100+ Year Old Rusty Joseph Lucas Bicycle Carbide Lamp Restoration
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- Опубліковано 25 вер 2018
- This weeks restoration is a 100+ year-old carbide bicycle lamp. Made in Birmingham England by the Joesph Lucas company. Powered by a chemical reaction between water and calcium carbide rocks which produce acetylene gas, which is then ignited.
Please read the full description for any information about the video.
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Tools & equpitment used:
Quartz Lacquer - goo.gl/8PTVKM
Base Coat Paint - goo.gl/mWhufG
Rust Remover - goo.gl/13gopW
Moldex Full Face Mask - goo.gl/NNYGrv
FGL 5 Spray gun - goo.gl/Acg5rd
A.N.I. R150-T Mini Spray gun - goo.gl/cHTJS2
Colad Washable Overalls - goo.gl/3Css9E
Colad Mixing Cups - goo.gl/8DYmE8
Colad TurboMix Sticks - goo.gl/cYZfks
Colad Synthetic Paint Strainers - goo.gl/H79ZgL
Steel wire bits - geni.us/keyaD
Rotary Tool - geni.us/HGed
Concentrate Degreaser - geni.us/yUn9
Mannesmann Socket Set - geni.us/HCDZ
This restoration was a lot of fun but very tricky at times. Firstly I dismantled it and then had to remove the very thick layer of corrosion and dirt. I tried a variety of ways to gently remove it, but nothing was working. I resorted to the wire wheel. This removed the majority of it but it couldn't reach everywhere. I then used vinegar, salt, citric acid and flour to eat into what was left. I left it like this for 24 hours. After that, there was a noticeable difference, but I still wasn't happy with the finish. I decided to blast a piece and see how it came out. Turns out it was great, so I decided to blast everything.
I then polished every brass piece and wasn't overly impressed with the shine. Perhaps the blasting wasn't such a good idea? I had previously seen a painted lamp and decided to do that myself. Firstly I had to fill the dents and mask up the two pieces. I then etched, primed, painted, and lacquered them. The small mounting piece was so badly rusted it had rusted through. I filled, primed and painted it black.
I then made a new gasket and filter for the internals, filled her up and it was time to reassemble. This was quite the task and took a lot longer than you see in the video. Getting the mounting system back on was the definition of fiddly. Once back together the restoration was complete. I realized the nozzle had been drilled by someone in the past meaning the flame didn't shoot out but up. I'm looking for a replacement.
- Disclaimer: I am no professional. Especially when it comes to electrics. It is certainly an area I am looking to improve in. I am completely self-taught and would appreciate any feedback, advice or constructive criticism.
I don't add music to these videos so that you can choose to listen to what you like if you would like to.
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![Antique 1920's Marelli Table Fan - [Restoration]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9r3rahAuiCQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![Antique 1920's Marelli Table Fan - [Restoration]](/img/tr.png)
You got lucky with that glass not being broken!
Have been missing your restoration videos....
Do some work and restore something...
readyset Soon, my child.
Hand Tool Rescue I'll be waiting
Yeah! I need my fix gosh darnnit! Eating, breathing and living are all secondary! ;)
Very nice restoration, i really like the contrast of red and brass. Congrats for passing 250K subs 👌
Thanks man! I'm all better now and getting back on top of things. I WILL have a sketch for you soon :)
@@RestoreIt yeah no worries, take your time ;-)
@RestoreIt hi are you in UK? How do I contact you?
Thanks
@ardeshirmehr8508 I am indeed. Restoreitchannel@gmail.com, thanks.
A lot of negative comments about you painting it. If you like it that's all that counts. You saved it from the trash dump. Kudos!
Very nice Restoration !
I agree with some, just polish it,,, the brass would have been magnificent,,, as for the large hole, that could easily be fixed with an attachement that reduces the opening, something small, but fireproof, but WOW, you did a magnificent job on an item over 100 years aged,, this is the things I do around my house with 1890's stuff, and it pleases me and amazes me what some of you do to make an item look almost new,, by the way, thanks for lighting it!! I like to see them work AFTER it is completed!!
I love it, that lamp has so much character, and you did a beautiful job restoring it!
Thank you AdventureSportFlashlights
great to see a fellow admirer, imagine, time, and a billion things to do, and he stops his life and sets a piece of history back near its norm,, admirable eh?
The original finish was probably nickel. Nickel was pretty much standard before chrome was introduced in the mid to late 1920's. That Carbide lamp is probably early 1900's They first started using them on bicycles around 1897.
yes would never be red, nickel plated or some were nickel, or painted black, painted red wouldn't be suitable for an antique bicycle
Awesome restoration! That thing turned out absolutely amazing!
Another excellent video and a Lucas product that works!
Le Peejon quite possibly? For five minutes only that is! See that comment on the epoxy putty repair made on the carbide acetylene generator unit. This is really only suitable for display purposes and should be labled as such as it would be a fire risk due to the potential for the repair to fail unexpectedly under pressurisation. I took discourse with another commentor on here about the red paint finish which is of questionable taste as the original finish was nickel plating. Even a specialist carbide lamp collector and restorer has commented on this on here and proclaimed that the finished look is not period.
Holy cow!!! Last week you were at like 150K ! Nice!!! Great job on the restoration!
That was a lot of work - well done. Looks great :-) Thanks for the entertainment. Maybe you can let stay the overlay text a bit longer for us to read. Thanks.
This needs more likes! So the cool kid sees it! - nice job M8 - But plz allow more time to read.
Very nice
It is wondeful to see with what passion and dedication you do everything ! Always getting great results!
These were usually nickel plated to prevent corrosion inside and out. Its not too difficult to replate. Nice original restorration though, the colours go well. They also needed to beplated because the acetylene could react with the copper in the brass and produce highly explosive copper acetylide.
I got an old original cola miner's carbide lamp. I was going to refurbish it and then decided to leave it like it is so not to change the value of it... Thumbs Up!
Nice job
It looks very nice, this is your channel you are free to do stuff how you want without being told how to do restore things. although when it comes to “antique” things, i prefer how it originally looked, some times dent and dings are fine, this one looks better without em. Just cleaned up, maybe straightened a tiny bit, but with that vintage charm. I know this is only a bike light and not some ancient roman gladius, but it still just doesnt feel right seeing it painted over like that. Thats just my opinion. Keep up the good work, i cant wait to see your next restoration!
CelticShadow Nice opinion given. Constructively and left as an opinion.
Excellent project
Amazing again. Love the fact that you got it working like originally.
Thank you, Temuba!
¡Súper genial! Lo que más me gusta es que no solo restauran estéticamente, sino que las dejan funcionando como nuevas. Saludos.
Cup of tea and a restore it vid. Pukka.
Outstanding!
Damn, that’s sweet. Top work!
Beautiful job. Well done.
Perfect restoration!
Impressive young Skywalker.
nice, good job !!
Good looking restoration! I don't know if I could've been that patient with that clasp.
Dude I dig that lamp bro, very cool
Is it just me that finds these restoration videos really relaxing?
My Grandad worked at Lucas Birmingham all his life. Great Video.
Cool to know cheers Matt!
Really nice work!
Love it! Wish I could find one like it.
Beautiful!
Man that is so neat
One exception, I can't believe you sand blasted the green glass beads on the shade, this ruined them.
I noticed that too, when it was first shown, they were 'gemmy' and in the last pics, they were pitted and daub ; (
Green glass is out 🙄
@ ergofred This young man seems to pay attention to constructive critique. I have noticed that when someone has given him tips or tricks in the comments section some of his other videos, He incorporates those points in some of his future restorations. He’s a young but he’s talented and he seems open to new ideas that might be old or obvious to us. I’m pretty certain that he’ll treat that type of class differently in the future if you can let him know the proper way that you learned to do it. I like watching his videos and those of some other restorers on UA-cam. I’m in my 50s and always learn something new from these guys. I hope they keep it up.
You did a wonderful job ... your skills with a spray gun are awesome, love watching you work.
This was really neat
Nice find. I've been on the lookout for one of these for over a decade now.
wait, polyester filler? Nooooooo!!!
OK, it's just a bicycle lamp, so whatever, I guess. Just, promise never to do this to a miners' carbide lamp. Those things are a piece of history; their existence saved countless lives.
Thank You for uploading in 60fps, while the camera is already very good the added fps makes the video that much smoother !!
Brilliant craftsmanship!👍🏻❤️😊Great paint job! You have a nice spray gun setup!👍🏻😊
Cool series man your lovely. ... thank u so much (old is gold)
Professional restoration.......looks great!
Excelente !!!! Me gustó mucho !
Love these videos. Just the best.
Man! ur restoration vids satisfied my OCD
keep it up
Thanks Bohemian, loads more to come :)
Awesome as always.. Too good.. 👍🏼👍🏼
Awesome, great job👍👍
Great job
Awesome job! Looks lovely
Thank you Coni!
Well done!
Aww man leave the dents! Gives it some character
Enjoyed and gave a Thumbs Up
...very nice resto..
This is another startling transformation! I am speechless.
There is a program on the BBC called ‘The Repair Shop’ where experts restore items considered ‘non-restorable’. You would be perfect for this show. They give great attention to detail during the restorations and the original owners are always so grateful for the exceptional work carried out.
Thank you so much!
I saw the japanese equivalent of that show, pretty neat sadly no subs tho.
I'll go I'll go hahaha loved doing this stuff,, ~
Great work man restoration was batter than a new
Restore It
the #1 mistake most people make when restoring brass/copper is to remove the patina (the dark layer on the metal and the green verdigris) removing the dirt is okay, DON'T BUFF IT, DON'T POLISH IT, DON'T BLAST IT, DON'T DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN A LITTLE PASTE WAX TO PRESERVE IT. the serious collector actually WANTS to see evidence of age. by doing what you did, the lamp is worth less that a tenth (1/10) of what you could have gotten for it. if i saw this for sale, i would walk away and buy from someone else. however, that being said, not bad for the limited budget/resources/money you had available. Consider saving up for a NI or AG electroplate for the reflector.
if you had simply repaired it and just cleaned off the grime and dirt, i would have been willing to pay several hundred dollars for it. Painted and "restored" as it is.....$20.00 tops if i were in the market for one.
David, as a collector and restorer of "working order" carbide lamps and other antique lighting devices.... I agree with you 100%.
I know in the video he said he ordered solder for later when he showed the holes on the lamp reactor but, then he went ahead and finished the bondo and the paint job... anyone who thinks he would go back and redo all that work to solder the holes just to redo all the work he already put into it before anyone calls him on that fact is fooling themselves!
Hopefully he keeps it for himself and not offer it to anyone else.
So, as a side note, I feel it is a safety issue to have to mention here that anyone who will simply putty over several holes in a carbide lamp generator chamber instead of properly repairing the holes and then still not hiding it behind a paint job then.... well, they simply need to be slapped several times over the back of their skull by their mother! it is simply irresponsible and dangerous in the least, criminally negligent if sold as a working lamp! If it has holes, either fix them right or leave them visible so it won't be used!
The lamp gets hot, the metal expands and contracts, pressurizes and depressurizes... use after use, it is a fireball waiting to happen! Acetylene gas from calcium carbide is one of the rare gasses that doesn't even need oxygen from the atmosphere to burn so, If the flame port had been drilled out to a different diameter and not replaced, it will probably overheat and fry that nice paint job behind the lamp head if used for any length of time at a stretch anyways at the best, at the worst, the pressure could fall to zero in the tank and suck the flame back into it at worst if it is in a cold environment when the inversion happens.
This just goes to show that a carpenter will try to fix any problem with a hammer and wood putty and, a painter will try to fix any problem with bondo putty and a paint job!
All that being said, I'm sure he'll find a sucker to pay him big money for the pile of pretty but useless junk he has made out of a piece of history. If it has any worth to a serious collector at all, it is of an example on their shelf of what not to look for or, to serve as an example of what people should not do and call it restoration or preservation when it comes to historic items or antiquities of any era.
You guys, he's not doing this to resell things! You are stuck in your own frame of reference. He's possibly just doing this for the enjoyment of making something old new again... just for the enjoyment of doing so. You ranting at him because it doesn't fit YOUR preference is selfish and irrelevant. If he were doing this for the purpose of reselling it, then of course, but he is not, so please stop your complaining. This is HIS lamp to do with as he pleases.
Tina Hyatt I think you are correct. At this point, Steve seems more focused on restoring aesthetics than function. If you haven’t seen his 1920s era Marelli electric fan restoration, it’s very much worth the time. He demonstrates his ability to get both period looks and proper function perfect in that one. I urge him to keep going! I hope commenters will give him tips and tricks to help him hone his skills. He already has talent (and patience) by the bucket load.
I understand that collectors and museums want items left alone as much as possible, but for some people, they may need the item to look new. I'm currently putting together a couple of replica Great War period military bicycles. The lamps I have coming will be restored to as close to new condition as I can make them. The bicycles will be displayed as close to period condition as possible. I can't find lamp replicas that will do the job, so will have to use original ones. Would I clean and shine an original copper alloy Roman Gallic helmet, not a chance.
hi i have a carbide bike lamp same as this in good condition it works and have not been messed with only removed dust with a damp cloth , how much is it worth?
Great vid as always 👍
I seriously hope to be just like you man. Your work and videos are top notch. Keep them coming! Amazing work!
Thanks kyle!
This is what I look for, as entertainment ... away better than anything related. APPLAUSE 👏👏👏🇧🇷🇩🇰
Espectacular, porque mantiene además el toque de antiguo. Felicidades.
Beautiful restoration! greetin from Chile!
Amazing work as always, my only gripe is that the green glass got damaged by the blasting and could have been polished back to a shine.
Amazingly my dad used one of them when he was a kid living in Bornholm. Amazing technology.
Perfect !
Very nicely done, good work
Good job
Thank you for another interesting "restore it" video.
As always you have done a superb job of restoring this lamp.
You must have to the patience of a saint to strip down and put back together all those small fiddly bits.
Thank you, Peter!
Wooww, well done.!
I love this gun too.
I really liked it
it's awesome bro
Brilliant work, amazed you made it fully functional, as normal well done lad.
No, it is not "brilliant work", it is dangerous and foolish if he tries to keep using it himself as it is now and, possibly criminally negligent if he tries to sell it without disclosing the hole, the hole repair and method used to repair it if shown or offered as a working lamp or in "As is, condition unknown" now that he's made a video of knowing exactly what he's done to it.
If you were looking to buy a working pressure mantle lamp such as a Tilley or Coleman brand and someone just put bondo putty over the holes of the pressure tank and painted over it... would you then go on to maybe try to use it if they said to you, " The pressure tank had some holes, but I puttied over them and applied paint so, no worries... I tested it a little bit!"? What if someone in the future doesn't get told or couldn't see what was done to make it just appear as if it was safe to use, does that also still make it "brilliant work"?
Acetylene gas from Calcium carbide pellets is far more dangerous than propane or even petrol/gasoline vapors and used in welding to cut steel plate. Any repair to an item that contains self-pressurizing acetylene should not be made with putty and painted over.... the damage should be left to remain clearly visible until properly fixed. If the nozzle would clog, that putty would fly out in no time because the pressurization would continue after the flame went out. Not until the water is used up or the pellets run out does the gas production stop and if the flame port and water inlet would jam simultaneously with carbide debris, it could mean disaster even if the holes were properly repaired.
So "NO", this video is far from "brilliant work" unless... you mean "brilliant work" in either how to eventually burn someone or, "brilliant work" to possibly run off with trading a piece of pretty but dangerous junk for more cash value than scrap metal in it's present state!
It's value, working or not, is now gone to any collector besides a rubbish collector.
@@grinninggoat5369 I'm glad I'm not the only that is displeased with the use of bondo to fix the hole
Good work
Your content just keeps getting better and better :3
Video without any music is also fantastic to watch, with original sounds
project very good
very Nice- here fron Brazil
Words fail to describe this section but actually you are very talented
Great job again. And it is very nice with this red... works fine for me. Congratulations again
Nice video! Keep it up! ❤️
God job🙏🤗
Excellent job !!!!! Soda blasting !!!!!!!!👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽
@@sasauri75 I want to do such things but unfortunately I do not know🤗
Restore It, painting old stuff orange since 2018.
Super ! 👍
Nice job. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
The way you work it simply mind blowing & it's cool Good luck.👍
Cool video but you destroyed the reflector by putting it in the salt solution. Just looked pants with the silver painted one after and the lens could no longer focus the beam.
I didn't paint and I can always polish it up, time wasn't on my favour on this kme. Cheers though!
awesome
another great one congratulations on 1/4 million
Thank you Dokmanian!
Holy shit that is cool. Wish I could do this for a living.
Auto Glym Fast Glass is amazing and wonderful
As is your work :D
Прикольный фонарик. Всех благ.
You did a great job on the lamp. It sort of looks like an old time diving bell.
Great videos bro 👍
Well done yet again, we used carbide at Haloween instead of fireworks!
Super!
I may still have one. I didn't know it was for a bicycle at the time I picked it up. Surprising how bright the twin jet flame is when it fans out.
Hi I would just like to say how I think your videos are really cool and I hope you keep up the good work!
Melhor canal de restauração. BR BR
I'm a caver, and we still have some who use carbide. A nice warm light. Just don't go caving with someone using LED, it washes your light away because of the brightness
This is not a restoration, but the destruction of a good thing.