1947-48 Vapalux 300X

Here's a 300X I picked up last weekend at a car boot. It was supposed to be for resale to make a bit of money to fund the habit (hence the polishing job) but hey what can I say the addiction is too strong, I think I'll keep it . It's got a pressure tit so that is why i'm dating it between 1947 and 1948.

 

Hey Matt, you going into competition with the tartan tablecloth man in the polishing stakes . What you need to really set that off is a nice repro brass HD44 type hood-cap 8) . Really though, a nice lamp Matt. See you with it lit at Ashover . Steve.

 

Hello Matt, it's a fine example! Jeff.

 

The plan was to put one of your caps on it but now I'm keeping it, I'll keep the original. I did get a bialaddin 300x as well last week, which might need a new top on it. It'll probably be for sale at Ashover, I'll let you know if I'm going to need one. I doubt this one will get lit though.

 

That is lovely!

It's so hard to resist the lure of shiny brass

 

It's got a Vapalux tank though...

 

Oh, I thought I was being clever, Ian's dated his to 46, so I assumed that what you said about the tit being re-introduced in 47/48 on the bialaddins would be the same on the vapalux. But then I guess if I look closer at Ian's his has a tit too. So why we're these different then if ,I'm assuming here, that both the vapalux and bialaddins were being made at the same time in the same factory? Or have I got that wrong? It wouldn't surprise me.

 

We need Ian's input here but my understanding was that Vapalux re introduced the pressure tit in late 1945 or early 1946. It is however possible I suppose that this and the same thing as a Bialaddin were made side by side for a while. ::Neil::

 

I have photos of a Vapalux 300x box which also has a date on it of March 1946.I also have a newspaper advert for a Bialaddin 300x dated 25th October 1946. The advert states that Bialaddin was formerly known as Vapalux. So I think we can assume that between Mar 1946 and Oct 1946 the Bialaddin brand took over from Vapalux.

Knowing Willis and Bates this would have been a gradual process. They wouldn't have ditched old stock and parts because of a new name and model. So both lamps would have been available for a while.

Without going into examples the pressure tit did reappear around 45/46 on the broad, steel and brass 300 style tanks. When the new slimmer Bialaddin 300x tank came in late 1946 generally speaking they did not have pressure tits but there are examples with them. I haven't got one but I'm pretty sure Steve Wood has.

I have said this many times before but you must not think of W&B as a huge firm with set production methods and models. Things seem to change on a whim or maybe to special requests.

Anyway Matt your lamps probably late 45, early 46.

 

I wonder if there are articles of agreement between W&B and Aladdin Industries Ltd. still extant - perhaps at Companies House or whatever it's called.

Interesting - I don't recall having a later Vapalux with tit but that's probably because I'd assumed they were all up to 1942 with a later hood on. I've definitely got at least one burgundy Bialaddin tank with the tit.

Yes, I visited around 2005/6 and I was more than surprised at just how 'tin-pot' the whole set-up was. A bit of an eye-opener actually...

 

It probably doesn't help much, but I have this Bialaddin 300X, slim tank and boxed. I have assumed that it was an early Bialaddin model as the image on the box is of a wide tank (aka Vapalux style)although there is nothing more to go on. It does not have a pressure indicator.

I have two with the pressure indicator - both with a similar (to the image) heat deflector - one enamelled black and the other maroon.

Assuming that development was a one-way process in terms of minor changes does seem to be a step too far.

 

Hi David,

If anyone would care to take a trip to the National Museum of American History in Maryland USA, I'm sure there is a wealth of information in the Aladdin Archives. I know that the archives contain lots of info regarding Jack Imber (Head of Aladdin UK) and the Greenford Factory in Middlesex. Web site http://amhistory.si.edu/archives/d8844.htm

As you know I do have a lot of info on the Willis and Bates Factory but nothing regarding their partnerhip with Aladdin. I can tell you something directly from the Works Diary regarding colours of lamps though. On 4th July 1944 a decision was made to experiment with colours on lamps. The first paint they tried was chocolate brown. Up until that date the only colour they used as standard was Rapidal Grey. So if you have brown, maroon or cream in original colours they post date July 1944. They also continued with the grey till 1946....

 

Thanks guys, this is all great information. I feel like I should know a bit more about these lamps dates wise, but I don't even know the dates for Tilley regarding their moves from factory to factory. But there's still plenty of time for me to learn all that.

There's a mint 305 in the post on its way to me at some point this week for you to cast your eyes over.

 

That is very interesting, Ian. Up to now, I've been relying on this for dating Vapalux and Bialaddin lanterns:-

I have very little doubt that this section was based totally on a letter, dated 1993, written by Peter Sunderland to a London lamp collector. Every single fact in Alan's paragraph is covered specifically in the letter. Alan has added nothing and omitted nothing. Even Alan's uncertainty about when Vapalux started, specifically the brown coloured 300 model, is a reflection of what's in the letter - Peter gives the period of production of this lantern as " - 1942" i.e. no date of commencement stated.

So over the years I'd had increasing suspicions about the validity of some of the 'facts' in this letter; now I know they're just plain wrong. Bah!

Any mention of the use of green in the Works Diary? I'm sure I've read somewhere that there are green Vapalux-tank (i.e. straight sided) lanterns and I think I may even have seen one in Neil's collection. All the other green ones I've encountered have been repainted...

 

David, the tank I have with pressure "pip" was green (original colour) before it was repainted (if that helps at all!)

 

Ian. Makes sense and explains why the brown and cram ones are less common. I have seen a few in dark green though. Was that a colour W&B used or are they more likely to have been over painted by the army? ::Neil::

 

I think this is the sort of lamp that you are talking about and I have seen a few like this. I have never uploaded this lamp to the reference gallery because it is clearly a bitza but you do find them in similar styles and the same green colour. I have no real evidence for this but I think this is W&B using up parts and refurbishing lamps for the Army around 1947/48. The green enamel heat deflector is rare. I have never seen a military lamp with a date mark for 1947 or 1948, so that strengthens my suspicions that W&B were refurbishing lamps around this time with parts ranging from 1945-48ish.

 

What a lovely lantern that is, Ian.

So, clearly going from the sublime to the ridiculous, literally the first lantern I laid my hands on when searching:-


Obviously not the finest or most complete example, the tank does, at least, have the pressure tit! I think I may well have a better lantern of this type somewhere.

So, at this point, to quote George Dubya Bush, I'm a bit confusified. Were there two or three periods of use of these pressure tits? i.e.

(i) Vapalux ~1940-42; Vapalux going into Bialaddin 1945-48 (two periods) or;

(ii)Vapalux ~1940-42; Vapalux 1945-46 and Bialaddin 1947-8 (three periods)

 

I would go for your second option David. Ian Bingham's pic on this post is the first of the Bialaddin 300x (Late 1946) and that does not come with a pressure tit. I have several E41s stamped 1942 and they all have pressure tits. Cheers...