This is a lantern I was quite pleased to find. It is the first variation of the 1050 and has the original 1050 generator without a cleaning mechanism. This is the first time I have ever seen one fitted with an original generator. Anyway, the lantern is from 1932 and marked W 30. It has the torch for lighting screwed into a well in the tank that you fill with alcohol. An interesting feature is a sleeve around the burner tube just above where the generator enters. This can be raised revealing a slot. At first I thought this might be a way of tuning the air supply but I now think it is a way to get a pricker to the jet hole. I have never seen it mentioned in any catalogues so this is guessing.
Good one Nils. Nice to finally see a 1050 with the correct vapouriser. That sliding sleeve was a novelty! A long shot, but is it possible that it has been made by someone afterwards? Or does it look factory made?
It is one piece so has to have been fitted before the central tube was fitted to the top casting. It is of course possible that someone could do it themselves, but I am sure it is factory made. I have an idea I have seen this tube before, but can't remember where. Now I just have to wait until I can buy some petrol to try it. I havn't changed the packing of the vapouriser so that might be a bit blocked.
What an excellent find! Thanks very much for sharing! Is there a lighting hole for the torch? Is the globe original or would it have had a mica globe? From what material is the valve knob made? -Phil
There is a flap covering the lighting hole with a little lever underneath. It is between the pump and the torch well. You can just see it in the photo with the torch. Originally these were offered with either a polished brass tank or a nickel plated tank. They could also be ordered witha mica globe or glass. All the ones I have seen have been nickel plated and most with glass. This glass is from Primus but is a 50s replacement. The valve knob is black painted pressed steel with a nickel plated brass disc with the name and patent numbers.
Thanks for the info, Nils. At the risk of preaching to the choir but for the benefit of others who may read this, you are probably aleady aware that modern petrol/gasoline/benzin is likely to block up the vapouriser quite quickly. I have had good results using about 80% hexane or even benzene solvent and up to 20% kerosene in similar lanterns and lamps. Both solvents are quite pure with virtually no residue after evaporation. Coleman Camp Fuel, if you can get it, would obviously be the first choice.
Thanks, Christer, that is an amazingly well thought out design, Primus engineering at its best! I currently have 5 Primus 1020 lanterns, from 1937-1955 and four 523 & 535 stoves and whenever I use them, I continue to marvel at their quality of design and manufacture.
Yes you are right Phil, I shouldn't have only used the generic term petrol. It is of course an unleaded petrol with no additives at all. This is readily available here in Denmark as a cleaning fluid. You can buy it at any supermarket and hardware store. Different countries have varying availability, as well as names.
I usually use alkylate petrol for my lamps and stoves. Or better yet - pure heptane (n-heptane). I got a ten litres can a while ago, and use it for the lamps indoors. Time to re-fill soon.
The original generator on this was pretty much blocked so it was pulsing with about 5 seconds of almost going out then half a second of bright light. So far I havn't found a way to get the packing out (that I have tools for). Just to see it running, I borrowed a generator from a 1051 and it works very well. I used a couple of Optimus 250cp mantles and they seem to work well too. The first photo is without a flash and the second with.
Finally I got around to rebuilding the original generator. The hardest part was finding a long drill to use for getting the old packing out. Anyway, I finally got it cleaned out and ready for some new packing. The original was just asbestos, so I asked Neil about packing a generator and he suggested putting a small roll of brass mesh in first to keep the asbestos away from the jet (the jet on this is just a small steel plate with a hole drilled into it that is swaged into the brass tube). Here are a couple of pictures of the packing material. That seemed to work and after a slow start when lighting it worked perfectly. I havn't had it running for any length of time yet. That will have to wait for another day. Here are a couple of pictures with it lit. The first with no flash and the second with the flash.
That is a wellsaved lamp Nils. Congratulations. I cant believe you can even say this is the first among others you have seen with at original vapourizer - I have only seen one 1050 ever in my life and it looks like Marty Feldman in the morning and leaves everything to wish for. Interesting to see they lifted the pump already for the next versions and started enamelling the hoods. Awesome lamp Claus C
Good to see this one finally running on its original generator. Fettling an old generator like this is as much an art as engineering but nice to see what we worked out actually functions. Nice job.
