OK here it is. I have now had the time to dismantle and inspect this beast. The top of the fount shows no sign of being adapted from a wick lamp tank and the fittings in the tank have that factory fitted look. Sadly the tank is shot because over polishing has left it semi porous in several places. I might try a liner in it but for now this is a non runner. The burner/generator arrangement is interesting and complex. The pricker was broken and I have made and fitted a new wire but I will have to do that again as the one I made is a tad too short. The generator had a short asbestos filler which fell apart so I have replaced that with a rolled brass wire mesh. The fitter is complicated with a left hand thread slotted ring which sits inside the nut for the generator but locks the burner to the frame but allows the generator nut to turn free. The pricker spindle should be fitted through the hole in the frame but I have not done this because having fettled the pricker gland I was too idle to dismantl eit again to fit into the frame. The tank has a well which I assume is for meth and the cap for that is probably not original as it does not need a pressure release. There was a curious small bottle inside this well which may not be original either but it is a perfect fit. I now think the handle is correct. It did not seem to fit right when I first looked but after re sealing the fitter on the top of the fuel feed from the tank it fits perfectly so the problem was the guy who dismantled it to polish broke the solder seal and made the fitting look wrong. :Neil::
It's a fine lamp Neil and hopefully that POR., sealant will fix the tank and a soak in some vinegar or lemonade will clear all of that polish residue, Jeff.
I hope so. I am not sure it is all polish residue. Looks like a combination of polish and maybe old nickel plate or just age related dirt. I will have a try at a clean up but the polish maniac has already damaged the brass and I am reluctant to do too much for fear of doing more harm than good. ::Neil::
Not only a nice lamp to have but from the research point of view also very interesting. My contacts in the arcane world of wicky crap were not aware that Hinks had ever delved into pressure lighting as manufacturer or retailer so there is investigation work to be done here. We are off to visit an Hinks guy in an hour or so to start this process. ::Neil::
I have now made some research progress. James Hinks & Son were taken over or bought out by Falk Stadelmann in about 1920. So this Hinks branded lamp is actually a Falk or perhaps even Veritas. This changes the game somewhat because in the 1920s Falks were a huge company that owned a great deal of the British Lamp making and retailing business. In fact I am starting to wonder if Arch ever made these lamps but merely retailed them as Arch having bought them from Falk. There is no doubt that Falk had the ability to import various parts from different factories, assemble such a lamp and give it a prestigous brand for retail. I even wonder if Falk owned or had an interest in JB Arch & Son. It is possible because by 1930 Falk owned nearly all the lamp makers in the UK except Tilley, Vapalux and The ICI companies. ::Neil::
I have no info on the shade. There is no shade fitter with my lamp and as we have never seen any illustration of the lamp in any paper I have no idea what it should be. At a guess it will be a standard 10" opal of some sort but the brass finial and cap piece sugest perhaps a parchment type. Having worked out who owned the Hinks brand when this was made I suspect it to have been listed in a Falks or Veritas catalogue sometime in the mid 1920s. We do need paper here. ::Neil::
It lives!!!! I shoved three coats of POR15 in that tank. I did not think it would seal because the cracks are bad. One in the bottom rim I had to stop off with tape because the sealer was oozing out and in a couple of other cracks you can see the line of sealer in the crack. After 4 days curing it passed an underwater pressure test so I tried it on kero without mantles and got a nice Bunsen flame. Fitted two Coleman 21 mantles and here you go. Actually pretty bright and with about a half pint of fuel and only 30 pump strokes not near full pressure. No hint of a leak so one more testament to just how good POR15 can be and another old museum piece brought back to life. ::Neil::
Yes I love fettling these old timers because they can be so very rewarding if you succeed. Mind you it helps having worked on a vast number and variety of lamps so even the tricky bits are sort of routine. In this one I have replaced the asbestos generator packing with a roll of brass mesh and made a new pricker wire which was a B----r to do because the first one broke when grinding and the second one was a tad short but number three works just fine. The only thing I have not been able to do is remove the wheel from the pricker spindle so I can fit the damn thing through the hole in the frame. Odd because on the Bay the seller included images of both wheels removed but I can't shift either bolt. I suspect he has glued the damn things in. I guess I could cut the bolt head off and drill it out but I am reluctant to do that because it works as it is and it is a small thing really except of course it does place the wheel rather closer to the mantle than it was designed to be but then the lamp is not going to ever be run much. Now I just need a wall bracket to slot the beast into to keep it out of harms way and display it. ::Neil::
It runs well. I had it on display today at an HLC meeting and it ran happily for three hours. It did start to flare a little after three hours so I shut it down but I think that might have been due to low pressure. It started with half a pint of kero and I only gave it 30 pump strokes so the pressure was low to start. Back in the day it would have been a very good reliable lamp. ::Neil::
