Eveready 1920s 2C flashlight

I just got this cool little 2C 1920s Eveready (case nr. 2630 lamp nr. 1197) as an early Christmas gift from my brother. It's in good working condition. There's some corrosion on the inside of the barrel and the reflector is also corroded. Any suggestions as to what type of reflectors, mods etc that suit this light would be much appreciated. Also, should I mod it at all or should I just restore it to original condition?

Here's some pics:











You can see the corrosion on the inside of the barrel (probably from leaky batteries) and the reflector on the right.

The first thing any antique collector will tell you is "Do not clean it" and definitely do not modify it unless that is what you REALLY want to do. I have one exactly the same that I inherited from my grandfather and it just sits on the shelf, I actually have about 10 of his lights, no mods, just dust collectors

Radio said:

The first thing any antique collector will tell you is "Do not claen it" and definitely do not modify it unless that is what you REALLY want to do.

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Maybe I shouldn't have dipped it in chlorine then :thinking: . I mean, it's a very old object, I had to get the evil spirits out ya know? lol Just kidding, I did no such thing. But how about the reflector, shouldn't I even fix that?

Quite an interesting beamshot there.

I'd also just leave it as it is.

I must say—Very interesting piece of yesteryear's flashlight "technology" you've got there.

I always get a kick from collectors saying how their oh so rare widget is worth $$$. To get some insight on your new old flashlight (pretty cool btw), try searching Ebay to get an idea of what flashaholic collectors are paying for such a flashlight and the condition that they're in. Heck, you may even be able to pick up original repacement parts for it.

73
dim

I've got three of those lights from three different companies (EVEREADY,SIMMONS, AND UNEEDIT BATTERY COMPANY). All three have painted reflectors, two of them silver and one white. It looks as though your reflector is painted as well.

Since these old lights really don't have any market value, you might want to go ahead and try to restore it. You should be able to get at least as reflective a surface on the reflector as it had originally.

Ammonia works well for removing battery corrosion. Use it outdoors only and wear rubber gloves. Don't inhale the fumes. And dont let the ammonia touch the switch or any non-metal parts.

I've got one of those as well, sits next to an antique candlestick telephone & ringer box.

I have two old (Not quite as old as yours) Eveready lights. I'm planning on upgrading/restoring them when I get around to it.

I wouldn't hesitate to restore yours. They (Probably) made a bazillion of them. I doubt that yours is a rarity, and there are probably many many surviving copies.

I always get a kick out of when my wife asks me to find the value of some old "rare antique" she bought at a yard sale. I usually find that they're not worth much more than a new similar item.

I recently bought a 1930's vintage Daisy BB gun in 90% condition at an online auction for $47 (Again, they made a bazillion of them). A new version of a very similar one (with cheesy plastic parts) costs $35.

Slap some lithium ion cells and an ultra-high-powered incandescent into it and get ready for some real light

I would clean it up and mod it. Nothing that couldn't be undone, just improve it.

Thanks for the replies everyone

I'm not really that concerned about the monetary value of this light. To me it's like having a little piece history in my hand. I don't know if anyone here has read H.P. Lovecraft (1890 - 1937). Since his genre is very dark horror, his stories include a lot of references to flashlights in scenes where the character only has a flashlight to illuminate a dark alley or room. I can easily see an Eveready flashlight like this being used, it is from the same time period that most of his stories took place.

Although just painting the reflector would probably give me a more authentic feel of what it was like, I'm all for modding it with an HID bulb running off Li-Ion Pilas or modding it with a luxeon LED.
The bulb is of the threaded kind, any ideas on how I could get an EverLED PR style drop-in to fit?

I have several old 2 Cs that I put 6 cell lamps in and use 3 123s. They still are authentic for sitting on a shelf, just brighter when/if you actually want to use them. It's always fun to take them to work where everyone uses SF or semi-equivelent type lights. Then I pull out my old crome Rayovac and blind them with it. It makes me giggle in a sick sort of way.

I recently won an auction on ebay for three old torches one is I dentical to
the one in this post, and the other two are of a later vintage. Won the lot
for $14.50 + shipping of $3.50, they make good collector pieces

1 more vote for modding it !

these days vintage is in, look at the new mustang, charger and other such cars. classic styling with brand new state of the art V8's. do the same with your light! i would love to see the results! really cool body for a SF M6 competition wouldnt you say?

Ummm a good host for a LED light

they had C batteries back then? lol

Interesting replies everyone. I stil haven't made up my mind yet, though. Should I go for LED or HID?

pr5owner said:

they had C batteries back then? lol

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Apparently they've been around forever lol. I remember seeing D and C cell flashlights from as early as 1902. Check out this link and scroll down a bit. Apparently this guy has also shown his antique flashlight collection on Martha Stewart's show.

Thanks again people!
Stream

Oddly, just seconds go I got home from buying batteries for mine, identical, except yours appears to have the "fish eye" lens, mine doesn't.
I picked it up last year at a garage sale for $2 To my surprise it lit right up when I flicked the switch, the beam pattern on yours is far superior than mine..
I suspect I will be giving mine away to a member, I have absolutly no use for it.

Stream said:

Maybe I shouldn't have dipped it in chlorine then :thinking: . I mean, it's a very old object, I had to get the evil spirits out ya know? lol Just kidding, I did no such thing. But how about the reflector, shouldn't I even fix that?

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If you really dipped it and cleaned the finish, or "toning" off it, it has greatly decreased in value as a collectable. May as well go ahead and mod it.

I had an old 1960's or 70's beige fan I painted chrome. I figure it was not worth much as a collectable, and went ahead and painted it. Maybe someday someone will lament that I did it, but it's much prettier now.