I can resurrect one of these but not both and my question to you all is which one do I go for? Let me explain. I bought what I thought was a Vapalux 320 in very nice condition but when it arrived the fount was from a 246b which wasn't obvious from the photo. I've never successfully got this frankenstein monster to fire up properly so I decided to wait until a suitable fount became available of a donor lantern. Well, I found a lantern for sale - a Bialaddin 320 in pretty ropey condition, seen here: The vaporiser was corroded inside the burner but is now free, the glass is gone, the frame securing nut is still stuck tight on so I can't remove the frame yet but I will, the frame is pitted and hasn't faired well over the years, the pump and fuel cap were easily detached and the burner is actually in very good condition having been removed. The Vapalux top half is in very nice condition as seen here: So, assuming all the various parts are inter-changeable, which lantern do I resurrect? Does it really matter? The Vapalux will never be fully 'correct' as the tank will be a Bialaddin, but the frame on the Bialaddin is so corroded, using the Vapalux frame would be the best option... but fundamentally whatever I 'create' from these two lanterns will never be the genuine article. What do I do? What would you do?
The parts are exactly the same as far as I know, just use the upper parts you’ve already cleaned and get the tank cleaned up then bung it all together. Only you will know the parts aren’t original.
Yeah, that's what I was going to do until a read one comment on the site about Bialaddin 320's being rare which made me wonder. I intend to respray the tank silver but leave the bottom as it is so the date stamp can still be seen.
The Bialaddin was made for two years only - 1966-1968 I think. The Vapalux 320 from 1968-2009ish. I know which I'd try to re-create. The year dots may give the game away though, assuming they were still using them at the end of Bialaddin...
I may be wrong, but is not the name the only difference between them? If it were mine I'd use the best parts, whatever their "make" is. Don't throw the rest away, it is always handy to have spares or swapping material. Best regards, Wim
Could just be the control knob and the hood, I think the vapalux ones came with a green or black top, but I’m not sure if the bialaddins ever came with a black one.
The Bialaddin has 7 large dots and six small ones underneath that I will preserve when it's resprayed. If the tank was in any better condition I'd leave it as it is but it's pretty bad. So does that mean it was made in June '67? I'll follow your advice then David and use as much of the Bialaddin as possible and fettle it as sympathetically as I can.
Well that's the theory at least - but it's never yet failed to give a plausible date of manufacture that I'm aware of. In any case, I'd be interested to hear of any other reason why a manufacturer would add dots to his products and apparently change them so frequently...
One last question.... green or black top? Green is a bit grotty, the black is near perfect. Did Bialaddin ever use black hoods?
What's your plan for painting Colin? I have a tatty bowl fire made in April 67 that I was thinking of refreshing. There is a powder coating place just near me. Does anyone have a comparison between powder costing and normal spray paint?
I'm not sure why you'd even consider powder-coating. It's a high temperature process which could compromise the solder tank seals - apart from the extra cost - and the risk of 'over-restoration'...
I got a couple of things done for 20 euro and they turned out nicely. Cost was low I guess as it was in black. There was a little overspray but it came off the threads alright. Had not considered the bake temperature, thought it was only around 100 degrees. I will probably get a colour matched spraycan to sort out my bowlfire. Just so I am not waiting around for some guy to finish my job. Also I can make sure the manufacturer's stamp doesn't get destroyed.
I've just stripped the tank and have now coated it with George's Stove Restorer to clear away the corrosion. Next I plan to spray it with standard silver paint, but when that's dry I will apply a lacquer coat to replicate the original finish. I looked long and hard at the original paint surface where it was protected underneath the frame base and I'm fairly sure it's not just paint, the sheen is too smooth and lustrous. When that's done I will use the best parts from each lantern but retain the red Bialaddin control knob. I'd love to use the black top but I'm told Bialaddins didn't use them.
With reference to powder coating, is that the same finish that uses plastic granules that are heated until they fuse into a contiguous surface? If so, and depending on the temperatures involved, the surface may become soft and could even melt when it gets hot. I'm aware or a two part epoxy paint that is extremely hard wearing... don't know where you would get that done though. Epoxy resins are thermosetting plastic compounds so once the long chain molecules have cross-linked they can't be broken by heat, only chemical action. Again, if anyone is more knowledgeable about this please correct me - my information is all very out of date now.
Powder coating powders come in different flavours. They have melting points from about 120 C to about 300 C. Solder fortunately melts at higher temps.
You see... that's what's so great about this site, there is ALWAYS someone who knows the answer to almost any question! Itr's brilliant!!!
Unleaded solder higher yes. The old Tin/Lead 60/40 mix will be going squidgy at 300C - sorry for bad news.But did I understand that it was the hood or the tank you planned to powder coat? For the hood no problem - only question will it survive at running temps? For a tank, better to use something that will meld at 120-150C rather than 300C.
The hoods are different. Bialaddin hoods have sharper edges than the later Vapalux types which have soft rounded corners. So condition is not an issue here if you want original and correct looking Bialaddin then it has to be the green one. ::Neil::
The powder coating question was about a bowlfire therefore no hood. Hood running temperatures are sufficient to melt lead/tin solder so powder coating won't stand a chance...
This is the 'Biallux' I am currently building. All manner of bits on this from a myriad sources (as you know Colin) .
That'll look handsome when it's finished. Looks like the hood is a bit tight on the frame but that could be sorted.
Hi Colin. The hood slips over the frame and handle threads without issue - not sure if there should be any significant play between frame and hood!?! It is certainly tighter than my other two 320S I have or the 315 though for sure. I'm just testing this without a mantle and it's producing a good bunsen flame. Reckon I might keep it tbh (I was going to sell it).
No mate - it's definitely a post 68 tank. The control valve, vapouriser and burner came from that place in Ilkeston, the tank from North Wales, the hood and cage from a boot sale and the pump and filler cap from Ebay. It's been around..
I don't agree. The original poster was @ColinG Bowlfires came later. Trouble with this forum is thread drift. <Later edit : that is being unkind to the mods who have a lovely light touch here. In another place they are much more brutal. Misunderstandings such as this don't happen. They split them off. This thread is about Lantern Hoods or Bowlfires?
So...? I am a brutal man. Oh, well... I have actually heard that before, so no worries. Seriously though. I might sort this out tomorrow. No panic. However, thread drifts are seldom any problems, and not much to make any fuzz about when not in the reference sections, which are the main focuses on this site, just as with CCS. There we try to have a bit more order.
Christer, doesn't it depend on where JonD means by "another place"? - it could be the House of Lords for all we know. Just sayin'... I think the original question has been answered previously and I can't see any problem with a little thread drift subsequent to that. In any case, the two strands are still quite close to each other. At the risk of introducing even more, I've two lanterns I'm convinced have been powder coated by previous owners and neither of which I dare light. The one from 1923-ish is vastly over-restored so looks just silly...
I'm curious by your use of the term 'over-restored' - wouldn't mind seeing a pic of such tbh!?! I'm assuming in this context we're talking about powder-coating and the like and how extraneous and unneccesary it is in this context!? I personally like my lanterns (like most things) in used/externally rough(ish), but fully working and reliable condition. The one in my pic above for instance will stay 'as is' and I'm more than happy. I'm not really one for aesthetics, but over-restored!??! The same can certainly be said of most mechanical things I guess..cars, trucks, boats et al.
