Esla Bi-Multi 180°

The first lantern to the collection in 2023 , and my 333'rd lantern, is this absolutely stunning ESLA Bi-multi 180° lantern. The Esla is an instantly recognisable lantern, its patented and characteristic 3 row 10 piece mirrors and sleek narrow neck being the main identifying features. Despite their simplicity, they were all the rage, and even now 100 years later, are highly prized in collections. The range of lanterns was insane, every angle of beam directional control was catered for, and later was even being extended to the new SO lamps that were emerging in the 30's, bringing about some rather unconventional and really rather weird looking designs.

It arrived in overall brilliant, but sadly incomplete condition due the lamp holder and focussing rod not being present. This was replicated almost straight away by securing the correct thick walled brass rod, lamp holder and die to allow me to thread the rod to allow the lamp holder to secure to the rod. I also had a feeling the knurled screw for the focussing mechanism would be seized too, something that proved correct, as it wasn't budging at all. Despite nearly an hour of heating with a blowtorch, the screw eventually snapped. Seeing how big the head of the screw is, it prompted me to attempt to add a new thread into it, and after a lot of planning, gave it a shot.

I drilled the remains of the old screw out the canopy, and tapped it to make sure the thread is definitely 1/4" BSW, which thankfully it is. Making sure the thread was clear, I began work on the head of the screw. Before I chopped the remains of the old thread off, I centred and drilled down it to make sure the hole I was drilling would match the originals perfectly. Sizing up to correct threading size, I was then able to thread the hole. To secure it seamlessly, I filled the hole with solder, and heated from the outside with a blowtorch to prevent burning the flux away too fast. while still applying heat, I screwed the bolt into the head, and wiped away all the excess solder, before allowing it to cool down enough to enable me to cut the completed screw to length.

Screwed into place, you'd never ever know that its a repaired screw, and that goes a long way in keeping the authentic original look of this absolutely timeless classic. Thankfully my vice didn't damage the head in any way, further making it look as though I was simply able to unscrew it with no issues.