Dears, Please find my Petromax R 826. It is not that old. The bottom shows the scratched numbers 8 6 which most likely stands for 8, August and 6, 1936. Anybody please, feel free to correct/verify me. Glass globe is just some replacement. I was surprised to find some weird looking generator type, but then realized that someone in the past modified it soldering several pieces together to fit newer, typical upper part of the generator. I presume that it was not done but any collector, because that lamp was in filthy condition and generator full of carbon. That lamp was a user. The same about „improved” wheel steel holding part – some nice personal touch from the past Lamp is fitted with some old 300cp Primus jet and needle set. Jet size is more 400-500cp now, so I put 500-600cp Butterfly mantle and it works fine. Generator required several of heat, quench, tap and steel wire cleaning cycles to get rid of plenty of carbon from the Preston loop. OK, now my shameful fettling “adventures” – readers with less patience and sense of humor are advised to skip that part The modified generator part as well as the “regular” upper generator parts were bent. I decided to correct them. Regarding that weird, “custom made” part of the generator: I got overexcited with heat and vice and somehow fu…. it up. I made the threaded part and that additional soldered nut more like “egg shape” in the process… I was devastated, but I am getting used to that feeling). Miraculously I managed to shape it back to circle/round and threads fit again. After that, I even made it straight. While repairing/reshaping that part, the pipe seam just below that soldered nut developed cracks and I had to hard solder it to reinforce the cracked brass seam. I was successful again. That additional nut just below the threading was looking ugly after my vice “help”, so I corrected the shape of it and made it rounded on two sides and made nice flat surfaces on other two sides. Finally that part was straight, soldered and reinforced along the seam, not leaking, looking even better then before. So this is my personal input to the lamp history. You can see how that part looked before and after my intervention on attached pics. Straightening the upper part was easy and nothing unexpected happened during the process. Just to be clear, for a reference regarding proper, unmodified generator for that type of lamp please check generator example in my Petromax 823/6 here: Petromax 823/6 The more lamps I own, the more I respect that unique Petromax design with additional build-in tank and pump for preheating – just something different. I wonder why these are not more common? Anybody knows in which years the R 826 model was manufactured? I presume that R model was more pricy and less popular back then. Enjoy and take care, Piotrek
I suppose the modifications had been necessary for the previous owner to keep it in functional condition. As we know, the original generator for these earlier Petromax is not particularly common. I guess the situation remains similar for you and likely, for subsequent owners too if any. In my opinion, the manufacture of Rxxx models with the additional spirit reservoir/pump would incur several extra steps/processes and certainly, additional cost. That might be enough to make it a lot less cost-competitive on the market.
@Piotrek I admire your enthusiasm for overcoming so many obstacles to make it lightable. I love this type of petromax too. I think it's a good system that allows you to safely add more alcohol even if you run out of it during preheating.
Thank you Guys for your comments. @Camp numao I am very enthusiastic when looking for and dismantling these lamps. Soldering and putting back in order is challenging work for me. But I am an example that even without workshop, previous experience and not many skills anybody can fix some basic problems in his/her apartment living room Time and perseverance required. I am not the “handyman” type, but I can learn o lot from you guys admiring some real craftmanship presented here - watchmaker and blacksmith skills combined and mastered. Vast historical and engineering knowledge at top of that, that colleagues share in kind and patient manner. Some time ago I would never even think that soldering tank, making needle or fixing jet is possible. Maybe one day I will try it myself. But not yet All the best, Piotrek