Petromax hand scratchings - are they actually made at the factory or not?

@Reinhard

On further cleaning and inspection I found a “7” after the “12” so it actually reads:

“12 7”, which, using your system would be December 1937.





I’ve gone through Neil McRae’s excellent Pressure Lamp Catalogue and I’m still unsure what version of the 837 it is, so I took more photos.







































Cheers

Tony


@Reinhard @Mackburner

 

Oh, yes, 12 7 is correct.
December 1937.
This is normal for this type of lamp.

Regards Reinhard

 

Reinhard

In your experience, are these ‘1930s
numbers’ always written “month” space “year”?

Tony

@Reinhard

 

@Tony Press
No, I'm not sure.
I have an old Petromax 826.The seller told me she was from the late twenties.
The number 322 is a mystery to me.

Regards Reinhard

 

At all,
Another better photo of the numbers.

 

1932 is too early for an 827. That rapid preheater was patented in 1934 and model 827 is not listed in any catalogues before 1937. I don't have any paper from 1936 but 827 is not in any 1934 and 1935 paper I have. ::Neil::

 

Neil

I found an additional “7” (see above): so 12 of 1937 for the No. 827.

Cheers

Tony

@Mackburner

 

That works. 1937 is when they were introduced into the UK. Perhaps a little earlier in Germany. ::Neil::

 

The last two numbers could be 28. It looks like the 2 continues on into the next number which is a very skinny 8. This matches with what you have been told.

 

Strange that the rapid is straight up and not unbder an angle pointing towards the preston coil.

Admin edit: The following discussion about the straight preheater is split to this topic.

 

The first digit looks a bit strange as it is not a typical shape for a "1". The rest could be 3rd February 1928, but that is only a guess.

 

@Nils Stephenson
Yes you could be right.
I've always believed that the two outer characters are parenthesis.
Now I egin to understand the Petromax code of the 20s.The date was completely written out.
Correctly?

Regards Reinhard

 

ok, ok, I confess, looks like they found their way here too:


AIDA 1250 ...



This one is interesting because somebody took his time.

 

My guess is 1/3

 

I would also have guessed 1/3, and from what Reinhard says further up, that should be from the fifties type of marking, right?
So January 1953?
Does it fit your Aida's probable manufacturing period, Wim?

 

@WimVe
Super

 

Anybody find a rabbit?? Petromax 826, the graffity rabbit lantern

 

I've another Petromax (unfettled) with scratched numbers at the fount bottom. What could these numbers mean?

Its quite faint, therefore I couldn't really read it clearly.

 

@MYN
26 7 30
A complete date. Now we can assume that the year 1930 was written as the date of the 20s.An important insight.

Regards Reinhard

 

@Tony Press
Can you please update our Codex for date determination?
With all new knowledge.

Regards Reinhard

 

.

Cheers

Tony

 

It might also be 26 / 30 if the other scratches is only scratches.
The angles are a little odd, I think.

Michael

 

Wow @Reinhard ,
If 1930 is really the year of production, then the unit must be a relatively early on such a Petromax. If that's the case, the pricker wheel on mine must be a replacement(since its not fibre or Pertinax).

 

Seems bonkers that they would do this at the factory.
I came across a similar situation when I stripped a ABU fishing reel down and found Roman numerals scratched into the end plates.
I later found out that it was the colour codes for anodising and was only done for a short while.
There were three colours for the reel, red,green and black and the fourth colour is so rare that nobody even knows what it is although thought to be gold.
If you have one I'll swap all of my lamps for it.

 

@burntofferings ,
If some those reels are dyed-anodized aluminium, the 4th could be some shades of goldish or light iridiscent bronzed-like colour? Perhaps some hexavalent chromated surface treatment on the aluminium alloy?

 

Sure, @Reinhard
If this is what you meant:-

 

@MYN
Many thanks.
It fits everything together.
The hand wheel is a replacement, that was clear.
The date is right.

Regards Reinhard

 

A most interesting topic, to which I could add another evidence of date scratching.
On the bottom of a PX 821 which I own there is not only marked the date of production
but also the date of a repair done about one year later.
So you can read 7/1 which is July 1951 and also Rep 1/3/6/52 which is repair 1
made on the 3rd of June 1952.
This shows clearly that those date scratchings were factory made.

Regards
Matthias
Btw the fount still has an E within the G which fits to the year of production.

 

That's another piece of evidence which, in my opinion, matches well with the way Germans would marked the commissioned items as the final verification point back in the day.
In the place that I work, there are plenty of printed documentation on Plant equipment (both mechanical and electrical). The final commissioning verifications/checks and such had mostly been marked by hand and by the last responsible and entrusted person(Germans in this case) representing the OEM.
Like those equipment in the Plant, these lanterns were meant to be real working units that had actually been verified as such before leaving the factory.

 

Where is your proof that in th efifties somebody made E&G stamped lanterns ?