Bialaddin 315 - Identification and respray

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Hi,

So, it seems that those who commented on my last post were right. Lanterns do tend to multiply! Since my first post about my 246a which is now up and running, I am now the proud owner of a beaten up Bialaddin 315. Not sure of the date despite reading a few comments on the dot system as this one seems to have 3 large dots at the top but no obvious dots below. May have rubbed off. Anyway, the lamp was cheap due to the condition, broken glass, burnt hood enamel, but figured it would be fun to source it that way and resurrect it. I’ve got the spares ordered, new glass on the way and an eye wateringly expensive hood coming from Taiwan, hopefully before Christmas. Turns out buying a lamp in very good condition would probably have been cheaper in the end, but where’s the fun in that. So I’ve got most of the silver paint off the fount with wet and dry and wire wool and was quite tempted to take the easier option and just polish it, but have now bought a silver spray paint. Hammerite straight to rust smooth silver which looks like a close match and claims to be a primer, paint and top coat in one. I have watched many spray paint tutorial videos including the ones on here but am still nervous about the spray painting. Big question remaining is whether it should be baked after painting or not? Can’t find anything on the hammerite website and only 2 lamps into this hobby buying an oven for the garage is an expensive step if this bug doesn’t bite hard enough to see me do many more lamps. Any thoughts on the dating or the spray painting question most welcome!

Thanks

Scott

 

Personally, I guess I wouldn't bake it. I don't believe W&B baked theirs either. Could be wrong, someone will correct me.

 

Date... maybe 1961???

 

There is a definite knack to spray painting from a can; not enough results in a poor finish and too much results in runs. It may be worth praticing on piece of card or suchlike first.

When I sprayed a tank I obtained a revolving cake decorating stand for very little money and stood the tank on that. It was the very easy to rotate it as I sprayed. That way I obtained very even finish. (Incidentally, I masked off the cake stand first so Mrs R100 could use it in the kitchen later).

 

I’ve been saving baked bean tins for practice. Like the cake stand idea!

 

Scott, if I understand the dot system correctly, your
lamp is 1963, which is shown by the three upper dots.
The small dots down to show the months are not
(anymore) visible.
I add a pic of mine showing no upper dots, but four dots
down which in my opinion is 1960 April.
Strange sysrem anyway to replace digits.

Matthias

 

Yeah, odd system. Just knowing the year probably satisfies my curiosity sufficiently.

Thank you

 

I believe the Bialaddin 315 was made between 1958 and 1965. After 1965, it became Vapalux. With three large dots present I thought that would make the date either 1960 or 61.

 

I've never baked on paint in my life - save your money, that would be my advice...

 

Can be funny stuff, Hammerite...Some of their paints have a 'curing' time, in which you're not to try to re-spray or sand or mess about with it..

Play safe and let it cure naturally...won't be long before it's safe to play with!

 

Scott, Baking in the oven speeds up the curing of the paint. Allowing it to air dry in a sunny position will have the same effect, but it will take a lot longer. Hours vs days.
If you get fuel near the paint before it cures it will damage the paints finish.

The lantern should clean up nicely.

 

A fine restoration project!

 

@Scott D

You may find this useful, so here's a few tips on spraying with rattlecans.

dont spray in the wind or outside or a dirty dusty space

Shake shake shake and then some... shake between passes

Lots and lots of light passes allowing to dry a bit between passes

start the spray before the surface and off after you pass the surface

If you get runs stop allow to dry/harden and sand back with wet and dry and water

You might want to avoid the following as its sooooo much work just for a lamp:

To get real depth and a no orange peel (quality car paint finish) you must prime with a primer filler, rubdown with 1000+++ wet and dry, apply colour coat, allow to dry, add further coats and between coats wet and dry (with water), add final coat, rub down and apply clear top coat, rub down, then polish out using Tcut on the clear coat and polish and buff out to a glass finish....

A hell of a lot of work and as I said too much just for a lamp fount.

I used to do custom airbrush painting/graphics and artwork on motorcycle tanks where you had to "bury" the airbrush work in clear coat and metalflake paints. Paint tech has come a long way with new formulas since I was doing it!

 

When I re-sprayed the fount of my 300X I noticed that the original finish was a class of satin. The paint I used was the oft-mentioned Rutoleum claret which is also a satin finish. However, no matter how long I left it to cure it would melt at the first touch of paraffin or meths.

I consulted our local sprayshop supplier and he suggested Monofil satin lacquer at around £7 for a 400ml rattle can. After three coats, not only is the finish excellent, but paraffin and meths have no effect whatsoever, although I always wipe spills up immediately as soaking as leaving it may eventually damage the coat.

 

Wow, great tip! I've had trouble finding a lacquer that didn't bubble up the underlying paint making it a pointless exercise so I'll definitely get some of that!

I've never baked Hammerite - I'm not sure how it would behave to be honest, but with regular paint I always bake it mostly because I have my own oven. All it does (as @ROBBO55 also said) is speed up the curing process. You don't have to if you haven't got access to an oven like I do, but when I spray a fount I can get three or even four coats done and dried in an afternoon with excellent results... but time will do the trick - it just takes longer.

Regards
Colin

 

Thank you everyone. Lots to think about. Think I’ll just let it cure naturally rather than bake it, I’m in no rush. Will have a practice this weekend on my baked bean tins!

 

I should have added that I've only ever used rattle cans of enamel paint intended to respray car body panels. As such, it can be expected to withstand fuels such as petrol and therefore, by extension, paraffin/kerosene as well...

 

George, there is a few Bialadin 320 models around, like mine with 6 upper dots and black plastic pump knob. It is the last Bialaddin model, and as far as I know, no Bia's were made after 1967, perhaps even as soon as 1966.
When Aladdin Industries of Greenford, Middlesex bowed out, realising there was no further money in these lamps (already having dropped the W&B table lamps and radiant heaters) Willis & Bates kept afloat with their continued sales to the British army with the 305 (alloy) model, soon to be renamed the Vapalux M.I. The Bialaddin 320 model was continued for the civilian market, with a brass pump knob, unpainted, like the now bare brass again filler cap.
I explain this that W&B were now free of the economic restraints imposed by Aladdin Industries, and W&B promptly returned to their higher standard.
On the 320 model the pricker knob is now declaring the Vapalux brand, as did the globe with the old - and beautiful - logo.
Not sure if there have been M.I.'s with the Vapalux brand mentioned on their green pricker knobs; I have seen only nameless ones, but with plenty information about the maker on the alloy collar.

 

I could be wrong but I thought the tie-in between W&B and Aladdin Industries of Greenford formally ended in 1968...

Possibly, yes - I can only assume for some unknown reason, the manufacturers didn't want consumers to realise it was a date code. My other assumption is that the date codes were to assist in the warranty and quality control processes...

 

Well, that would be a paper matter at best.
There is no advertising found after 1967, nor are there known Bialaddin lamps made after 1967.

 

The partnership between W&B and Aladdin Industries was dissolved in 1968, from all I've read. Decline in product sales probably was the reason.
I remember reading (?) somewhere about the dots representing the day and month of production.
@David Shouksmith David is probably right, manufacture dates have a lot to do with thing like quality control, etc.
As far as I know the 320 was the last Bialaddin made, and at the same time rebadged, it was the first Vapalux since the end of the war.
Aladdin had the marketing skills, W&B the engineering skills.

 

This "dots" info is interesting. Although they seem to make sense when you consider them from some kind of date stand point.
The problem is the dots were not always present. Those dots appear, for example, on the botton of some 310 Bialaddins but not on others. I have a green one with dots and a NOS chrome one with no dots. It's a mystery in some ways...

 

It's quite possible that the introduction of the date code dots was during the 310 era thus the earlier ones won't be dated and the later ones will. Occam's razor again...

 

Did he ever cut himself, that's what I always wonder.

 

That razor is strictly used to cut out the hogwash.

 

Every day is a School day.....

 

Well, yes and no, Alex. The Latin footer at the end of every one of Neil's posts since the year dot is a statement of Occam's razor.

Now I'm not saying that Neil actually knew William of Ockham, but...

 

Who knows?