Hi Folks,

Just thought I would post to say that I'm going to restore a beta 5 SOX lantern so that we can have it as a standard lamp in our flat. Ria bought one initially but the control gear had all been ripped out, so it was necessary to get a second one. This duly arrived and all the internals are there this time, although a new capacitor will have to be put in. The casing on the new lantern isn't in as good a nick, but nothing a lot of elbow grease won't cure. I'll post updates when I have them. The big thing I have to get done is making a swan neck pole for it to go on, so I need to find a local engineering firm to help me do it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, in particular I need to get a new seal for the bowl.

Thanks for that info, I was all set to approach an engineering company that I worked for a few years ago but unfortunately due to the down turn in oil prices they went to the wall.

Check with AC Ford http://www.acforddudley.co.uk/

Or failing that, with anyone who can bend pipes, if you aren't going for special shapes

A bit far away for us Ash, I'll try a few of the local fabrication firms that do similar work to the company that I used to work for. I know that they could have easily done the work. I would like to talk face to face with the fabricator as I have difficulty communicating at times. But AC Ford could have something off the shelf we could use. So we'll get in touch and see what they say.

The seal is definitely perished rubber, and I'll remember to take photos of it as I go.