So I finally got my first Bialaddin.... Posting pics to let the pros take a look at it to: notice if there's anything glaring missing or needed (looks to me like it's all there) and, Start me on a direction for a restoration... I got the lantern for a great price off the 'bay (69$ shipped to me - approx 42GBP) I'll start by "assuming" I'll need a full seal kit, as well as a generator and needle ? Questions... Any idea as to the "vintage" of the lantern ? How to clean the painted fount without stripping it ? The frame is in such poor shape I think I'll soda blast it and leave it raw.. how to clean the valve, pump and cap etc. of all the dried up old fuel and gunk.. Why the "adjustable" frame ? (ie: the slot head screws that hold the frame to the fount) Take a look and thanks for any info !!
Hello. Nice that you have got one Bialaddin. Bialaddin/Vapalux are very good lamps. If you look in the reference library under Great Britain/Bialaddin and read what the expert on Bialaddin/Vapalux, Ian Ashton writes. He gives a very good history of these lamps. Of what I can see it should be a 1958-65 Bialaddin 315. The slotted frame base is for what I understand an adjustment option so the cleaning knob can be positioned more exact between the frame legs. By the way, I can tell you that I got delivery of one Bialaddin M305 and a Vapalux M1 yesterday from Base-Camp. They where both very little used. Michael
Looks like you have Bialaddin 315 there Dan. If I were you I would just clean out the tank with a good detergent/degreasing agent, wash it out again and flush it through with clean Kero. I would replace the seals, and the pump leather if it cannot be rejuvenated with soaking in some oil, and then I would do a water "dunk test" to see if the tank holds pressure, ie. pump it up and look for leaks when immersed in water. If all is ok then, I would clean off any crud from the burner and vaporiser tube, and see if there is an airflow though both. If the vap tube is blocked, remove the cleaning needle and gently scrape off any carbon, taking great care not to damage the fine cleaning tip. Give the vap tube a few cycles of "heat & quench" (dark red heat to cold water) knocking the carbon out on a hard wood surface if it is still blocked. Flash it up without a mantle and see if it goes; if it does try it with a mantle and if it still works OK; then think about a restoration job. In my experience, these lamps are very well made and 9 times out of 10 will work OK. Good luck - Steve.
What you have there is a bialaddin 315. Should clean up nicely, and given a service, should run nicely. Service kits available on here from the Fettlebox. Good luck.
Well....as it goes along...there's always good news and bad news 'eh ? So..the good news... Ended up stripping the fount: Hit the burner cap with some oven cleaner: Pump: Some questions on the seal kit I got from the Fettlebox... Seal 1 and 1A: for the check valve..fit well and were the proper size. Seal 2: for the control cock..is a flat packing washer now. Is converted to viton "o" ring ? Seal 3: is supposed to be for the pump cap...unfortunately the OD of the washer is too small for the cap...and the ID of the small hole is too small for the pump rod ? Seal 4:....a mystery.... Seal 5: Wrong OD for the filler cap. Seal 6: for the generator....OD is okay...ID is way big ? and the final straw ?........ I was wiping (mind you...just wiping) the inside of the globe... and: Looking for advice on the seals....and where to get the proper glass ? Globe is 94x100x48 with the shoulder.... Thanks ! Dan
As far as I can tell: Seal 2 viton o-rings work okay for this. Seal 3 is the Vapourizer washer. Seal 4 is for the air-release screw on the filler cap. You will need to remove the split-pin (which will probably break) to replace this washer. Seal 5 yes is the wrong outer diameter. Willis and Bates used two sizes of filler caps and you've got the wrong one. Seal 6 is for the control cock to tank seal. Shame about the glass - expensive things to replace. I don't think there are any shops that sell the originals. John Moncrieff sells reproductions on ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151230711346
That was pity about the glass. You can try Base-Camp, base-camp.co.uk, they have glass with narrow bottom that you need. Stuga-Cabana, hytta.de, also have these glasses. Unfortunatly this glass is quite expensive.
Pity about the glass: same thing happened tp me with an Aladdin globe not long ago. Sometimes they just seem to explode in your hands - but I wondered after it happened whether wiping the inside was inherently more 'dangerous' than the outside i.e. is pushing the globe 'out' more likely to break it than pushing the cylinder inwards? We need a materials physicist to answer that one. Get back in touch with Fettlebox. I'm sure they'll get you the right seal. Nice lamp. It will good to see it working.
Well. I'm glad (and proud) to say....she's up and running. Followed the lighting instructions as found on the web and it worked perfectly. Had to fit a Tilley mantle as it was all I had on hand - but it didnt seem to matter. Thans for everyones help !!
Nice restoration, but personally I'd find a good match for the paint and repaint the font. Although sometimes I think they look good in a non original colour too... like my hybrid lamp
It's a great restoration but I agree about the repainting. Although this one was silver originally, they also came with a pale cream tank. This colour combination is far less common but does come up from time-to-time and I think it looks far better than the silver. I've a couple of examples shown in the LRG - . I forget now what the best paint match was for Bialaddin cream - maybe Rover Arum Lily, is it? Sounds something like that, anyway. Arum Beige?
