I had a beer related accident last night Whilst enjoying some beer in the garden with some friends last night (it was freezing cold) some beer was spilled on the hood of a running Petromax. Unfortunately this wasn't noticed at the time so the beer is now burnt on and it doesn't look very nice at all. This hood is matt nickel plated (German Army). Soap and water has done nothing and neither has metal polish. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to clean off this mess without damaging the plating?
That may be worth a try but it is so burnt on I don't think it will shift it. Perhaps a soak will help.
You could always try spilling more beer on it until it is a uniformly consistent beer-stained colour That would be a lot more fun than trying to clean it Seriously though, once something is burnt into the plating it is usually there forever; just put it down to battle-damage and love it more than ever. Steve.
Well I will try the carb cleaner as I need some anyway for cleaning vapourisers. The hood is in the dishwasher on a hot intensive cycle but I doubt that it will make any difference. Yes I suppose it is a war wound but I will be more careful in future. I do have another identical ex-Army Petromax, still in its transport case, unfired and still with original protective cardboard around the globe. That one may stay unfired lest I ruin that one as well! I wished I had poured beer on one of my Tilleys instead....
Thanks James. I did think of oven cleaner but I was nervous in case the strong alkali (potassium hydroxide) reacted with the Nickel. I could try on the inside first where it will not be seen.
It's likely that the beer has caramelized to the hood. I would recommend oven cleaner too, but you're right to be concerned about the underlying finish. Of course, it makes for a good story explaining the stains!
Yes that's right, the sugar in the beer has burnt on. The dishwasher did some good but not a lot. Oven cleaner is working a bit and is not causing any harm I can see. I don't think I'll get it pristine but it should look considerably better. The trouble is, this matt finish is rather easily damaged so abrasives are not an option.
Thanks for your tips chaps. Oven cleaner and an old toothbrush worked wonders. I'm really pleased. Next time there is an excess of beer around I'll use a Tilley X426B Here's a pic of the lamp back together. It's the same lamp that I've been fettling recently. 1962 Petromax 829B BW Bundeswehr (German Army). This has a different lever on the preheater compared to most Petromax lamps. It also has a heat shield and no spirit cup. Another feature is that the hand nuts on the handle are captive rather than coming off completely as on modern lamps. The transport box is marked 829B 465 HK so an output of 465 Hefner candles rather than the usual 500 claimed by Petromax.
Very glad that worked, and thanks for sharing the outcome with all of us! P.S. I hear cyder leaves a very nice patina...
The lever has nicknames, here it is called »Domino Rapid« because of the shape of the plastic lever or »Kniehebel Rapid« which describes the form of the metal lever that is bent like a knee. The heat shield is intended to keep the heat away from the soft soldered joints at the fount, which can happen when the mantle is broken. There is also a radiator available that is mounted on the heat shield. The nuts are captive to prevent the soldiers to lose the bail
Thank you for the information Stephan. I learnt something else about these hoods from the Pelam forum. Some of the early ones, like mine, are made from the 3 pieces. There is a metal plate inside at the top made from steel. You can check with a magnet. With the 3 piece hoods, if you wash them, water can get in under the plate inside. If the hood is then fitted to the lamp and the lamp is lit the trapped water can boil causing the plate to go bang and fall off. The suggestion is to carefully dry the hood in a low oven at 80-100 C for 30 mins -1 hour. Stephen
That's interesting, I have a 250cp version with a steel plate just below the top cowling, I noticed it because it is slightly rusted. But I never would have expected that the water that is caught between them causes the hood to explode, you never stop learning...
Hello guys About the exploding plate. I repaired and cleaned a Standard Momento recently. The hood was very dirty so it had a caustic soda bath. After cleaning I dried the hood, placed it on the radisator from our central heating. Next day I build up the lamp and had a test run. Shortly after it was alight I heard a loud bang, I was shocked and "praised"the Lord. The iron plsate had come of. After everything was cooled down I took the plate out, it was bent. I bowled it a little, placed ir in the hood and pushed it back in with a piece of wood, so hard that it bowled to the other side. Then it was in place again. regards Henk
