I received this early on in my lamp collecting career and at the time I wasn't confident enough to fettle it so I left it. It worked extremely well so having lit it a few times I shelved it until I was ready to begin giving it the TLC in needed. Here are some 'before' shots to show the condition when it arrived... And here's how it looks now... I had no idea there were any dents in the tank because the corrosion and general grime were so bad, but I left them as they were and didn't attempt to fill them. The brass hood is very pitted and I didn't try to rectify that, oh and someone had got the lamp too close to something plastic (a carrier bag maybe?) which had melted onto the brass making it very hard to remove! The colour isn't that close to the original but the choices of spray paint in Fort William aren't great. I was told that it was an RAF issue lanterns by the previous owner... is this likely? I definitely found traces of grey/blue paint on some less corroded sections. ...and finally a money shot of the old girl working as intended! I also have two questions: 1. Is there any significance in the colour of the control knob? This one is black but quite a few are red. 2. How do you remove the control knob to replace the gland/seal? I tried clamping the shaft and turning the knob and had a little pull but I'm not sure how it's attached.
The enamel hood 'cap' is original. I thought about replacing it but I don't think they make them in grey and anyway, I think it looks fine as it is.
A few more photos... (That's our mountain, Sgùrr Ghiubhsachain in the background in case you were wondering.) .
A beautiful restoration job. You must be very happy with the paint job? And the brasswork is a sight to behold. I'm amazed that the lamp actually worked in its original condition. It looked ready for the scrap-heap....
So was I when I first got it. The guy told me it had been used regularly as a backup when the power went out but the glass had been smashed years ago, so for most of its life it had been run rusty and with no globe... and it had been kept in a damp shed! Incredible! The paint job is pretty good all things considered. I'm not that worried about the colour but there are a few corrosion pits that were originally fixed after the first red oxide coat but that proved to be a disaster. Now it's stable it should last for years.
Well saved! The spindle is threaded and the knob screws on clockwise, they can be difficult to unscrew. It could be an ex RAF., lantern.
Thanks Jeff, in the end the seal held tight with no leaks but at some point I will need to change it for sure. Now I know how! ...and thanks, @Tony, that means a lot!
....yes, but I linked to you, Tony from Stinkpot Bay!!! I love that name by the way, it sounds like a very old name to me!
@ColinG Stinkpot Bay is the old name for the little bi-fold bay my property is adjacent to. Stinkpot Bay is part of Northwest Bay. The name is a reference to the smell of rotting sea grass and seaweed, but that must have been a long time ago, because there not much smell these days. The sea grass has recovered significantly in the bay after the houses along the coast in Howden were connected to sewerage over two decades ago. There is good fishing in the bay now, too. Cheers Tony
Beautiful job Collin. I am in the middle of restoring a couple of ML93s myself. Hope they turn out as fine as your lantern.
I'm sure everyone on this site knows this already, but there's one invaluable tip for spraying paint that I was taught a very long time ago when I was at design college studying for my degree. Only press the nozzle to release the paint when you are over the target. NEVER hold it in all the time, you'll put way too much paint on the surface. In particular, you'll get a build up at the ends of each stroke and that's not where your attention will be focussed. Think of it like a paint brush and make strokes with the jet. Imagine trying to paint something without taking the brush off the surface and you'll see what I mean.
@ColinG Well done Colin well done indeed. She runs well and looks great considering the before pictures. Cheers, Norman
