Hi All Last November 2018, I was lucky to acquire a Bialaddin 300X possibly manufactured in the early 1950s. Recently I completed its fettle, the following is its story through the fettling process. As it was acquired. First of all, I was very impressed by the build quality of this lantern. The follow picture shows some of the manufacturing attention to detail. After disassembly, the various parts of the lantern were cleaned using a quick soak in a warm diluted citric acid bath (no more than half and hour) then a final run through the ultrasonic cleaner. I find that an ultrasonic clean gets into all the near inaccessible voids, nooks and crannies. Note, when disassembling the burner, using a small centre punch, I marked each air tube in relation to the burner body to ensure the correct air tube was reinstalled into its original position in the burner’s body. The next task was the repainting of the fount and the associated parts. The first step was to find a spray can paint colour that was a close match to the original paint. Interestingly enough, I noticed that my garage roller door’s paint was a very close match to the Bialaddin’s original colour. This roller door colour is a standard COLORBOND colour used in Australia and fortunately touch up spray paint is readily available. I purchased the Galmet COLORBOND touch up spray paint from a local hardware store. I stripped the fount of its original paint and using a fine grade sand paper slightly etched the now clean brass surface. Next the etching primer’s application. The etch primer assisted the final finish colour coat to adhere to the brass better. After the etch coat had dried the final colour paint coat was then applied and allowed to dry in the sun. Note, to better handle the fount, I used long metal threaded screws inserted into the 3 threaded fount sockets. The paint turned out quite good however the satin finish made the finish appear darker. After a couple of days, the colour paint was dry enough and the final coat of an automobile spray clear paint was applied. All the parts were then collected together ready for the final assembly. All new seals were refitted and a nickel anti-seize compound was used on the treads of the burner’s components. This is the anti-seize I used. Here is the final reassembled fettled Bialaddin 300X. I’m very pleased at the reasonably close colour match. This fettle was very enjoyable and satisfying. I found the build quality of this Bialaddin 300X lantern quite remarkable. This lantern is a keeper. Thank you for looking. Cheers Pete
