Tilley style item with a hole in the centre for the fuel feed, My Hipolito is to one side. The upper part of the Lamp (Nipple, Preston Loop and Carburetor) looks almost identical to a Petromax / Hipolito , and I would be very surprised if standard Petromax parts would not fit. Same applies for the missing parts under the hood. The main difference I can see is the Control Cock arrangement. My Hipolito and Anchor Lamps have a straight through Carburetor / Fuel Feed Tube, the Control Cock moves a long "Two Piece" adjustable rod up the middle to operate the Nipple Pricker at the top, and the Footvalve at the bottom. Your Solex has that "Dog Leg" arrangement, obviously the Control Cock works in the same way, but is double acting on both the upper Nipple Pricker, and the lower Footvalve rods. Does the same job, but could be problematical if you need replacement parts. If you Google base-camp.co.uk, they are a major supplier of parts in the UK, you can download a Petromax Manual and Parts List, this may help identifying things? Maybe there is a specialist in Italy providing parts and expertise for Solex? How old do you think the Lamp is? Do you have other Lamps, or is this your first restoration? Please keep us all updated on your progress, with pictures! And, do shout if you need more help, or have more questions! Good Luck!
The Petromax part doesn't fit the Solex ! The Petromax part is too tall ! And then the solex hood won't fit on top anymore.I strongly recommand looking for a parts donor from Solex 300.That way ,you'll preserve its originality.
Good morning, thank you very much, Mark. Yes, these Solex lamps were produced in Italy by a company (called Solex) founded in France. They initially produced radiators (which weren't very successful) and then expanded their production to include other products such as watering cans, pipes, sheet metal work, and, I believe, these lamps as well. They later specialized in the production of carburetors and were acquired by the Italian company Magneti Marelli, before being purchased by some Chinese company; at least that's what I was able to find online. I'm not sure of the exact production period of these lamps, but if anyone could give me more information, I'd be happy to. I contacted the guys at Base Camp and sent the relevant measurements. Now I'm waiting for them to find a compatible burner mount. As far as I know, there's no one in Italy who sells Solex spare parts. I've searched online for a long time, but nothing (I can only find spare parts for carburetors). Finally, I can confirm that this is my first restoration and my first approach to this type of lamp. I've only had the opportunity to repair a couple of classic wick-based oil lamps a while back. I'm currently finishing cleaning the various brass parts while waiting for replacements. I decided not to scratch them too much and just give them a light polish to maintain a slightly antique look. The rod in the lamp's power supply is exactly as you described, and I hope to find a replacement because it's in a poor condition. (I've attached a photo.)
Thanks Reinhard, I tried to search but I couldn't find the original one anywhere, I also tried to contact someone who was selling a damaged or non-working Solex 300 to buy just the part I'm missing but everyone replied saying that they only sell the whole lamp.
@Tommaso I would buy a second Solex 300. Or an identical FAIR 300. The Solex 300 most likely existed before,during,and after the Second World War.Like many manufacturers of the time,Solex also offered a series of 100,200 and 300 HK pressure lamps. All three Solex lamp sizes were temporarily called Solex 252.I own a Solex 252 300HK with original operating instructions from 1942.At that time,many components of the Solex were made of iron,similar to German pressure lamps from the dark ages. Italian pressure lamps are a very interesting area of Studio. There were many brands.I own lamps from Italian brands Solex , FAIR , Astarte , Thermolux , Petrolamp , Tirrenia , Providus , Docovus ....and there's much more...... Have fun with your New hobby and collecting !
Good Evening Tommaso Good advice from Reinhard - Looks like you have an Italian Lamp expert in Germany! I never heard of any of these Lamps that Reinhard mentions, I too am learning so much! Now you mention Solex being originally a French Brand, I remember having a Solex Carburetor on one of my old Land Rovers, and maybe I also remember small motorcycles with the Solex name? All the pieces of the puzzle are coming together! It looks like you have made some good progress with your Lamp - It's a beautiful thing! And, I hope you can locate parts to complete it - Never Give Up! I have just been watching the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics on TV, Happy memories of visiting Cortina, Bormio and the Stelvio Pass on my Motorcycle (In the summer of course!). Keep us up to date with progress. Best Regards Mark
Good morning everyone, I wanted some advice from those of you more experienced than I. I'm finishing the restoration of the last pieces while waiting for some spare parts for my lamp. Specifically, I wanted to try to save the original handle. I've been scraping it for a long time with little success, as the rust has carved small grooves into the metal, making it rough and unattractive. I've tried soaking it in citric acid and hydrochloric acid, but with little success. Do you have any advice or suggestions? I was thinking of treating the metal surface with some kind of nickel plating process. Is that worthwhile? Do you have any recommendations? Would it be better to try painting it after applying primer to even out the surface? (Although I'd keep this option as a last resort, as it would ruin the original appearance somewhat.) Thank you very much. (The brass screws, however, were perfect after a light scraping. I've attached photos.)
Good evening guys, I only remembered in recent days that I had not published the results of my restoration. Finally the lamp works perfectly, and I hope that with this I hope it will encourage those who try their hand at restoring one of these pressure lamps for the first time. I thank everyone who gave me their advice and opinions in this discussion. Now that I too am passionate about this hobby I can tell you: see you at the next restoration!!
Great work Tommaso. Looking stunning, as does the background! Glad you were able to source all the spare parts you needed - Good Job! Bet you can't wait to restore another one now!
