Well, I've been wanting to get a hanging Aladdin lamp since before I got my 23, but people think they're work lots of money and therefore try to sell them as such, meaning they remain for sale even today, but that aside, I came across this one on ebay, its a bit of a mutt, that's a given, but, at £18.55, it's cheap enough and got all the prerequisites to satisfy my wants... :)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162376160545
Things that are "wrong", well, there's no diffuser bell, the font appears that it used to be chrome but has been over-polished so I'll probably try to brass it out and polish it up, there's no chimney (still have my Heelless & adaptor though), there's no chain or ceiling mount, there's no mantle (still have two spare), there's no shade and they're ridiculously expensive to buy (glass or "paper" shade), and I don't believe that Super Aladdin (Model 14 I believe) burner belongs on that font, but I don't care about that to be honest, it's mostly the hanging frame I'm interested in... :)
Oh, and of course, the elephant in the room, that enamelled roasting tin lid fashioned into a crude reflector/shade, looks silly and will definitely not stay with the lamp!!! ;D
Anyway, pictures (first 6 at least!):
Rest of the pics, plus where I believe the "reflector" may have come from (or something very similar to it)!!
Nice lamp. Intense project. Quite a bit of work. But in the end, illuminating results.
Between you and I we've got lamps covered from A to Z, Aladdin to Dietz . . . ;)
Can't wait to get it, that's a given, I know I need to get a diffuser for the top of the hanger, can't use it without otherwise it'll probably burn the ceiling (and hanging chain too probably) given how much heat an Aladdin puts out, only trouble is, them diffusers are expensive and only seemingly available in the US, but I have an idea for that which I'll go into when the lamp gets here... ;D
It's not the worst lamp I'll have cleaned up, the worst being a cheap imitation duplex burner that was electrified from the factory (probably in Hong Kong), it was badly corroded, missing parts like the chimney and shade aswell as the power cable, and the lamp socket was damaged, but, lots of polishing, acquiring spares from a similar lamp that fell apart (literally, the tank on the font cracked up like dried mud on a hot day!) and it ended up as this:
If you need any kind of oil lamp bits there's a shop called 'Parafinalia' in Ilkeston who stock a wide range of spares. They do mail order too. I can't remember their website address offhand but a Google search will probably find it. Prices are sensible and the guy really know his stuff when it comes to vintage lamps.
Andy.
I think I've come across them on ebay, will keep them in mind for when I'm looking for bits and pieces... :)
You're better to buy direct from them and save e-bay fees. If you're ever near Ilkeston the shop is worth a visit too. I daren't go in because I've got too many oil lamps already. ;D
Ilkeston's about 3 hours south of here, so, a bit far to wander to visit the shop... ;D
As for too many lamps, well, I'm not that much better myself, particularly mantle lamps (gas or paraffin), so far it's 2x aladdins (when this hanging one arrives), 2x CampinGaz LumoGaz Plus lamps, a cheap chinese mini gas mantle lamp, aswell as a handful of cheap hurricane lanterns... ;D
Sod's law, had to go somewhere for an appointment, lamp was attempted to be delivered today while I was out, and unlike in the US, they (Royal Mail) don't leave parcels on our doorsteps, so I've had to rearrange delivery for Friday... :-\
Does that mean the postman gets ro have a secind try at breaking / losing it before it gets to you? That's what happens here. I always ask people NOT to use royal mail now.
Pretty much, but given there's no glass parts to the lamp at the moment, then they'd have to drive over it with their vauxhall combo to try and break it, which would be pretty irresponsible, but that said, they're not that bad round here, it was the likes of citylink I hated, thank goodness they went belly up... ;D
Looks like that will make a nice lamp for the home or shed, without the need for a flat surface to support it.
Quote from: 19and41 on February 09, 2017, 02:27:49 PM
Looks like that will make a nice lamp for the home or shed, without the need for a flat surface to support it.
Nah, don't think I'd be using it in the shed, the roof's too low out there to have it at a decent height without burning the wooden structure of that rotten shack I occasionally play in, definitely more of an indoor lamp, ether free-standing or sat in the hanging frame... :)
I've been looking about on ebay to try and find a suitable shade for it but so far I've not seen anything (that and I haven't got the dimensions required to sit a shade on the frame, so, mostly just looking), would like something like the one on my 23, a simple white shade, but, we shall see...
Though as a random aside, on my searching for shades, I came across this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222397928402
The lamp doesn't interest me (despite the Kosmos burner being intriguing, it's not a mantle lamp!), but the shade on it, that is the first time I've seen a shade in blue like that, and I quite like it, it would sit nicely atop the electric lamp I pictured earlier with the green shade... :)
Well, it arrived (again) today, just been looking it over and it's in pretty good shape, smells pretty musty though so may have been sat in a shed for many years, but overall I'm happy with it, even the wick seems to be brand new and never used (but is where the musty smell is coming from the most!!) as there's plenty on there ready to go, made the mistake of removing the wick though as I struggled to get it back in without the paper feeder tags they applied to new wicks back in the day (they no longer do that today I believe, so any paper-tagged wicks are NOS), but it's back in, needs charring off first before its used though... :)
Just need to start polishing it up to see how it looks as is as to whether or not I want to brass it out or leave it as is, the chrome plating on the top of the font is mostly missing, but the bowl part of the font is still well-covered with chrome, so might just leave it as a "two-tone" finish, brass up top, chrome below... ;D
Anyway, obligatories:
Three more pics, not going to do anything with the pan lid shade, it's scrap metal to be honest, but thought I'd throw the wick winder's numbers in there aswell as a "before" picture as I'm about to start polishing while watching Cheers... :)
And shined up as best I can do without machine polishing, but mostly pictures of it lit with the short mantle fitted... :)
It looks mighty good from here. I wouldn't get rid of that shade too quickly. I'll bet the person who made it did so to reflect the light downward when the lamp was hung up. You may need the option one day.
Nah, it's too crude looking for me, well, for this lamp at least, I've been looking around for an appropriate shade, and while downstairs I looked at the standard lamps, both of which have shades from Ikea, and, with a little modification, one of those (well, without a pattern like the link below) would fit nicely, and even look like the Aladdin's original shade back when it was new, so I may need to pay Ikea a visit soon... :)
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/lighting/shades-bases/j%C3%A4ra-lamp-shade-white-art-50206211/
Probably should go soon, before I forget about it and they stop stocking them, they have a bad habit of doing that...
Seems I spoke too soon, the lamp seems to have an annoying flicker to it, and I can't work out what's causing it, tried swapping parts from the 23 onto this one, but the ones that fit don't change the flicker... :-\
Think it could be the outer wick tube that's copped it, there's a number of stress cracks in it which could be introducing unwanted air into the thing, or I could be talking out my rear, I'm just not sure what's causing the problem... :(
Seems like a good guess, if the flicker is a momentary air/ fuel imbalance.
I took the round bit with the holes in off (technical term there!) and tried the lamp without it, and the flicker is gone, so, either that split is doing something or, the tube part wasn't sitting properly over the non-removable wick tube, need to let it cool off again so I can re-fit the part and try it again to see if it is indeed that part causing issues... :-\
Round holey bit refitted, flicker has come back, so, I guess it's that at fault, or it's doing something else as there are also those cracks in the wick tube which may be getting opened up as the round bit presses down on it to seal it in place...
Remembering how the burner is assembled, It looks like the air within the mantle is to be limited by the cap inserted at the center of the wick, moving through the wicks' flame. You may well have the problem found.
The way the airflow seems to work is it gets a feed of air on the inside of the mantle (through the flame spreader), and then over the outside of the mantle (presumably to burn excess gases on the surface of the mantle to make it glow), and of course as the air is finely balanced, any interference in that flow would cause uneven burning, and probably the flickering...
Not too sure about this one, whether to find the replacement part, or to stick another burner on it (such as a 23 burner), but I'll think about it for now...
For a part that small, maybe Ebay?
I've been looking on there for the past hour, the only reliable results are from the US, and the postage for the outer wick tube assembly is more than a complete burner from a UK seller, which is a shame, especially as there are spare wick tubes for sale, but they're only for 23 & compatible burners, and the Super Aladdin burner isn't compatible unfortunately...
I wonder why postage is so high in that direction. I have a CD coming from over your way and the shipping was less than $4 on it. There aren't any duties or something along that line attached are there? It seems more expensive to have Items shipped from Canada than the UK.
Give Mr Parafinalia a call. He's got lits of Aladdin bits and can probably post the part to you. It seems a shame to change the whole burner.
Quote from: 19and41 on February 10, 2017, 06:59:03 PM
I wonder why postage is so high in that direction. I have a CD coming from over your way and the shipping was less than $4 on it. There aren't any duties or something along that line attached are there? It seems more expensive to have Items shipped from Canada than the UK.
I think it's just down to the USPS over-charging for international shipping as though they don't want things to leave the country, used to buy a lot from the US, but when the postage outweighed the cost of the items, I started to be put off, and of late with the £-$ value plummeting thanks to greedy bankers blaming Brexit for the fall in value, it's just been ridiculously expensive for simple, small things, especially when I've had things from Poland and Estonia shipped here for less than the cheapest quote from the USPS, they've pretty much got their heads up their Clavin (Blame Cheers for that joke!!)... :-\
Quote from: andy1702 on February 11, 2017, 02:33:17 AM
Give Mr Parafinalia a call. He's got lits of Aladdin bits and can probably post the part to you. It seems a shame to change the whole burner.
I'm still on the fence with finding the part versus replacing the burner, heck, I could get another burner to use for parts, but it's six & two threes at the moment, also want to find it a Loxon chimney, just as I did my 23, as I'm not too keen on the heelless adaptor setup, I keep loosening it every time I place the upper assembly back onto the burner...
Thought I'd show a comparison between the 23 and the Super Aladdin, not exactly the best setting for the two being atop my HP printer, but space is at a premium in here at the moment...
Slightly better setting, I hung the Super Aladdin up at last, hurt my back in the process carrying the ladders, but I got it done regardless and am now relaxing with some pain pills inside me... ;D
Didn't light it as I'm still waiting on my hopeful replacement for the smoke bell/heat diffuser, which may be some time as it's coming from china, and on putting the screws into the ceiling for that pendant mount, the panelling felt rather papery and thin wood-y, so not going to risk setting fire to the ceiling just yet... :o
And of course, when the Aladdin lamp isn't hung up, I can hang my glass lampshade up there (one of them mail-order DIY kits from the 60s or 70s I believe), I bought the shade off ebay and added a north american style pull-switch lamp socket to it, need to re-wire it again though as the cable I put on it won't reach the existing light fitting which I want to put a bayonet plug on the end of to save wiring it all in, plus the hanging chain is central in the room, whereas the existing light socket is offset to one side of the room which makes for uneven lighting... :)
I'm liking that glass shade. Not so sure about the curly light bulb though! ;D If you want a nice bulb try Wilkos. I noticed the other day they do really nice retro looking clear bulb that apparently are some sort of fancy LED so they meet the modern energy regs etc. They really do look like an ancient fillament bulb though.
If you look closely, you'll note I have one of them LED filament bulbs in the light fitting behind the aladdin & glass shade, I have a number of them actually, but having used a few for the best part of a year, they haven't lasted all that well (but then, they were bought direct from china!!), two have gone into strobe mode, two I dropped and broke the glass (still work though!), one the stem inside is cracked so the LEDs flop about, and one squeals like a slipping alternator belt (well, the two strobing ones do that too, but much more random now!), but the shade looks nice lit up with one of them Philips Tornado 4100k CFLs, go either way with the colour and it doesn't look right... :)
I also have a "lantern" shape one which is a very pinky-yellow colour, and a blue one, which I like using to add a slightly sky-blue colour to my ceiling mixed with other colours... :)
Got bored, so played with my lighting with a less-than-safe bit of wiring to light up that shade, completely wandering off topic from the Aladdin, but, it happens... ;D
I think a white/white bulb would go best with a shade that brings it's own color.
I like to have lights that are toward the cooler end of the spectrum, mostly because I have my sleep disorder so lose a lot of daylight, but this shade does glow nicely with the 4100k and 6500k bulbs, but the LED filament produces the better patterning on the ceiling through the green glass... :)
More messing about now, seeing as I have the chain available to me now, I thought I'd see how well the room lit up with my gas mantle lamps (one of the CampinGaz LumpGaz Plus lanterns I got in 2015 and a cheap chinese thing I bought last year I think), both of them light up nicely, but the chinese lamp is just too loud, it roars a lot, but, useful incase of an emergency at least... :)
I suppose I should try ol' stinky (the blue hurricane lantern) now that I'm busy playing with these things... ;D
Well, it works, but, it's not that bright, you can tell by how grainy the picture is from my phone's camera trying its best to get as much light in as possible, it looks a lot brighter on camera than it does in person... ;D
I'll stop now, haven't got anything else to hang up there to illuminate the room... ;D
It certainly seems that it takes either a Coleman or Aladdin to bring some camera worthy light into a room.
Yep, mantle lighting is definitely useful light, but between the Aladdin lamps and the CampinGaz, the Aladdins win, simply because they're quiet and not so scary to light (that WHOOMPF!! of the gas catching always gets me!!)... ;D
I'll never forget lighting a Tilly lamp once and somehow getting flames shooting out of the top of it! Luckily I wasn't in a tent or anything.
I have quite a few ordinary wick lit hurricane lamps that I take to the vintage rallies. I discovered they seem to burn a bit brighter and visually cleaner on ordinary diesel than they do on proper lamp oil or paraffin. I don't know if it would be safe to use inside but out on the rally field it's really good. Some people convert them to electric, but I regard that as cheating.
If you want a really good mantle lamp try a Bialaddin (I think that's how they spell it.) They're a similar idea to a Tilley but they seem to be engineered a bit better and burn brighter.
Andy
I've looked at Bialaddin lamps, as I've thought about getting a pressure-lamp to add to the collection of mantle lamps, but I'm in no rush at the moment, got to get this lot all sorted out first... :)
As for using diesel, I've seen videos of people using diesel in paraffin lamps and thought of trying it myself, I just haven't gotten round to buying some diesel to try it out yet as I still have two unused hurricane lanterns that could be used as guinea pigs for trying it out... ;D
And electrifying lamps, erm, I guess I'm a cheat... ;D
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=16405.msg169985#msg169985
Regarding converting to electric, here's an interesting fact told to me by a guy at Transitions Malvern, who look aftre the 100 plus gas street lamps in the area. They say that by fitting efficient burners and reflectors a victorian gas lamp is cheaper to run than a modern LED street lamp and produces similar ammounts of light for it's size.
Andy
I didn't know they had put gas lamps back into operation anywhere outside of museums (think Beamish (which is near where I live) has them, must go look sometime!), I've never seen a gas mantle streetlamp in operation before, knowing what the Aladdins and the CampinGaz are like, it must be a nice light to shine down on a street... :)
EDIT:
Had a look about, and, I hope that's a typo on that fella's name... :o
https://transitionmalvernhills.org.uk/wp/working/gaslamps/
Bright mantle lamps.
After pulling the light socket apart on the shade (it was a bit wonky) and refitting it, I wired in my Bayonet plug to the cable temporarily (I want to get a dark green cloth cable as that bright green one looked a lot different in the picture when I bought it!!) and plugged it into the light socket, and aside from understanding what it was like in the days before wall sockets were more common, it works nicely, and looks quite colourful in the picture... :)
Would have taken the metal shade off the light socket, but it seems the socket has deformed and jammed up, may have to break it (phenolic plastic, so not too hard to split) to release my shade, aswell as replace said socket with a new one cos that one is rather heat damaged... ::)
I have an idea...! How about getting one of those round cooker connecting blocks and putting it on the ceiling where the old light is. Then you could discreetly run a cable across the ceiling to the chain and down into the new shade? Unless the plan is to have the paraffin lamp on the chain and leave the electric one where it is, it which case forget I said anything ;D
Andy.
The plan is the latter, I was going to put the chain where the current light is, but the problem is that I'd be walking into it a lot and breaking mantles (and after doing that several times with my 23, I really don't want to do that!!), the other thing is I don't want to damage the wiring if it got too hot up there, as this is a rented house and all (plus I probably shouldn't have the lamp up there anyway!), so the chain is where it is for a couple of good reasons... :)
That and the chain's more central in the room, the pendant is offset because of an old "modesty" thing where they put the light fitting to one side of the room apparently to reduce the risk of casting shadows on the curtains when undressing, why they specifically say undressing though, I don't know... ;D
I did think about putting in a batten fitting in place of the current pendant though, but, reaching up there to unplug the glass shade would get annoying, infact I might just extend the pendant with new cable so it hangs lower, but that's for another day, can't move the ladders cos my back is out of order at the moment, so light duties only (pardon the pun)... :)
Another option could be to try a wall sconce style support for the lamp. You have the correct font for one. That was something I was considering for mine as it has a similarly sized, but not as ornate font as yours.
I've seen the wall sconce lamps, and to be honest I'm not that keen on them, as I like my general lighting to be centralised and anything that's off-centre needs to be bolstered up with another light source, so the lamp in the middle of the room will have a better spread of it's light than it would sat on one wall... :)
Also I watched the video on the open frame bulbs. I guess I have no problem with them as I am the only one that would handle them. After a nasty incident in my youth in extracting a not yet cooled amplifier tube, I remove no powered nor hot lamps.
Think you meant to put that reply in the LED lighting thread... ;D
I reckon you're right. Sorry about that.
No worries, I've been guilty of that in the past... ;D
Just been lowering the pendant light, first attempt was too low, but that's a good thing at least as I shortened the wire so it's all within reach for unplugging the glass shade, I just need to replace that metal shade with something a bit smaller (it's not a good shade to be honest, attenuates too much light, probably why I only paid 50p for it at a car boot sale!!), but that's for a later date, got to get the Aladdin sorted out and working and all nice first... :)
Well, you know what the Borg say, resistance is futile, well, I couldn't resist any longer, had to light the lamp without a smoke bell, and it lights the room nicely, not as brightly as the 23 though, but that could just be down to the 14 having been fitted with the short mantle, which I think are equivalent to a 40 watt incandescent lightbulb, whereas the tall mantles (which the 23 has) are 60w equivalent, maybe at a later date I'll swap galleries (saves swapping the mantles and risking breaking them!) to see which is brightest... ;D
Also, you may be able to see a copper coloured ring round where the shade is meant to hang from, been working on ideas to modify the Ikea shade as and when I get one, and a copper wire (taken from 32 Amp mains electrical cabling, the solid core stuff we use for our ring mains) twisted up and soldered together into a ring seems to fit the bill, just need to stop buying other stuff and make a trip to Ikea and pick up a shade... :)
That looks good and bright!
The camera makes it look a lot brighter than it is (forgot to set the manual exposure), but it's bright enough that it lights up the room nicely, and in the event of power failure it'll make the neighbours jealous I'm sure... ;D
Now just pray for a power cut! ;D
I've been waiting for powercuts for some time, closest to having a powercut we got was when a thunderstorm rolled right overhead and a bolt struck in the field behind the back shed and the lights went out, but it just turned out that the MCBs tripped in the fusebox, as the streetlights were still on (fed from the same cables as the houses here) which kind of gave it away... :-\
The electricity supply round here is just too damned reliable, well, in a staying on sense, it's pretty poor in staying up at 240v, just last week my UPS units had to kick in & boost the voltage when it dropped to 205v, but didn't drop enough to require the use of any of my backup lighting... ;D
Electric power is very reliable during a storm if you live in or very close to the city. If you live in a rural area a few miles outside the city, you have a better chance of being in a power outage during a storm. Then you will be able to really use your lamps.
I'd just turn off the electric lamps one evening and do as if there were an outage. Practice would make things go smoother in a real failure.
Oh I'm well-practiced in getting things set up and lit, got plenty of battery and USB LED lights to use as spots and low-power fill lighting, and of course the gas mantles which are instant to light up (they're just noisy and annoying), heck, when it comes to being prepared, I' think I'm just as read as some of the "preppers" out there in the world, minus the petrol for my generators, but I doubt that'll make much difference as running a generator in this country runs the risk of someone permanently "borrowing" it unless guarded with a pointy stick... ;D
I do like lighting my 23 now and then though for it's ambience, and that soft greenish radioactive thorium glow, it's quite pleasant, and of course, as mentioned many times, it's a useful heater too... :)
Quote from: andre_janew on February 19, 2017, 01:00:42 PM
Electric power is very reliable during a storm if you live in or very close to the city. If you live in a rural area a few miles outside the city, you have a better chance of being in a power outage during a storm. Then you will be able to really use your lamps.
Here in the UK, where I live is considered "rural", but then we are a densely packed nation (the entire population of Canada wouldn't even make it past the North/South divide if they were all dragged over here!!), but some areas round here do have poor power grids, its just where I live doesn't, so, the only power interruptions we get is an occasional dip or a cut for about 1 second, so no fun really... :-\
But that said, the UK is close to breaching its generation capacity because forward planning in building new power stations during the 90s and 00s wasn't a thing, so, you never know, 3-day week-style rolling powercuts might be a thing again soon... ;D
I best stock up on Paraffin though...........
By jove I think I've fixed it!! Was poking around the gallery and wick tube and noticed a gap between the two which seemed to be located in around the same spot where there was the worst flickering, and after tweaking the metalwork to close the gap, it seems to have stopped the flicker... :D
Going to run it for a couple hours now just to make sure, but, I'm pretty confident it's sorted without buying parts, and the splits in the outer wick tube diffuser seem to not affect it's burning, so no requirement for new parts... :)
And out of boredom I put the 23's shade and carrier onto it, looks quite nice like that... :)
Definitely working properly now, still some very minor flickering now and then but far easier to ignore, and probably just from the wick being unused when I got it as the 23 did the same and eventually stopped... :)
It looks good with the glass shade.
Looks good.
I'm feeling a slight sense of dejavu with regard to the mantles, just like the early days with the 23, it's got a split in it already, though this one is a horizontal split at the top, and probably caused by the lamp being taken apart several times trying to work out the airflow issue, but so long as it stays there and doesn't migrate all the way round the top of the mantle, it shouldn't be a problem, still annoying though as that set of three NOS mantles were £12 a piece, and that's cheap for Aladdin mantles... :-\
You ought set aside the damaged mantles for testing and evaluating the lamp and keep the pristine ones for when they will be on standby for use.
All the previous broken mantles are gone now, I'd sat them in a padded envelope that got squashed, and of course, the broken mantles became very broken... :-\
But on the plus side my smoke bell replacements arrived today, a pair of cheap cymbals from china, just barely small enough to fit in the frame, but fit they do, and on the plus side, once the one I fitted heated up, it lost the annoying sound it made (not very musical for a musical instrument!), so I can use the lamp as intended now... ;D
Were those sold as smoke bells or finger cymbals? With that red cord handle, I would think they were intended to be the latter. Didn't they also make a screen that could be clipped onto the chimney? i remember one figuring prominently in a Sherlock Holmes mystery episode from the '80s.
They were definitely sold as cymbals, but I re-purposed one of them as a smoke bell, and besides, as cymbals, they sound like crap... ;D
There are screens for the chimneys, but they're bug screens rather than diffusers, presumably useful for when a dimwitted moth tried to fly in and got turned into a floating ember that could set fire to something nearby... :o
http://www.aladdinlamps.info/screens.html
Here is the one I was thinking about, in action.
Oh, them things, yeah, there's those, but being a piece of flat or spun metal made for lamps over a certain age, they tend to price them too high, which is too pricey for my pockets... :)
Should that not be bigger so it acts as a reflector and focuses more light downwards or is it just designed to disperse the smoke so it doesn't all hit the ceiling in one patch?
It's just to disperse the smoke.
Quote from: andy1702 on February 23, 2017, 01:26:05 PM
Should that not be bigger so it acts as a reflector and focuses more light downwards or is it just designed to disperse the smoke so it doesn't all hit the ceiling in one patch?
As 19and41 says, it's meant to deflect smoke from accumulating on the ceiling, but in the case of an aladdin lamp, the amount of heat it puts out, it needs diffusing to prevent burning the ceiling or weakening the chain, there's rarely any smoke from an aladdin unless it's accidentally left to flare up, which does cause a sooty mess, especially inside the chimney... :)
I still need to go to Ikea to get that shade I want for it though, just haven't been awake during the day so far to go get it... :-\
Those chimneys have a hot draft. In my younger more foolish days, I could put a cigarette in just the stream leaving the chimney and light it and that was with a ribbon wick lamp.
Yeah, the Aladdins you can incinerate a match in no time holding it over the top of the chimney... ;D
I know just what 19and41 is talking about as I have seen my dad light a cigarette in that manner many times!
The heat generated was also put to use with this thermocouple based device that generated enough current to power a farm radio. From the Soviet Union in the early '50s.
http://oldradio.onego.ru/ARTICLES/RADIO/tgk_real_l.htm
I remember that lamp powered radio from the thread on my 23 lamp, it's basically the same principle as the Eco-fans that are sat atop wood stoves to distribute heat around a room, using a thermal-electric generator (or TEG), also known as a Peltier heat pump, but in the case of an Aladdin (which I think I mentioned in the other thread), such a thing would probably be incinerated from the amount of heat an Aladdin lamp puts out... :o
Really should try and make a TEG, I have an unused mini-fridge that uses a Peltier heat pump to cool itself, but, I have other ideas for that, just not enough "get up and go" to do it... ;D
Thermocouples are used a lot in high heat measurement applications so there are assemblies that could withstand a lamp chimney. I have got to get my lamp on the front burner.
Thermocouples and thermo-electric generators are two different beasts though, the latter not being tolerant to high temperatures before it is permanently damaged, and a thermocouple is usually quite small and doesn't produce a lot of power unless made ungodly massive like that one on the russian lamp & radio... :)
I thought I'd see if there were any available on the market these days. It just surprises me sometimes. It is just a little on the pricy side though.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/THERMOGENERATOR-TGK-3-Russian-Soviet-USSR-very-rare-/272553466633?hash=item3f7573db09:g:BGcAAOSwx2dYJz70
Definitely very expensive, probably would be cheaper to make one from scratch... ;D
I'd buy one of those at a sensible price. I'm now wondering how much power the fan on top of my wood burner puts out.
Andy.
Only a few volts, not much in the way of amps either, TEGs aren't that powerful really, but people like making things with them in, such as a camping stove you can use to recharge a mobile phone, but you can't really strap one of them round a lamp... ;D
On my way to Ikea right now to pick up the lampshade I want for the Super Aladdin, it's not easy to type on a smartphone on a bus that's driving over roads that feel rather eastern bloc... ;D
You do know we have Ikeas over here now don't you? No need to travel by bus across Europe! ;D
Oh I know that, it's just some of the roads round here are so broken you'd think they were all the way from Russia or Poland or something... ;D
I just got done test-fitting the shade, it looks pretty good with that one on there, pictures don't do it justice, but it looks very nice when lit... :)
Still need to permanently attach it to my copper ring I made up, but so far it hands nicely on it as is... :D
You chose well. It looks like it passes the light effectively.
The shade does attenuate the light somewhat, but it's the reflectivity that I wanted so that the light was directed downwards making it a useful light under where it hangs... :)
Using my excess of 30amp copper wire (well, the Earth core from 30Amp T&E at least), I've finished attaching the shade to the lamp, bit rough looking, but it's not really visible when it's hung up, and is nice and secure... :)
Well, after a major headbutt earlier today (dunno which got the bigger dent, the lamp or my head!!), the mantle and mantle frame are no longer one, but the mantle itself is still sat in place, just supporting itself rather than hanging over the flame... ::)
The lamp (and the 23) almost came into their own on Weds. night though, the mains power failed so I set about getting them all ready, had one of my CampinGaz lamps lit, the 23 moved downstairs, the Super hung up, and went back downstairs with the CampinGaz to light the 23, and the blummin' power returned, suffice to say I was disappointed that my emergency lighting procedure wasn't put to full use... ;D
Anyway, the mantle:
I guess the best way to get a good fail is to not be prepared. ;)
Speaking of fails, that mantle is now no more, split in half, so, no good now... :(
Did finally sort out issues with the flame not burning right, it was working but one side of the mantle always got hotter (probably why it split on that side), turned out that where the gallery locks onto the burner had taken a hit at somepoint in its past and was slightly bent out of shape, not enough to be obvious to the eye, but enough to muck up the ariflow (and probably caused the split in the diffuser thing on the outer wick tube), now it's reasonably even and easier to get the gallery on and off... :)
Anyway, no spare mantles now, the other tall mantle, same style as in the 23, is now in this lamp, though having had a rearrange of my floorspace, there should be fewer cranial impacts upon the lamp, and thus, hopefully, less chance of another knackered mantle!!! ;D
It'd be nice to find someone selling a boxful of old style mantles like these for cheap, proper thorium mantles are getting harder to find now, and the modern ones, though they do work, just don't produce the same colour light that I like with these older ones..
Just remember..... this is why we have electric lighting.... too many people died in the 19th century of CO2 poisoning.... so be careful... plus the risk of fire... though now a days people are more careful... Beautiful lamp. My dad had a kerosene Table lamp that was really nice... used to light it only when we had dinner in the diningroom.... company and such.... they work great in a power failure!
Carbon monoxide is the killer (CO) and created by a lack of oxygen in the burner usually due to use over time in a closed room. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is what we exhale and is needed by plants to both grow and generate oxygen for us to breathe.
Blocked inlet pipes for high efficiency furnaces, usually caused by uncleared snow drifts in winter, will generate a house full of carbon monoxide and silently kill families to this very day. That's why by law these days people are forced to install at least one carbon monoxide detector on every level of a home.
Awareness of causes in all cases prevents deaths, regardless of the hazard.
CO is foremost on my mind when burning things like the Aladdins (I only use one at a time, rather than both, gets too hot with one, never mind two!!!), but that's why I like the blue-flame lamp design, as it combusts the fuel more thoroughly, thus producing the blue flame, it means that CO is reduced to tiny levels therefore making it far safer to use than a more conventional lamp, and the addition of a mantle adds a catalyst that further helps burn off unwanted chemicals... :)
I also keep the room ventilated with my window being opened slightly, aswell as keeping my door open (this house has more air leaks than a dry-rotted tyre!) to keep a flow going, so I'm doing okay with my lamps, but that said I haven't lit either for a few months, too warm, that and it's very light in the evenings anyway... :)
CO shouldn't be a problem provided there is enough air getting to the flame to produce a clean burn.
I would imagine any CO would also have a strong odor of the lamp's fuel accompanying it.
Quote from: 19and41 on June 06, 2017, 05:58:12 PM
I would imagine any CO would also have a strong odor of the lamp's fuel accompanying it.
Yes, exactly, CO is odorless and colorless but if being produced from a kerosene type lantern where the combustion is not complete due to the lack of oxygen in the burner, the fuel smell would be stronger due to incomplete combustion of the fuel. That's the danger of CO from less "smelly" fuels, you can't smell the fuel.
The only time I get a smell of fuel from my Aladdin lamps is initial lighting and after putting it out (hot burner still evaporating fuel), during the burn when the lamps and my 37 heater are set to a nice efficient burn, the smell they do emit is akin to that of a natural gas flame from a cooker top or the flame from one of my CampinGaz lamps, very clean and not unpleasant at all... :)
The visual signs of a CO hazard are easy to spot, yellow, sooty flames that leave an unpleasant odour in the air, part of the reason I don't burn my wicked lanterns in the house (don't like the smell indoors, though oddly I quite like it when out in the shed!!), of course, unless you're like me and stare at the lamps like a moth, you may not notice these issues so a CO monitor is definitely a recommendation...
Can someone remind me... Is carbon monoxide heavier or lighter than air? I was just wondering if the CO detector should be up on a shelf or down on the floor.
Just slightly lighter than air (http://www.carbonmonoxidekills.com/carbon-monoxide-advice/co-detector-placement/) (the normal mixture of air components - oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, etc.)
"When considering where to place a carbon monoxide detector, keep in mind that although carbon monoxide is roughly the same weight as air (carbon monoxide's specific gravity is 0.9657, as stated by the EPA; the National Resource Council lists the specific gravity of air as one), it may be contained in warm air coming from combustion appliances such as home heating equipment. If this is the case, carbon monoxide will rise with the warmer air."
and
"In order to ensure that your home has maximum protection, it's important to have a CO detector on every floor. Five feet from the ground. Carbon monoxide detectors can get the best reading of your home's air when they are placed five feet from the ground. Near every sleeping area."
Walking through my usual haunt (antique mall) looking at overpriced 302s and painted lanterns when I noticed this hanging from the ceiling lit with a low wattage candelabra electric bulb.
Read the tag and the seller said this ?#12? lamp while being electric, the socket could be removed and easily turned back into a fuel burning lamp (with the cost of a few new/missing burner parts). They were asking $275 so it's still hanging there. But it sure shows nice with that porcelain/glass globe.
Quite expensive even for a converted Aladdin, but that is quite a handsome lamp though, would be nice to have that hangar and shade for mine, but I'm still glad for what I have anyway... :)
Quote from: twocvbloke on July 29, 2017, 06:35:32 PM
Quite expensive even for a converted Aladdin, but that is quite a handsome lamp . . .
I'm sure the seller would deal down. How much? Don't know. Did you notice the top of the chimney has Aladdin etched into the glass? It did look nice hanging there so snapped the photo for you,
I did spot the logo on the chimney, not too sure about that one as there were some poorly-made ones from china with that style of logo that prematurely broke in use, but that is only a problem for use as a mantle lamp rather than an electric lamp... :)
Looking at the frame again though, it actually looks the same as mine, so it's possible that type of shade is what it should have, or may be one of several options they had back then, so certainly a bit of an insight into my lamp and it's possible past appearance... :)
That is a large price, but remembering the prices for all the components that come together to make up such a lamp, it doesn't seem way too far out of line. If it uses an electrifier with no holes in the font that would also be a plus.
Well, a lot of things when you look at the component parts are worth more than they usually are as a whole, just look at cars, take a $200 running junker, strip it for parts, and you'd probably get $1000 (or more) back... :)
And of course, there's the purist's way of looking at things, the wiring, the lamp socket, heck, the black zip-ties on the frame, takes away from it's originality (says he with an ikea lampshade attached with copper wire and a chinese cymbal smoke bell on his own lamp!!!), aswell as whether it's a permanent conversion, I.E. holes drilled where you don't want them, or if it's reversible with the minimum of parts (probably just a flame spreader and a mantle in this case)... :)
Decided to look for some Loxon chimneys for the Super Aladdin, as the heelless that is on there that came from the 23 just isn't sitting square, mostly because the base of the chimney is not square, so, tried to bid on a few, failed, and just looked on ebay at the new listings, £12.50 for an NOS (but ruined box), so, yoink!! ;D
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112501880403
Seems to be "Phoenix Heat resisting glass", unlike the Hysil one on the 23, but I guess Aladdin had multiple contracts out for glass-makers here in the UK so they bought from whoever had stock, still a nice Aladdin logo etched onto the top though... :)
Anyway, obligatory pics, and will add more when it arrives and I fit the chimney to the lamp... ;D
First, the glass chimney only has the word "Aladdin" on it.
Now, here are the inside images and both sides of the sales tag. He was only asking $245.
Second image shows how the lamp cord is fed into the lantern. Seems no protection from rubbing through and electrifying the entire lantern.
At least that wiring job is reversible, as it's been passed through a centre-draught air feed (as opposed to the later model side-draught like my 14) and could be pulled back out, the only thing missing (assuming it's not stuffed inside the tank or something) is a flame spreader where the lamp socket is fitted... :)
The hanger though, it's identical to mine, so, I could get one of those shades for mine, well, assuming I could find one, had enough getting hold of a Loxon chimney a a decent price, glass shades are even worse when it comes to pricing over here... :o
As for the chimney, it does indeed look like a chinese one, it's not sat straight on the gallery, and the logo is very much the same as the one shown on the following link (just over halfway down the page), if it were to be returned to being a mantle lamp, it'd be recommended to replace it with an original Loxon or Heelless (with adaptor) chimney, as the chinese ones can prematurely fracture... :o
http://www.aladdinlamps.info/chimneys.html
Worth getting if the price could be talked down a lot, at that asking price it's still a bit too much in my books... :)
Give the seller your price, if not now, they may take you up on it one day.
Even if I were to offer to buy it, the shipping would kill the deal for me, the USPS has killed US trade for us lowly international buyers, I haven't had anything shipped over from that side of the pond in a long wile now (think the last thing was a longer red handset cable for my Cortelco 2554), plus there's many examples over here that are a lot cheaper, just not on a hanger like this one and mine... :)
Sorry, I was thinking of Teleplay to try the offer, he found the lamp, and it is more local to him.
Ah... ;D
Quote from: twocvbloke on August 01, 2017, 06:33:16 PM
Ah... ;D
Ah, yes, but, ah, no. I have no interest in that lamp even if it were $20. Took and posted the photos for twocv's look see, eye candy to Aladdin lamp collectors, and/or users.
I go in for the easily portable lanterns, multi-functional lanterns.
Christian might, he knows the mall where it's located and yes, the seller could probably be talked down to $150-$175 if it just collects dust for months. One thing going for that is being electric, another electric lamp is just that and only a Aladdin collector would know its value and know the cost of converting it back into a work lamp. Working lamp reasonable price less cost of missing parts is what it's worth.
There are some very old, very nice turn of the century homes that would have a place for this lamp. Other than that, it will hang there for awhile, or until Christian dickers the dealer down to something reasonable. ;)
I'd say an Aladdin lamp is multi-functional, it lights, it heats, and if you're careful with the use of a non-pan frying stick, you could probably cook a steak over one... ;D
Well, got the new-old chimney today, no box, but then it was in poor condition so I don't mind, gave it a wash and fitted it to the Super Aladdin, looks good on there and sits up straight unlike the heelless... :)
Didn't hang it up as I'd have to light it (again), and it's already quite unbearably warm in this room right now (my IP Camera server's ATI graphics card is really churning out the heat, despite not really doing anything, I hate ATI cards for that!!), so it'll go back on my shelf 'til the colder months return... :)
Oh, and Peggy (the new cat, dunno if I've mentioned her before or not!) helped, by sniffing everything to make sure it wasn't edible or a toy... ;D
Good to know even the harshest of critics (cats) approve after very close inspection.
Looks good as a table top lamp but looking forward to colder weather when it can hang and be alight with purpose.
Yeah, the darker months are fast approaching so this lamp will soon get hung up and used with purpose, just need to stock up on fuel for it... :)
Quote from: TelePlay on August 01, 2017, 02:53:54 PM
First, the glass chimney only has the word "Aladdin" on it.
Now, here are the inside images and both sides of the sales tag. He was only asking $245.
Second image shows how the lamp cord is fed into the lantern. Seems no protection from rubbing through and electrifying the entire lantern.
Still hanging there but had a chance to grab an image of the wick adjuster and it is a true Aladdin, same price, not going anywhere for another year.
Still far too pricey for what it is, if it was perfect, new-in-box and never used complete with all original parts in the box, maybe, but, as is, nah... ;D
Its the common issue at "antique" stores, anything old suddenly has incredible value.
Which is annoying as the same issue spread over to ebay about a decade ago, every old bit of tat on there "has value", especially when it doesn't... ;D
Quote from: AL_as_needed on January 19, 2018, 02:02:09 PM
Its the common issue at "antique" stores, anything old suddenly has incredible value.
I've had that discussion with more than a few mall owners when they asked me, as I was leaving, if I found anything of interest.
My reply was "yes, but way above my choke point, no where near the true value of the item."
They all agreed knowing their vendors put NOS prices of junk and expect it to sell but it sits there for years. They know bu they don't care because they get booth rental, not commission. Seller put restored eBay prices on barn fresh items, at least in the phone/lantern/radio categories.
I suppose, if I wanted the Aladdin lamp, I could ask the mall owners to make an offer to the seller, which they have done for me in the past on other stuff. Seller's I think are more open to a low ball offer after an items hangs in their booth for 3 or more years.
Aladdin is always expensive... I was in a hardware store in Corvallis Oregon years ago, and they sold them new... and if you ever need glass...and shades... you're going to pay a premium...
Quote from: Babybearjs on January 19, 2018, 08:08:55 PM
Aladdin is always expensive... I was in a hardware store in Corvallis Oregon years ago, and they sold them new... and if you ever need glass...and shades... you're going to pay a premium...
Well that could be argued as "you get what you pay for." Dietz lanterns were also rather pricey for their time within the larger lantern market. That being said, you see what has survived all those years so the quality end speaks for itself on some types of items. That doesn't mean that one is worth hundreds of dollars today of course unless its a super rare version. Even then, something is only worth what people are willing to pay.
Quote from: AL_as_needed on January 21, 2018, 04:34:37 PM
Well that could be argued as "you get what you pay for." Dietz lanterns were also rather pricey for their time within the larger lantern market.
The standard tin plated steel Dietz No 2 DeLite was the "Cadillac" of lanterns back in the day. People paid a premium from them over other lanterns. That's why I only collected those, they stood up to time, in most cases, better than other lanterns I've seen on shelves in antique malls.
Quote from: TelePlay on January 21, 2018, 04:41:50 PM
The standard tin plated steel Dietz No 2 DeLite was the "Cadillac" of lanterns back in the day. People paid a premium from them over other lanterns. That's why I only collected those, they stood up to time, in most cases, better than other lanterns I've seen on shelves in antique malls.
Thinking about it, that did make for some irony all these years later. Being the better product, more Dietz lanterns/lamps survived the last 100 years and in a way that made them common now. By comparison, the "cheap imitations" that survived (like Embury that was bought out by Dietz) now can command a bit of a premium being fewer in number. I have to say my rusty little wizzard from '39 still burns the best despite having the snot beat out of it over the years.
Given that my Super Aladdin dates from around the 30s, and still works (despite some issues with cracked parts and slightly uneven burning issues still), it's a testament to the design, I can't imagine something made today still working in 80 years time... :)
Well oil lamps, both wick and mantle are fairly simple devices that use the basic principles of heat and air movement. Not much there to really go wrong
We have 80 year old phones that, by comparison, are way more technologically intricate and they have also made it this far (in the right hands). Wonder just how long things like lanterns will be glowing about for? ;D
So long as there is fuel, lanterns will always be glowing, even if some of them will lack mantles eventually... ;D
Managed to bag an NOS thorium mantle for a spare, looks to be in decent shape, so should be a good spare... :)
Nice Catch!
Yep, wasn't really looking for mantles, I just spotted it looking at Aladdin stuff in general, and there was one left, so, had to have it!! ;D
Love the box it came, neat color and fun prints. The older "simpler" packaging seems to more interesting than today's plastic bags and clam-shells.
Yeah, the boxes for the older mantles are nicer than modern versions, and modern packaging in general, I've saved most of the boxes I've got with the mantles simply because they're too nice to dispose of... :)
They may have character, but they can give the contents a poor ride. I've gotten a couple of crashed mantles in 1970's era boxes.
Yeah, the boxes aren't a perfect storage medium, but that can also be down to how they're handled by former owners, older Aladdin mantles I think were packed in card tubes, which would have been a bit sturdier... :)
I hung the Aladdin back up at the weekend, the boiler's been acting up a lot (mostly just conking out and not heating anything), so the house has been getting cold all too often, so, Super Aladdin to the rescue... ;D
EDIT:
Added a pic, because they're nice to look at, and also to show I painted the inside of the metal light shade on the electrickery light pendant earlier this year so now it actually reflects light out instead of soaking it up... ;D
Looks great!
It certainly does, just relit it now as the boiler's become a swimming pool it seems, so no heat from that, so once again, Aladdin to the rescue... ;D