This is embarrassing. I don't collect these things, they just appear . . . honest! At the recent funeral of my wife's best friends Mother, we were invited to take whatever we would like from the house before the clearance team went in. Sat on a shelf in the sitting room was this Aladdin sans shade. The shade was thought to be upstairs somewhere, and it was duly found. Uugh! But it was original to the lamp which is a Model 21 made from 1953 on. My wife's friend said she remembered it from her childhood (b. circa 1953) and it had always been in the house. Whilst the mantle frame was present, the mantle material was not suggesting it had been used. Yet the wick is uncharred, and the font is spotlessly clean without any smell of old fuel. There was a wick trimmer, new spare wick, and instruction leaflet which shows many parts available on the back. We asked what they wanted for it and £5 was mentioned. We gave them £15. The other Aladdin we have was spotted by my wife during a trip to the Scottish Highlands, and a particular junk shop (ex-garage) in Kingussie - formerly the 'Star' garage. It's a Model 12 from 1928, and has a Bird-cage gallery (best way I can describe it) around the burner. No stand, and no chimney or mantle but £1.50 was the asking price. She came back feeling very proud of the purchase. I was less than enthusiastic. She thought I would like it. Ooops! But seeking data on the 'net came round to sorting it out and it performs well so I got let off in the end for initially being an ungrateful sod. Spares:
Nice find. The 21 is a very good user lamp. I believe the 'bird cage' is the lower part of a hanging frame that is often refered to as a 'four poster' IIRC.
Talk about the last of the big spenders! Not that I'm in love with Aladdin lamps but think I would have dipped my hand in my pooch (no, not the dog) for those.
I'm afraid it's gotten worse . . . I was only browsing (really), and became a little interested in this beast - Well, I thought that looks a bit like an Aladdin, but the markings were B & H, and patents dating 1895 and 1902. It was definitely a central draught lamp, but not with an incandescent mantle. It had a wick stuffed in where someone thought a wick should be, but totally wrong size and misplaced. The chimney looked wrong and is, it's an Aladdin Loxon, though it fits. Back at the ranch further investigation takes place. American, (yes, all you Americans knew that didn't you!), and made by Bradley & Hubbard interesting history. Well made too. The wick winder winds a rack connected to a sprung stirrup within the font: The jaws grip the wick holding it against the central draught tube, here's one of the pair The chimney carrier is neat too, rather like the Aladdin where the chimney and mantle are bayonet fitted to the burner, the B & H has the carrier able to lift vertically - and turn a few degrees allowing it to rest steady while a match is applied to the then exposed wick lowered lifted That raised vein is the channel in which a spigot is run seen here lifted off It covers a spigot seen here when lifted off The correct chimney can be seen HERE - not identical, but very close.
Nearly done: - Apart from a correct chimney, I need a wick and the central air gauze needs a flame spreader. The circular indent is there, but it does seem to need a spreader It's a disease, it can't be helped . . . . This is as the lamp has been purchased from the junk shop, no cleaning done. Marked down from £33 to £25 which is what I had to squeeze out my purse. It hurt too.
Nice lamp that you have there. I like those, too. A few years ago when I was in the US I bought a B&H Rayo in an antique mall. Not really a bargain, but I had to get it at home . It missed the generator/flame spreader, so I had to wait for a chance at ebay, and finally got...two! One was the correct, the other is now left over (the one on the right side in the third picture). It's a real kerosene guzzler (about 300mL/h).
Thanks for showing Martin, that's the kiddie on the left. Gives me an idea of how big it should be. There's a similar spreader on a Matador I have, and that too consumes quite a bit of fuel. Good light, but you pay for it.
Does anyone have experience with Mr Pigeon's Unexplodable candles? One is migrating its way to me... Minus its globe and gallery which seems to be the norm Alec
Derek, if you like, tomorrow evening I can take some more detailed photographs and give you the correct dimensions for the steel disk. Martin
Thanks Martin, most useful would be the overall diameter and metal thickness if possible. Rangie, the Pigeon globe, gallery, and burners are available from Base Camp, fairly inexpensive too. The tricky part might be the wick winding mechanism. Mine has two spiked wheels within, but the shaft should be soldered in the wick tube. Mines adrift. The 'Inexplosible' part is down to the tank being stuffed with cotton waste - well not 'waste' as such, but cotton wadding. Vital that it is. If it's brass plate on tin check for pinholes, usually around the base. PS Thought I'd 'slipped up' on that B & H post! The jaws that grip the wick. Humph.
My wife likes them too, and she's suggesting a trip next Tuesday to Church Stretton, where there is an antiques centre three floors high . . .
Thats a fine job you did there Derek - I like the complete look and the garnish a lot. Good to see a new oldie restored. Claus C
Hi Derek, outer diameter is 43.7mm, thickness 0.55mm, material seems to be ordinary steel. Regards, Martin
Brilliant - cheers for that. Derek Ooh yes - spotted one on dEcay but in the states for £21 something, and P&P £28! I'll make one.
Ok, I'm going back on my word with an update! Found a more suitable chimney than the Aladdin (which is too tall and insufficient bulge), and have made and fitted a flame spreader of which I'm quite chuffed: Cut from a 1mm thick mild steel scrap, trimmed and filed the outer edge, and drilled and filed the hole. Dished it slightly to make fitting over the brass head, and straightened it out once in the recessed groove. The ding in the brass top was easily pushed out. One query: As it sits in the burner the chimney bulge starts a quarter of an inch above the flame spreader. I can lift the spreader a little higher, but don't feel that is where it should be sitting. Looking at Martin's lamp it does look to be quite low in the chimney - is that right Martin? Lifted slightly: I guess suck it and see will apply, but a wick is yet to be purchased.
Some time back I watched on utube someone added aromatic oils to lamp oil and then burn it in a wick lamp. Hmm.. Back to topic.. After all the brightness thrown by the glowing thing in a pressurized fuel burning lamp thingy.. The hurricane lamp will still accompany us while we sleep My new Deitz 50 doing that tonight
Hi Derek, the lower rim of the cylinder of your lamp seems to be a bit high, so the flame spreader could be located too low. Also the chimney still seems to be quite slim. Here's a photo of my Rayo (sorry, I had to use the flash). I'm not sure whether my chimney is correct for the lamp, it has written "Macbeth No8 Pearl Glass" on its upper end, and it came with the lamp. And also I feel that the flame spreader sits very low. BR, Martin
Thanks Martin. The bulge start does look a little on the high side, and needs to be a little 'fatter' too. I guess I'll have to wait until a wick is installed and take it from there. I thought my Matador chimney was too close to the flame at first, but was assured it was correct, and it does burn well, and very close to the glass. In the meantime, see what the USA has on offer for same. Dinky little lamps Isfuzzy. Many scented oils are available though costly. Such lamps as you display are many and varied, often considered 'novelty' lamps of little serious ability to illuminate a room, but make acceptable night lights in an adequately vented room. The 'prizes' are the old lamps though, and in a purely humorous way on a pressure lamp website - 'wicky crap' - hence we are in the 'lounge' area!
Here in Singapore, there weren't many good lamps around even in the old days. Most lived in wooden houses only had the lamps I showed in my previous post if not the hurricane lamps. Almost all of which were made by the Butterfly company. Those with more money to spend then could they own a Butterfly pressure lantern (mostly rusted by now and beyond repair). Now, even in antique shops here it is quite impossible to find lamps like Aladdin, Kosmos, Rayo and such. If there were, most have been electrified sadly. I still could get some but online. Not very cheap though
Yes, I guess it is easy to forget that both America and Europe had large manufacturing industries supplying what at one time was a more affluent society (and not necessarily better). Good to hear, and learn about examples of what were once commonplace.
I got to know from the senior generations here that Butterfly was the only popular brand in the past because of their reliability and cost. Sadly they were made of steel and by now has become piles of brown oxides. South east asia teally is bad for plated steel. They just cant keep up with te humidity levels here.
Base Camp have supplied a chimney and a wick for the B & H, poured some fuel in and away we go: Wick needs a little trimming to get it even, and the chimney is a little of a compromise, but we have light. Lifting the central tube and flame spreader did nothing to improve things, so back down it went. Not perfect but livable with.
Here is my non pressure lamp, it is a brake van side lamp originally issued to the Eastern region of BR, but finished its days at Guide Bridge on the London Midland region.
Two pics, the second being my two wickies, a roadworks lamp and my railway lamp. The first pic shows them lit in the garden, along with one of my X246B's.
Nice railway lamp. The roadmenders lamps I remember well hanging off lengths of scaffold poles between trestles. Then they went amber, and after that battery powered silly things. Plastic . . .
