Hi, went to the flee market yesterday early morning, annoyed the wife a bit because we had a family even early noon. but the flee market is only 15min drive. Scored a 1946 Vapalux 300X in very good condition and a stove and stove burners (but those are for another forum ) that just shows me that with little patience I can find interesting stuff here
I do like those W&B lamps with the "square" founts. I had a nice day too at the car boot and picked up this bowl fire.
OOOOH!!! Very nice lantern, Doron! Looks to be very intact - and that form of stove is always a nice addition to any collection. Good job!! Chris W - Winnipeg
Hi David, why do you think so? the patina on all looks quite fitting and from all the pics I have seen its the right one.
Well, I think I'm correct in saying the pressure tit dates the tank up to mid-1942. Apparently they made a re-appearance in 1947-ish but that would have been on a Bialaddin-type tank. The hood with the multi-holes dates from around the change from Vapalux to Bialaddin in 1946. Is the tank painted brown or maroon? I think either colour would indicate early 40s. The brown is uncommon and the maroon even more so. Ian Ashton posted images of the maroon version in the gallery. I've also got an example but I haven't got around to posting it yet...
well I can tell if its maroon or brown as I dont have any reference to compare it by. but it looks exactly as
Well, the brown is chocolate brown and the maroon is dark purple - much darker than the later Bialaddin maroon. I see Ian's lantern also has the pressure tit and he's dated it 1946. I'll have to have a look at mine when I get back home tonight...
Checked mine last night and it's generally the same as your lantern and Ian's, although the lettering on mine is stamped inwards and there's much more information given - like yours, I think. My tank is brass - what's yours? It looks to be brass from the image, but I notice a rectangular mark where the warning notice regarding steel tanks may have been. There's no date to be seen on my hood, anywhere (unless it's under the crud waiting to be cleaned off), which was why, given the pressure tit on the tank, I'd dated it 'up to 1942'. I presume both your lantern and Ian's are dated...
As I understand it Vapalux dropped the pressure tit in 1942 around the time they also switched to an all steel tank. However I believe they reinstated the pressure tit and went back to brass in late 1945 or 1946 and that lantern was sold for a year or so as a Bialaddin before they reworked the tank to the more rounded shoulder we are more familar with as Bialaddin. So this lantern could very well be a 1946 pattern Bialaddin. Ian probably has this sorted better than I do though. ::Neil::
I wish we had something definitive on early Vapalux - although, on second thoughts, maybe we have and I just haven't bought it yet...
We've been chatting by email about this and I think he'll be around soon. There seems a bit of uncertainty surrounding these early Vapalux lanterns but Ian seems to have it sorted. Whatever, three lanterns virtually the same would suggest they're as W&B produced them. I think it's too much of a stretch to imagine they're earlier tanks which have all had similar later hoods added to them. So I'll go with Ian's date of 1946, just prior to the name change to Bialaddin...
Hi Doron, Sorry about that, I have been watching the site. Interested to see what was being posted. Towards the very end of 1941, Willis and Bates introduced the Vapalux 300. (That date is corroborated by registered designs associated with this lamp). This was the steel tanked version which was presumably introduced as a result of the shortage of brass during the War period. I am lucky because I have 2 instruction cards for this model. The earlier one shows the lamp with a heat deflector as used on an E41 and a pressure nipple. The later one which I believe to be mid 1942 has lost the pressure nipple and now has the more familiar 'Cooley' style heat deflector. So I'm pretty sure that Neil is right on this one. The pressure nipple disappeared around mid 1942. As the War was coming to an end there is a return to brass tanks and pressure nipples. The pressure nipples are seen on Military lamps with steel tanks and Civilian lamps with brass tanks of the period. So the return of the nipple was not just linked to the use of brass tanks. The return of the pressure nipple is not mentioned in the Company records. However paint is mentioned quite a lot in the Factory papers. The standard paint for all W&B lamps up until 1944 was Rapidal Grey and it was supplied by Griffiths Bros of Bermondsey. On 4th July 1944, W&B made a decision to try more 'fashionable' colours. They firstly used 'Chocolate Brown' and later dark maroon which led onto more reddy maroons. There is no mention of the cream colour that we see from time to time. W&B were obviously trying to make an impression in the civilian market as the War came to a conclusion. Doron is your lamp exactly like the one I posted, does it have 'Vapalux Halifax' stamped in the hood or 'Vapalux 300X'? cheers...
