My Hitchcock Project

[Peter Stinson]

Picked up this lamp quite cheaply from New Zealand. Saw a couple out of Thailand and India where apparentlky they were exported in large numbers. For those not familair with them, they are a flat wick lamp which does not use a chimney to create a draft. Rather it uses a mechanical clockwork fan which blows air around the outside of the wick. The mechanism seems OK but the fan requires too much spring energy- I will have to relook at the bearings.
Never seen one lit don't quite know what it will be like. None of your 300 cp - more like 40cp probably but rather unique. It combines lamp skills with clockwork skills. Will probably have to re-nickel the lamp
Anyway these are the "before" shots- watch this space

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[Andy Graham-Cumming]

Peter

Excellent. look forward to seeing the pictures of it burning.

best wishes, Andy

[Doron Papo]

That is indeed an interesting piece - looking fwd to see the progress

[Juan Caiti]

Great find Peter. You have to become a clock repairer. My father was a watch repairer and I learned to do it. Clean it leaving it under white gas (the same used on Colemans) for at least 24 hours. Don't use normal car gasoline since the additives will become solids with the time and it is more "greasy" and you don't want this.

You will need clocks oil which is much lighter than a singer machine oil. If you don't find it there, try singer machine oil. You will have to add just a very little drop in each point, don't put a lot because it will be to heavy for the gears to move. Don't grease anything, just the wind.

If you don't succeed, send it to Argentina Juan.

[Peter Stinson]

An update. Have the fan working - new spring and a new thrust bearing for the fan. The spring was broken right at the end and I didn't see it

[Chuck Hays]

Picked up this lamp quite cheaply from New Zealand.

Quite a nice early Hitchcock you have there, Peter. It's of the style known as a "sidewinder" because, well, it winds on the side.

I have two later ones, one from the US and one from South Asia. One of mine has an accessory support for a pan or kettle, and a glass-strip "shade" that also serves to keep the heat of the flame under the kettle. Not that it's at all like a Coleman stove! More like a warmer than a cooker.

There's a guy in NZ who makes reproduction spun-brass air deflectors -- yours looks fine so not to worry -- but be aware that if you paid less than US$200 for the lamp you probably paid the market price for a vintage air deflector and got the rest of the lamp for free. They disappeared readily because they are loose and would fall off a lamp put away for long-term storage, and also because people would replace the burner with a standard 1-inch wick burner and chimney when the works died and they still needed a lamp.

Mechanical lamps are a fascinating subset of our hobby. I've gone so far as to make my own for camping -- using a battery-powered fan, some creative sheet metal work and a modified #2 burner. I call it an "Electro-Mechanical" lamp. Nice little light, and don't ever have to worry about breaking glassware, which was Robert Hitchcock's idea to begin with.

[Juan Caiti]

I've gone so far as to make my own for camping -- using a battery-powered fan, some creative sheet metal work and a modified #2 burner. I call it an "Electro-Mechanical" lamp. Nice little light, and don't ever have to worry about breaking glassware, which was Robert Hitchcock's idea to begin with.

Post a picture!

[Peter Stinson]

[-- but be aware that if you paid less than US$200 for the lamp you probably paid the market price for a vintage air deflector and got the rest of the lamp for free.

I picked it up for $NZ140 approx $US60. Having some trouble with the clockwork. Had the spring repaired and the unit serviced with a couple of new bearings but while it functions when you wind it - it doesn't seem to produce that much of a draft. I note in some old instructions that you have to wind it fully. Still trying to find a key so I am widing it with a spanner- not the best idea and I am not risking burring the spring shaft to wind it fully. It seems to run for at least 12 hours even partially wound
What is your experience with amount of draft?

[Iain Hunt]

Hi Peter,

I have a few Kranzow lamps including one in its original metal storage box with spun metal shade, dozens of wicks, spare motor, fuel canister and instructions!...only one I have ever seen in this condition.

They give a stronger, whiter light than a chimney lamp with the same size wick, also the flame is a lot larger, more akin to an open gas flame than an oil lamp flame, a regular flat-wick (with chimney) oil lamp would smoke and the flame would likely crack the chimney if you tried to get a flame close in size to one of these clockwork lamps.

I remember looking forward to it arriving when I bought it and I actually laughed in bizarre appreciation at the way the tall ragged flame assumes position, shape and luminosity as the motor starts to speed up, they are very curious and always a good lamp to show family and friends.

I will try to get a pic or two up soon.

All the best with your restoration project!, Iain.

[Peter Stinson]

Look forward to the pictures

[Iain Hunt]

Hi Peter,
sorry for the delay, had trouble getting to the thing!

Enjoy!

All the best, Iain.

p.s. hope this spurs on your fettle!





Check out the flame size next to my hand!

[Chuck Hays]

What is your experience with amount of draft?

I'll get some pictures up soon. I'm kind of embarrassed by it because the bulge part is made from a copper toilet-tank float.


The amount of draft with a spring-wound Hitchcock is really pretty low. It doesn't take much to replace the thermal draft of a standard chimney. You may be getting some extra drag where the cog transfers power to the worm drive. Polishing it up carefully with an emery cloth might help.

The "Electro-Mechanical" lamp can really put out light because you can crank the little fan up like crazy, and wind the wick up to put more fuel in the flame.

A few years ago Rob Isdale in Oz put an electric fan in an S. Elwood May mechanical while he repaired the clockworks. He said it was a little disappointing when he put the lamp back to original.

[Iain Hunt]

Sounds like something I did a few years ago...
I bought a Wanzer 'London' lamp from a fair, the clockwork was out of order and the burner was replaced with a Queen Anne fitted with a reducing collar, I ended up popping the motor and propeller out of a small indoor model aeroplane, I used an almost flat battery to get a decent draught as a charged battery made the propeller spin too fast. I did have to improvise a way of harnessing the draught and made a 'scarf' of card around the burner base to help the air into the burner base...it worked well...the things we do!...

[Peter Stinson]

Haven't lit it yet but have finished the re-nickeling (Still have a bit to learn here) and now to try and find a key for the clockwork fan
The first photo is what I started with

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The second is the completion of the pedestal and the polishing back to brass of the font

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The final is after the re-nickeling of the font

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The nickel plating kit wasn't too bad
Can't wait to light it

[Iain Hunt]

Wow Peter!
I think the re-nickelling looks really smart, I have a kit too, plating with nickel can be a bit hit and miss, you have to make sure the surface of the brass is polished to within an inch of its life and clean.

Wonder if you can get a key made?...