which was offered in an advert in a village only about 20 km away. So I contacted the seller and examined the lamp. As the price was reasonable I happily took it with me. The pictures show how I got it. I did nothing yet as the washer kit from the forum is still on its way, But I assume a good cleaning will do as there are no visible traces of much use. The tank inside is totally clean, the wick appears untouched. And the decal gives order to clean the tank weekly! (Yes Sir). Some pictures following Matthias
Exceptional condition for its age and has what many consider to be the correct combination of vented colar with holed glass. RAF blue/grey I haven't seen a better example, you are very lucky.
Quite lucky! Restore and enjoy! You got the globe with the lighting hole, too. That's a real bonus. Really nice find!
That's a top lamp you have there, and in amazing condition. If I may make a suggestion, I really think it is best left cosmetically just as it is as it's in such a good state anyway. I have never seen such an undamaged enamel cap and the brass hood looks to have only been used once or twice! The instructions transfer is damned near perfect and the paint shows very few signs of rust considering it has a steel tank. A set of new seals and washers (from the FettleBox here on the site) will help you get it working again plus some top quality Peerless double tie mantles which can be purchased from @phaedrus42 - one of the members.
Hi @LatMag49 Just out of curiosity is the filler cap stamped Vapalux and is there a split pin on the inside of the pressure release screw?
Thank you guys for all your comments. It seems the lamp is original in all parts. Today the washer kit from Fettlebox arrived. So I will start with a soft cleaning with soapy water to keep it in the present state. Any bright shining brass parts won't fit an old military lamp. So I absolutely go with Colin's proposal. @george I hope you will find a hole glass for your Vapalux 300. @Gary Waller the filler cap is without any stamping, and the pressure release screw is held by a split pin. Matthias
Ok, reason I asked is I picked the remains of one up early in the year, sadly not complete and not in the condition of yours. However it is stamped on the filler cap and no provisions for a split pin. I guess it may have been supplied from a smaller subcontractor.
@Gary Waller The remains of your lamp must be older as the tank has a pressure tit. Have a look in the Reverence Gallery for Vapalux E41 and 300. So the split pin was likely added later, and the earlier filler caps were stamped? Experts here may tell us more. Matthias
@LatMag49 I hope I can, too. They are as rare as hen's teeth! Right now, I ordered a generic style glass which will fit but won't have the lighting hole.thumbup:
You 'could' get a cheap repro globe and make your own hole. It would be cheating but it would look the part. Supporting the globe while cutting it would be a nightmare though!
@ColinG Thanks, Colin, use to nightmare thoughts so I just ordered two cheapo globes and I'll order the saw hole glass cutters next.
I'd love to know how your hole cutting experiment works out. I've been tempted to have a go myself but I didn't want to risk a perfectly good globe.
Pray have a look in the Reverence Gallery, perhaps..? Sorry, I've just been doing a cryptic crossword and they make my mind think in other ways... Nice lantern, by the way - is the top grey or blue? (as it looks in the top three images).
@David Shouksmith Well spotted, but no need to pray, it's only a misspelling. There's a curse with f? To the top's colour: it is more blue than grey. In post #3 it's called RAF blue/grey. Blue is dominant, but with a touch of grey. Matthias
Any W&B fuel cap with Vapalux stamped in it is a unique and original, coveted item of the very early years, so E41 and 300 models. Your lamp and cap left the factory likely together. Is the tank not steel (yet)?
Thanks Gary. so it seems an early model 300 that could have been (since it has a steel tank) produced into 1945, although most were again of brass manufacture. However, the fuel cap indicates an earlier year like 1941. It will not be easy to find the top in brass, with or without any embossed lettering, but with a crowsfoot (= british government) and a year (1941-1944) in its rim. The top can be hattet either by a rounded E41 model or the simple, later, angular cap; see the Reference Gallery. Searching for these can be much part of the fun resurrecting this lamp: she is worth it! Good luck, Mike
Thanks for the info @M.Meijer the fuel cap is certainly interesting, I have seen one stamped in that way before. Hopefully I’ll be able to complete the lamp at some point.
