Hi all, I got two of these off Ebay the other day and have just received them in the post. This one is the better of the two it seems to have more parts present although I think there are still a few missing, the burner for one. They are going to need a fair amount of restoration to get them looking half decent and then I'll think about finding the parts to get them or one working.
Hello Matt, I saw those lamps on Ebay and they are in need of a major restoration, but they are well made. Are they both Aida? Jeff.
Hi Jeff, Yeh major restoration might end up being an understatement. Having said that under the layer of red paint I think the enamel is pretty good. I have managed to flick all the paint off the Aida sign on the reflector and that is perfect so I don't think it will look too bad once I get the paint off it. The one I have photographed is Aida, the reflector , badge and the tap are all marked. The generator is marked Petromax. The other lamp I'm not sure about yet, the reflector is a Petromax but I haven't managed to get enough paint off the badge to see what that says. I'll get it completely stripped down tomorrow and I wouldn't be surprised if the red paint isn't gone and a coat of primer is on the tank. I'll update with pic's as I progress.
Update time. I have been stripping and polishing all day today and have finally got a pile of pieces that look half decent. There are quite a few pics to get through so I'll show them over several posts.
More, you want more? Oh ok then. Phew, that's it for now, the first days instalment. There is still another day to this weekend so I'm sure there will be a load, more progress by tomorrow evening. Not so many photo's though.
This is going to be one (two?) nice lamp. I'm looking forward to seeing it lit too! Your progress is amazing. Do you stop to eat or drink Dan
Hi Chaps, Thanks for the kind words, but unless I can get hold of a burner tube this won't be throwing out much light. Dan I didn't start until after I'd had dinner and didn't stop until about 7 in the evening and then had some tea. I think I might have stopped for a coffee about half way through though I can't remember.
Right then, a little progress update. I've been scratching my head a bit today trying to find bits to do without starting to restore the other lamp, I want to get one finished before I start the other. I had to make a knob and catch to keep the door shut so I had to get my lathe (sort of) set up. It wouldn't win any beauty contests but it does what it should. I got all the cast iron lump cleaned up and drilled out all the old bolts because they snapped of. I cleaned the meths tray up as well and discovered some rust holes in the bottom so they'll need brazing or something. The tank has had it's top coat put on, It is black in real life but the flash on the camera shows it up to look greyish. Unfortunately the paint is still a bit sticky so I'll resist the temptation to try putting it together until it's dry, hopefully tomorrow.
And here she is all put together. I'm in the process of ordering a couple of glasses for these two from Hytta but I'm not crazy about the £80 bill I get when you add shipping . I need to change all the bolts that hold it together so that they match and a final clean and polish to get the remaining red paint off, then It's finished all bar the important burner. Oh, and the tap.
Thanks Claus, It was quite a lot of work but well worth it in the end I think you will agree. Another great step forward, the glass arrived from Hytta today. Sent payment at 00.10 on the 6th and at around 10.30 today it arrived. Now thats service. I'll add some photos with the glass when I get chance over the weekend and show it off in all it's wonderful glory. I must admit I am well chuffed with this lamp and sooooo glad I took the plunge and bought them even though at the time I hadn't a clue what I was buying.
Looking good so far Matt you have put some hours into that already i can see lets hope the parts you need turn up cheers pete
Well done Matt , smashing job so far 8) I wondered who won those off of ebay the other week , seems i have the answer now 8) , keep up the good work 8) Stu
Thanks chaps, many hours labour put in and a good result at the end but not good enough until I can finally see her lit again. Is there more science to the burner tube than just a piece of bent pipe with the little paddle or would it be possible to use a piece of copper plumbing pipe and bend it to shape and stick that in there? I can't see it working some how.
I can't help you much more then pointing to my restoration document: http://www.petromax.nl/PX834_repair.html As far as I remember it is indeed nothing more then a tube. Having said this it should be at the right height above the jet. I doubt the functionality of the adjusting screw so a first test with a bended pipe would do the trick.
Another small job out of the way, and a little step closer to seeing it finished. Today was a poor day at the antique fair, not a lamp to be bought anywhere unless I wanted more of the usual rubbish. So all I came away with was a pair of brass taps. The pictures should explain why.
Thanks Ray, It's a shame that I'm left with an odd brass hot tap and an incomplete cold one though. There must be something I can do with it.
Hello Matt, that's a neat job! The build quality of those old brass taps is excellent and bits of brass will always come in handy through time, Jeff.
Thanks Jeff and Stu, I think it was more luck than skill Stu. I'm not sure I could do it again or would even want to for that matter. It took longer to file the square out of the centre than it did to do the rest. If your interested to see the old girl (lathe) that was doing the work then here is a picture. A little worn in places, but still does a reasonable job.
That looks older than some lamps,a collectors item in itself resemblances to Myford ML7 (1946) which i have ,what make is it.
Hi Graham, I can't remember what the model is, it's either an ML 2 or 3. The ML 3 is around 1938 so the 2 was slightly older. But it's a Myford none the less.
