Restoration of Forgotten Railroad Carbide Lantern - World War II
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- Опубликовано: 16 ноя 2024
- Restoration of Forgotten Carbide Railroad Signal Lantern - World War II
I saw this abandoned carbide lantern in my friend's house. It was threw aside with junk item waiting to be sent to junkyard. I fell in love with it at first sight and asked my friend: 'Hey, why is it here as a junk? It should be displayed nicely somewhere as a treasure piece..' . He said, 'Well, the current look is ugly, and not functioning.. my wife said there is no place for this ugly thing to fit in the house...'
So I took it this project and help him to restore (look nice and functioning again). According to his story, he bought this from Austria flea market, it has around 100 years of history as this lantern was used during World War II around 1930's. What really grabs my attention is 'Carbide' instead of kerosene or battery powered.
By doing some research online, carbide was widely used as light source in railroad signaling (like this one), headlight for miners, headlamp for bicycles, etc in the old days. As carbide reacts with water to produce acetylene gas which is flammable, the flame produced is very stable and bright which is one of the reasons it is suitable to be used as light source.
Again, I try not to over-restore the lantern to keep the originality. As you can see the lantern structure is still in very good shape, not much rusted and beaten up. So I really hope that this video will somehow remind you to rethink before you throw something.. haha
The restoration process is pretty straight forward, however, the water outlet was clogged which is the reason of malfunction. I did a lot of flushing to unclog that. Also, the structure of casing is not that perfect and has difficulty to close smoothly, so I give that a fix. For the casing, after removing the paint and sand off some light rust, I sprayed on heat resistant Matte Black, to give it a rustic look instead of a shiny bright colour. As for the carbide part, to minimize the footprint on the copper and brass, I just use a fine steel wool and water to patiently scrub off the patina and they look amazing!! Usually I will use tamarind to clean copper and brass since it requires a lot less elbow grease, but I thought tamarind in this project is a little too harsh. haha its just a feeling.. and finally, give it a little polish and YA! I really love how it turns out.. the colour combination of matte black with copper and brass!!
And now, this forgotten lantern got its new life again! I hope you enjoy watching the video and let me know in comment what do you think.. any constructive comment and suggestion are welcomed, I still have a lot to learn from the community..
I am not professional mechanic/handyman/restorer, nor I own a workshop. But I believe, If Y can dream it, Y can do it!
And, If Y can do it, You can do it too!!
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Additional Music by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au
I just bought a lamp similar to this one on a flea market here in Germany. It doesn´t have the little windows anymore but I´m going to cut some new ones. I cleaned the water passage, the nozzle and the inside of the reaction chamber with 25% vinegar which worked like a charm! Now I´m waiting on my calcium carbide to test it.
I miss your beautiful videos. the final minutes of each of them are fantastic. It's been a while since you delight us with your art. I hope you are well and soon you can upload material with which we fell in love. You are one of the few people who answer the comments and that makes you even more special. My best wishes for you
Hey my friend! Thanks for the motivating comment 😇 appreciate for your full support and thanks for liking my content. Sorry to have slow down on the production and kept you all waiting. But I got back to my fulltime job lately, and caught up in outstation.. so please expect delays 😊 but I am still dedicated in restoration works, will definitely bring more interesting works coming soon.. stay tuned and continue to support my channel 😉
@@theymaker125 We will wait for you!
Nice restoration...I have 2 old railrode lamps from France that I bought..in restoration now..I love you did not sandblast the metal..good job!!
great job....mabuhay from marikina city philippines!
Thanks 😊
I really enjoyed this restoration. I will be watching more of your videos. I'm 61 yrs old and have been restoring things for many years now even before there was RUclips.
Very cool!!! Never saw a carbide lamp work before. It's very bright for a small item!
Thanks for watching! I was impressed by that too
Большое спасибо за видео!!! Ташкент. Узбекистан. Uzbekistan
I've been waiting patiently for your next video, and you certainly did not disappoint. Yet another great restoration, with the added bonus of a beautiful smile.
Thanks my friend 😊
@@theymaker125 I really miss your videos. Will you be uploading any more?
Brilliant, thanks for posting, another wonderful restoration, keep ,em coming, stay safe
Thanks 😊 stay safe and take care too
Waw great job agen and great to see you agen. Try not to stay away so long .well all missed you. By the way gorgeous smile. Michael Armstrong
Thanks 😊 it keeps me motivated! It took me a while to look for a good project.. hehe
I really miss your videos. I hope you are well, and will soon return.
That is one great restoration, Stay Safe and have a nice day !!!.
Thanks 😊 Stay safe too!
احسنتي عمل رائع جدا
웃는 모습이 너무 예뻐요 *_*
감사합니다 🙏
First time watching and loved the restoration video. You ("Y") indeed inspired me to restore my lantern. Few questions: What paint remover product did you use? It looked like a jell. The new seal in the carbide container and insulation over the top, do you have a supplier? What was the polishing tip on your hand tool and what was the green bar used on tip? Keep up the inspiring work for us! All the best!
Great job on the restoration and video production. I liked the homage to the Game of Thrones. Appreciate the adorable smile. 😀👍🏼
Thanks 😊
love u & your video
Thanks my friend 😊
Good restore....😍
Thanks 😊
Excellen work , Thank you.
Thanks 😊
I just found one of these lanterns for sale at a local sportsman's show, 60$ what a steal!!!
Its so much worth for a 100 yrs old item!
Hello TYM🙂
Very nice to see a new video of yours.
A lantern I did not know existed now looks like it should.
Take care Kiddo
Thanks 😊 hope you enjoy it.. take care too
@@theymaker125
You are welcome🙂
I enjoyed the video very much.
Glad that you like it 😉
A long time waiting for your beautiful work and you did not disappoint me. Congratulations again
Thanks 😊 and sorry to keep you waiting.. dont stray away and keep staying 😆
Dobrze ze mi pani pokazała , jak odnowić kolejarska lampa , Mam taka , .spróbuje odnowić. Pozdrowienia z Krakowa.
Very nice restoration. I look forward to each of your projects.
Thanks my friend 😊
Awesome restoration! Well done
Thanks! 😊
Beautiful work! I didn't even know about these things, but that's fascinating...
Thanks 😊
C 'est du très beau travail ,bravo .
Great stuff! A very interesting lantern.
I really like how you restored it without all the fancy tools we see in other restoration channels.
Thanks for sharing. Your channel deserves more traffic, but we, the few, we really appreciate it.
Wow thank you!!! 😁😁
This is a beautiful restoration and your narrative regarding the steps, issues, and context is both excellent and instructive. One thing to remember (not a criticism)....judging by the age of this this lantern, it probably had lead paint which is toxic. It would be a good idea when working on restorations such as this to wear a mask to ensure your health is not compromised. Glad to see your return....happy to see your smile!
Thanks for staying with me 😉 appreciate all your comments and support.. that's what keeps me moving 😁 and will take note on the paint advise.. that will keep me live longer 😆
I think there are lead testers, that she could use to see if there's lead or not.
@@thebgt1254 oh really?? Good to know that 😊 thanks
And the vent "cloth" was probably asbestos..stay safe!
Such a wonderful job!! Please keep uploading more videos ♥
Thanks for the support my friend!
Sadly the Eagle was flattened out after the War on the Lamp that i have. But the one on yours still seems to be intact.
Yeah - another video. Thanks!
😁
Для первого раза отлично.)))
cool job 👍👍👍
Thanks 😊
Sublime.
Terbaik...
Terima kasih 😊
@@theymaker125 most welcome
For that period, the paint finish would be gloss black. Otherwise, fine job.
Thanks for the suggestion! 👍
Beautiful job. But word from the experienced, please wear safety goggles when working with rotary tools. Those bristles hurt when they hit your eyes.
Thanks! 😊 will take safety precaution 👍
I swear, do all these restorers buy the same black gloves‽ XD
😆
I missed watching my paporite channel, I'm so sorry
You seem to be inactive for a long while. How are you? and btw how old are u?
Hi my friend, how are you? I am doing fine. Sorry to have kept you waiting, i was caught up with my fulltime job lately 😅 that's why.. but I'm still dedicating to share more exciting content, please stay tuned and continue to support my channel 😊
My dear, if you intend to become a serious restorer you will have to dismantle the item in it's entirety and clean it more thoroughly before beginning the actual restoration work. The interior of the box was not cleaned, nor did you paint it or refinish it in any way. You did not adequately clean the inside of the chemical container or clean the threads on it. Brite-work, such as the water tank also need to be finished with a clear coat or they will quickly tarnish. There is so much more that could have been done to completely refinish this old lantern, so that it had more of an original appearance and function. I truly do not mean to undermine your efforts, so I hope you take these comments as guidance and encouragement for your future endeavors.