The reference gallery (and eBay, frankly) seems to show 300x lanterns with various hoods. Some are enamelled steel with large square vents (like an M320), others have many small vertical slots, and some have rows of circular holes. Some have Halifax engraved on them. Some are steel and others are brass. Which is correct? I'm restoring a Bialaddin 300x and have always been under the impression that they date from approximately 1950 and have brass hoods with rows of circular holes, and a steel enamelled top that's appropriately rusty for its age. I have no problem with replacing the rusty top with one of the many brass reproductions that seem to be available. The 300x I've picked up has an M320-type hood, and I'm looking for a proper spare or parts lamp whose hood I can strip and paint or strip and polish, so knowing exactly what to look for is why I'm asking, and the reference gallery isn't quite clear on the matter. thanks in advance. mark
Hello Mark, If you can get your hands on a copy of "Vapalux and Bialaddin Pressure Lamps" by Ian Ashton there is some really good info on the various top/hoods produced for this lantern. Seems they produced a number of different ones depending on the years the lantern was produced. George
They were also often swapped between lamps. Military versions were usually serviced in batches, so any top could have gone back on any lamp. Even with civilian versions, if you had two lamps, one with fuel in it but with a bad mantle and another lamp with no fuel but a good mantle, it was often quicker to swap hoods than replace a mantle. I've done it myself . Terry
Yes, Willis & Bates got the design right in 1940 or whenever and since then all the lanterns have been effectively the same with cosmetic changes only. As well as the military and civilian users, this has also played into the hands of eBay sellers who will frequently swap a newer hood onto an old lantern in order to facilitate the sale for a higher profit. For example, statelands123 (to pick an eBay seller entirely at random ) has what he describes as a Bialaddin 310 for sale which owes quite a lot to the 320 model...
