Here is my TL136 now fully restored. Taking a hint from Shed Man I used "Rover Arum White" for the paintwork. The etched onion globe came from John Moncrieff Ltd, their product code 700182..
You have done a good job there Now, are you going to use it If you do you will find that the Arum White paint will mellow some with a bit of paraffin dribbled here and there, and then it will be much as it was when it was in its hay-day. Nice . steve.
This probably won't be used as often as my Aladdins which are lit every weekend along with my other wick lamps, but it will be used... It will probably be our main "indoor" light at Newark...
Beautifull Gneiss I have never seen a frosty globe before - looks stunning and fits the lamp very well - damn nice Claus C
I got the impression that they get them in clear and then send them off to be etched... There is an additional £5 charge for the etched version. Thanks everyone for the kind comments...
Etched ? You talk about etching a 182 glass which implies the use of acid and Moncrieff sends them off specially to be etched ! Some how doubt it ! More likely a sand blasting machine was hooked up to a compressor to lightly blast the surface of the glass inside and out . I have a sand blaster at college in the ceramics department and often have to show students techniques involving the use of silver sand blasting. But remember to wear long strong rubber gloves or take your watch off first ! I can blast half a 182 using masking tape applied generously as one thickness won't hold the sand under pressure back for long. So remember etched glass is proberbly sand blasted glass ! Ever been beach combing and found old glass with that frosted look ? The wind is the compressor and the sand dunes do the rest ! Mick
I think electrical tape is much better than masking tape when blasting lamp globes. Atleast if it's the usual "papery" masking tape we're thinking about. A high quality vinyl electrical tape with its thick, elastic material withstand the sand (or more preferably glass) well, and is also much easier to remove afterwards in one solid piece since atleast some brands of masking tape will be frail after the blasting.
Direct from the horses mouth so to speak... "We buy them in clear and sandblast them ourselves. You can tell the difference between acid etched and sandblasted glass by how smooth it is, acid etched is as smooth as clear glass but sandblasted has a slightly rougher feel to it."
Hi ! Its possible to get a light smooth dusting onto glass shades with a sand blaster , using a glancing blow not head on straight at it ! Obviously the further away the blasting nozzle again the lighter the dusting. We use a very fine grade of silver sand from Gunson of Otley ,N.Yorks ! down side about £80 a bag ! We also have another blasting cabinet in engineering department and that is rough great for creating texture to a glass wall hanging but crap on 182's . The trouble with frosting 182's the light output is somewhat reduced ! ideal if no outer shade can be found ! but a bit of a one way trip ! mick
Yep, acid etching is done typically with hydrofluoric acid (HF) which is absolutely evil stuff you wouldn't want to be anywhere near. The skin burns it causes don't heal up - very nasty indeed...
Hi Dave ! Alot of the acids we have in the college have been banished to our hazardous chemical store hopefully never to be seen again ! The only acid I can have out but in a fume cupboard is Nitric , used for copper and silver etching. I have to write out risk assessments for Nitric Acid and it reads like a horror movie "Damage to eyes ,facial damage for life , breathing difficulties , hands and arms severe burns ," it would be much safer to ban the use of all hazardous substances and liquids in Art colleges (Cosh ) ,but the college courses ie the jewellery and glass creations courses insist on certain technics being used and taught for decorative effects . mick
I remember sitting through a rather vile safety film which should have been classified as a video nasty... One clip showed a hand that had been completely melted just from the fumes, for all the world it looked like melted wax Another lowlight of this film featured a man who blew himself up in a battery room. Many years ago I had a near miss myself with some concentrated Sulphuric acid which burnt into a wooden floor like Alien blood from the films!
The point is it negates the need for a shade, providing the "softer light" of a shaded lamp whilst allowing an insect guard to be fitted for outdoor use on summer evenings... Beside which it really doesn't reduce the light output that much.
Hi Gniess ! Your right it gives a softer light source when the glass is frosted over .The light is all over not just from one point ie the mantle. I have an AL21 with a frosted glass and gimble below the lamp. I was working outside Edinburgh yonks ago on a barn conversion and this lamp was in the owners house , it took me a couple of years to finally get to keep the lamp for myself but the wait was worth it knowing its history ! The lamp owner was the Forensic photographer for Lothian police force for 30 years and this lamp was part of his kit for reaching some of the more awkward crime locations in the Edinburgh region and this lamp ( AL21 ) was used with the frosted glass to photograph the dead bodies . The lamp has seen alot of action ,be it dead action ! Close up a good light source but over a distance the light source deteriates quickly ! Mick
Nice bit of history for your lamp... I often think it's a shame that most the time the history is unknown.
