Thorn Beta 79 - Restoration

With everything removed from the lantern, the canopy was cleaned and then rubbed down with a sandpaper block in preparation for repainting. The area beneath where the NEMA socket had been is still in its original finish - obviously this wasn't exposed to the elements over the years and has remained new-looking.

The corrosion on the inside of the lantern was removed fairly easily - though some parts were more stubborn than others and so I couldn't get rid of all of it.

The corrosion on the gear cover plate smoothed out but did not disappear.

The remains of the original, seized screw had been drilled and a new screw was fitted on Saturday, 14th April 2007. Although the corrosion appears to have made a defiant return, it is actually a lot less noticeable than this in reality.

The new screw really stood out against the worn cover - this was all about to change however...

The canopy was completely painted later the same day. Three coats of 'Hammered Grey' were required for the metalwork in the end.

Notice how the new cover screw now blends in with the colour of the cover plate!

Three coats of 'Smooth White' paint were also required for the reflector. I couldn't remove all of the old label so I had to paint over it. I thought this might have happened and so had already made a replacement label using the dimensions of the original label as a guide.

The lantern was reassembled the following day. A white-cone P5 was found and duly fitted.

The lantern's bowl cleaned up well - I managed to get rid of quite a bit of the yellowing.

An AC Ford AC 872 wall bracket can be seen fitted to the lantern.

The lamp which came with the lantern was found to be worn out and so was replaced with a new Sylvania lamp. This was only temporary as I managed to source a Thorn pearl lamp soon after - thanks John!

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