So I now have a Bialaddin 300X to fettle and get back into original shape. I've stripped it and it's halfway through a good clean. I've a few wee basic questions before I do much more. How do I go about removing the nrv in the bottom of the pump? The original wick is in very bad condition should I assume that it is made of asbestos and just dump it and the spirit cup/plate and fit a new one? When taking apart the burner for cleaning I managed to crush the spigot slightly with the pliers. It seems to be made of much softer brass than the burner or air pipes. Can I replace this or just get a new burner. Its well seized in there and its a pity as the burner is in very good condition. Thanks, Stephen.
I cannot for the life of me get photos to upload this evening, here's the lamp stripped down to is bare parts.
The non-return valve has a slot in it and unscrews with a large flat-bladed screwdriver. You can remove the old wick from the spirit cup and fit a new fibreglass wick. Just remove it underwater so the asbestos fibres don't go into the atmosphere. You can get a new wick from ebay e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/311262091095 (although I generally don't bother providing the old wick is not falling apart). You say you crushed the spigot slighly so can you not "uncrush" it by squashing it in the opposite direction
All done now but I should have filed the spigot back to the shape of the vaporiser. I thought I'd remove it by soaking it over night in oil but as it released so did all the threads inside the burner so that's a goner now for sure. It was originally maroon and I've seen this one and that's what I'm going to aim for. http://0flo.com/index.php?threads/5121
As Steve himself said, the colour needs to be darker - it looks a bit pink to me. This is what they should look like:- http://0flo.com/index.php?threads/1255 As I said in that thread, take the tank to a motor factor who'll be able to mix up an exact match for you and it'll not be much more, if anything, than a rattle can from Halfrauds...
Yeah I can see the difference, I know the 'Rover' red I've seen it before. Should nbe no problem getting paint mixed although theres not a lot of the original paint left to go on. Once I cleaned all the crud off it all that was left was bare brass and some corrosion. There's a bit under the tank but it should be enough to get a good match. I'm planning on polishing up the frame around the glass and painting the hood VHT black. Maybe not entirely original but should be nice! Oh and a repro hood. The list of bits I need will probably come in at a fair bit more than the lamps worth but it will be good to have resurrected what really did look like it was for the scrap heap!
Lovely lamp, that's exactly what I'm aiming for! The local Halfords has two fine of Damask Red and now I'm really not sure there's enough of the original paint underneath the tank to get an accurate match. Would you laquer over the Rover paint?
I didn't mine, but although parafin doesn't attack it once it's baked methelated spirit can affect some car paints... I just use car wax on mine to give it some protection. If you do spill meths on it then let it evaporate and dry completely before wiping it!
OK, baking the tank does seem to give the paint a really nice gloss anyway! Thanks. Anyone got any tips on buffing/polishing? There are a few odds and ends I want to get nice and shiny again. I've a bench grinder, is there any particular type or make of wheel or mop I should be looking for? Chemicals, polish?
One soft and one hard wheel with some brown polish cake. If you plan on using the bench grinder be careful. A polishing wheel can be a dangerous beast. The wheel can throw things to the floor or into your face. Always polish off a trailing edge and polish wires such as handles along the length never across. ::Neil::
