Quiet on here for a day or two so something to read.

Well it all started many years ago when my grandmother passed away and us kids were all told "pick one thing to remember her by" from her possessions, me being the youngest and only a lad of about 6 or 7 was the last to choose and looking around spotted this

P1030721.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

It was the base of a Victorian oil lamp, the rest had long been lost and everyone thought I was a bit strange to choose it (I started being strange at a young age)

Well for the last 50 odd years I have carefully preserved it and kept it safe (its glass)

About 20 years ago when you could still find those quaint hardware stores in small country towns (long gone now) I managed to buy it a globe and a chimney, about the same time with the idea of rebuilding I came across a double burner in a cardboard box at a steam rally.

After several attempts to mate the two together (glass to brass is not an easy combination) I gave up and packed it all carefully away, (its moved house four times since then)

Earlier this year at the Corby meet I had a chat with Dave (eriba4us) who collects oil lamps and small stoves and he told me the best way to do it.

So today with nothing better to do and suffering from the current heatwave I headed for the spare room on the north side of the house mainly because its cooler there and had yet another go at building it.

Result

P1030722.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

So next time there is a power cut it will be grandma to the rescue 50 odd years later.

P1030726.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Strangely enough I have booked the Triton in for a weekend away at the same steam rally this coming weekend ............. must see if I can find anything useful again this time

I have brewed up a bottle of blackberry gin to take with me for an evening with my old engine friends.

That is really beautiful and a charming thing to own. Well done. I have a genuine old Tilley lamp and we use it for winter sea angling. It doubles up as a lamp and a hand warmer on a cold beach. You can now buy 'paraffin' with no ( almost no!) smell when burning. I remember as a child the smell of old paraffin heaters burning in old hardware shops and the likes.
Enjoy the lamp, it really is lovely.
Chris

well done Hob that is a beautiful lamp and so pleased that it has come back into use. It is such a shame that some things through the passage of time gets thrown.

Would that be a working rally or just a little one ? My Dad used to take me and as I get older..they attract me as well. The only trouble is I only have a hire car at the moment and it's not as much fun to drive as my Fiat 500 !!

In the early years coming from a poor background make do and mend was a way of life more recently it has become a love of the past and restoring things an enjoyable pastime with time on my hands now I'm retired I get bored just sitting around and it's nice to do little things like that.

I used to help build and restore things at a workshop when I first retired but that has wound down now with most of us too old to do much now.

see my blog

blog-u31-The-Eriba-experience.html

A working rally I used to exhibit stationary engines there

http://www.henhamsteamrally.com/home

Sounds wonderful... Once I get the car back I will have to get a planner going for all the places I want to see... :)

That's a jolly nice looking oil lamp you have there Hob.

I love oil lamps - I have a brass Aladdin lamp which uses a mantle, like a gas lamp, and produces an amazing bright white light ! keeps you warm too !