These kind of finishes in my experience are prone to deterioration, in particular the enamel on the hood of my Vapalux 310, and the chrome on a Sea Anchor. Has anybody come across firms that restore chrome and enamel to surfaces, and how involved and cost effective would something like that be?
Enamelling should not be too costly if you can find someone willing to do it, but that has been a problem so far. Chrome plating is not cheap, it is a time consuming process and uses a lot of nasty chemical baths. It would certainly cost well in excess of a new Anchor lamp and is not something I would consider for a common lamp, only the very rare or the very valuable. The problem with the Anchor is that it is steel and isn't prepped properly before Chroming. Even the brass lamps coming out of that factory have issues with their plating. Stick to a Nickel plated or painted brass lamp made in Europe, if you treat it well it will last far longer than you.
There's a company in America called Independence Porcelain Enamel that re-does vents but the don't think the cost would be worth it for a fairly common lamp such as the Bialaddin 310. Replacement hoods in reasonable condition do come up on eBay from time to time.
With my Vapalux and Bialaddin lamps I tend to have a 'nice' hood for when they are on display and a few 'trashy' ones for when I want use them.
Thanks folks, and you,re right about the Anchor lamps. I have never seen chrome plating so poor. It doesn't help that these are kept on a boat on the Norfolk Broads in a damp environment. Brass parts such as my vapalux 310 seem to fair better here, polishing these occasionally is more hobby than work. I will look for a 'tidy' hood. As for chrome that is well past it on a Hipolito it may be worth finding some heatproof grey as with army issue Petromaxes, or silver. Thanks for the tips.
Hi, FYI, Hipolitos are nickel plated brass, have a look around the forum for tips on how to clean up nickel and you may be surprised how well it polishes up!
Im building up a stock and planning to try to replate a couple of NP hoods. Will post when i tried it
I just got 2 ovens made for enamelling with easy room to contain a tank, unfortunately not a shade. I will give it at go and be back later as enamelling will demand some test-runs before a real object. I got the ovens for building a wooden bridge Claus C
I live in the U.S. and have had several ventilators redone by IPE. Not bad if you're over here, about $30. They come out better than new.
