Your Antique Flashlights in Review

[Reid]

Hey, collectors collect old relics too!

Proposed:
photograph and review your old or antique flashlights.
Look into them for their technical details.

http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/
is a fine resource for pictures of old torches/flashlights.
No matter that they warehouse thousands of models,
the old light you have may be absent from known collections.

For instance, the first two lights I came across in my junk drawer are not listed at the FLM.

So! I'll make a photo and word essay of the small one first.
I don't know its vintage; probably the 1920's.
It was German-made for the USA market;
those were terribly lean years for Germany.
The light is superficially rusty and unpromising-looking.
I wonder, will it even work at all today? For example,
I can't get the two-year-old Ace Hardware rough-duty 2D to light up anymore
--contacts tarnished at points unreachable.

So, let's look really close-in at a little 2C lamp of eighty-plus years ago
and see how far we have not advanced in the making of cheap mass market flashlights.

_________________
If it won't light--into the bin!

not!


OK, while you wait for my results
show us your old lights

 

[willrx]

Ok, great! From left to right in first picture:

Ray-O-Vac Sportsman 7D: ~1970's, convertible to 3,4,6, or 7D
Dog Supply House 7D: ~1950's-1960's, convertible 6 or 7D, rheostat switch
Dog Supply House 6D: ~1950's-1960's
Dog Supply House 6D: ~1950's-1960's, convertible 3D/6D, spare bulb in tail

All shown here with frosted MagnumStar 5 or 6 cell lamps-nice, smooth beam. These all function perfectly. Thanks for looking. If any of you have additional info on these please do share.

 

[vic2367]

wow,,old but beautiful,,,

 

[willrx]

Thank you. I got turned on to these old lights by a fellow CPF member.

 

[Cydonia]

I find it interesting to see pictures of all these older lights.
There is so little information about new lights sometimes, let alone ones from these lost years... I'd say there is no hope of ever finding out the story behind their design etc.,
Dog Supply House? (What a strange name!)
That light with a rheostat - how much can you control the light output?
All four lights shown are certainly rolled sheet metal right?

I like the trunk too - is this what you keep your collection in? :huh:

 

[Reid]

Detailed photographs, extreme close-ups of the contructional details, marks of age, use, are desirable.

And if you all can, reveal whether the reflector is silver plated, or chromium plated? Chrome has a bluish tint,
it doesn't tarnish, no, but chromium makes a very poor reflector.

Old silver reflectors are generally in a bad, unpolish-able state; I suppose because the silvering was thin.
The base metal tarnishes behind the silver, so even if the silver takes a polish, it is very apt to be dark, even if it "looks OK". Fresh, good silver is super-white.

How about the contacts and riveted joints?
-Are the metals dissimilar?
-Has this dissimilarity caused galvanic corrosion, increasing series resistance?

So: anything in the way of details, background, close-ups, your comments, opinions, will be
aids we don't find at flashlight museum sites.

Thanks!

 

[nikon]

This light appears to be the forerunner of the INOVA XO. It's an E.C. SIMMONS STEDY-LITE from 1920. It uses two C cells and has an optic which casts a full moon beam on the wall. It works perfectly.

 

[antc_tw2002]

Here are some of mine

 

[willrx]

I find it interesting to see pictures of all these older lights.
There is so little information about new lights sometimes, let alone ones from these lost years... I'd say there is no hope of ever finding out the story behind their design etc.,
Dog Supply House? (What a strange name!)
That light with a rheostat - how much can you control the light output?
All four lights shown are certainly rolled sheet metal right?

I like the trunk too - is this what you keep your collection in? :huh:

The rheostat controls the output from zero all the way to full power-you just turn the knob to the desired level of light. Pretty sure you're correct regarding the rolled sheet metal. Thanks for commenting.

 

[the servents of twilight]

I have the Dog House Supply Flashlight that is shown in the middle in the 2nd picture. Mine has a 1 cell adapter to make it a 7 cell light. I use AA to D adapters that have 2 AA Nimh cells in each. I use the ROP LO bulb. This light has an incredible beam. The flashlight has a glass lense. The reflector is like a mirror (not plastic). The bulb holder is plastic.

 

[willrx]

I have the Dog House Supply Flashlight that is shown in the middle in the 2nd picture. Mine has a 1 cell adapter to make it a 7 cell light. I use AA to D adapters that have 2 AA Nimh cells in each. I use the ROP LO bulb. This light has an incredible beam. The flashlight has a glass lense. The reflector is like a mirror (not plastic). The bulb holder is plastic.

Very cool.:twothumbs So you have the black and copper one? I didn't know there was an extender for that one. I agree, the beam is very nice.

 

[Mr_Light]

I have well over hundred vintage lights. Here is link to a post with part of my collection. I have four Dog House Supply lights shown including a reostat one with four one cell extensions (needs a new reostat).

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1933660&postcount=11

 

[willrx]

I have well over hundred vintage lights. Here is link to a post with part of my collection. I have four Dog House Supply lights shown including a reostat one with four one cell extensions (needs a new reostat).

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1933660&postcount=11

Mr Light is the member who got me started on these vintage lights. Thank you Sir, this has been fun.

 

[MarNav1]

I have an Ash Flash (Flashy) lantern. There's a pic in the museum site. Very good condition, haven't put batteries in it yet.

 

[the servents of twilight]

Mine is all copper. It also has a plastic/rubberized (removeable) piece over the front. I imagine it is to protect the lense. The extender (7th cell) is chrome, not copper, so it might be aftermarket. It came with the light (Ebay). It also fits alot of my other lights.

 

[the servents of twilight]

I also have a 6 cell kwik-lite with a reostat switch. I tried the ROP HI bulb in it. Apparantly the switch is plastic and it caught on fire from the heat. It still works. The Dog House Supply has a nicer beam anyhow.

 

[schiesz]

I just recently got an old light at an antique store that I absolutely love. Its an Eveready Captain, which i've seen a ton of before, but its a 2C cell instead of a 2D. Its pictured here with a 2D Citation on the left and a McLux PD on the right.



Its a great sized light, and right now its using 2 14500s and a 5 cell radio shack bulb so it weighs practically nothing but really puts out a decent amount of light. It has been a great light to have around at night and really suprise someone when they pick it up to use.

schiesz

 

[lctorana]

I have just bought an old, beaten-up "Balloon" brand 3D chrome-finish torch at a junk store. Bad corrosion, from the MIDDLE cell only. The head & tailcap are both perfect. How lucky was that?

Put in 3 4500mAh NiCds, upgraded the bulb to a 0.75A Krypton, and - joy.

Lovely light spread, no battery shake, and attractive.

The thing has the best switch arrangement of any totch I've ever used. A separate momentary pushbutton, activated when the slide switch is at the half-way position.

 

[thunderlight]

Sometimes the names on the light may be private label and sometimes major manufacturers seem to have had their lights manufactured and/or distributed by another company.

Homart is a trade name used for Sears products. Some historic Sears and JC Penney models appear to be slightly modified Rayovacs. Apparently, Hipwell manufactured models that were sold by the bigger brands such as Eveready and Rayovac. ETC.

There also seems to be a history of consolidation and re-issuing of names, so it is sometimes difficult to know exactly what you've got. OTOH, that's part of the fun of collecting older flashlights.

 

[billcushman]

I have a six D-cell Dog Supply House flashlight in near perfect condition. I don't remember the exact purchase date, but it is about 40 or 50 years old. I also have the one cell extender. My light has a gold finish. The head is 4 1/4" in diameter and the light is about 17 1/2" long without the extender. The parabolic reflector has the number 1032 molded in the back of the glass. At present it has a 6D Xenon Mag Bulb. The beam is very tightly controlled and it has excellent throw.

I have lurked here for many years and finally registered. It will be interesting to compare this antique light to the Olight SR90 I have on order.