G'day all, @paul m I'd like to take the time to say thanks to paul m. Paul saw a post I made about a missing handle on a Kildark table lamp. Paul took the time out of his day to contact me and tell me he had a handle off a wrecked lamp. Today, as quick as a flash, the handle arrived from the UK and my lamp is now complete. So Paul - thanks mate, I appreciate it. When I opened the box and saw the handle for the first time, the colour took my eye. I'd not seen an off brown coloured handle before. I think the colour of the handle suits the lamp perfectly and I can understand why Kildark decided to use such a colour. In the photos, the handle looks a lot darker than it actually is. I've owned this lamp for about 12 months but had never really looked at it in earnest until a few days ago. Once I knew I had a handle coming, I decided it was time to fettle the lamp. The first thing that took my eye was the shade holder. Not a spec of rust nor a spot of the original paint is missing. After wiping the lamp down with a baby wipe, it became clear this lamp had never been used. The original lacquer is still on the burner, burner tubes and generator and of course, the rest of the lamp. I doubt the lamp has ever had fuel put in the fount. There is no odour of fuel at all. There are two downsides with the lamp. Firstly there are two small dents near the fuel cap, two dents that don't immediately take the eye. The dents are highlighted in the photo by the bright light out of shot. The shade that came with the lamp is an original shade to the lamp. Unfortunately it has been repaired in one area after a break. It is a well done repair but nonetheless a repair. These Kildark lamps are a beautiful lamp to look at - if you like the polished brass style. I know many members on here aren't fans of polished brass. There are two things on the lamp that aren't brass. The shade holder and the fuel valve rod. Here are some not so good photo's but are good enough for the Open Forum. Once again, thanks Paul.
Early one too as it has the Akron burner which was replaced with a British made type in about 1923. It should be a good reliable working lamp. ::Neil::
Thanks all. If I had of known the topic would be moved to the gallery I would have taken better photos. These lamps were sold in Australia by many retailers for well over a decade. It is and isn't surprising one doesn't see more of them. I suppose the war scrap brass drives would have accounted for a lot of the lamps. On the other hand, I know if I wanted to contribute to the brass drive, this lamp would have been the last thing I would have been offering.
Not sure about the dates but both Evening Star and Kildark lamps used the Akron burners to begin with and then used one of two home designed burners. They also started to make their own generators and stopped using the S shaped Akron design pretty early on. So I guess the lamps were all British after 1923 ish. As far as I remember these burners and generators are illustrated in the PLC. ::Neil::
