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Revo C15154 'Sol-D'or'
lantern. Originally designed for use
with 85w/140w SO/H and SOI lamps, the revolutionary Sol-D'or' was a lightweight
lantern designed by REVO that combined an aluminium rear housing and all-in-one
plastic bowl and canopy, which when removed revealed the lantern's entire
interior. While this was initially seen as a good idea for allowing lighting
engineers access to the lantern's interior, it was also the lantern's 'Achilles
heel', as the combined plastic canopy and bowl assembly were very fragile and
easily broken. This was especially true where it was held into position against
the aluminium housing by over powerful spring-loaded fasteners that caused the
plastic flange to fail. The spring loaded fasteners themselves were another
weak point, as they tended to seize over time and sometimes had to be
'hammered' free; often resulting in the cast aluminium finger-levers snapping
off.
Never a very popular lantern; few 'Sol-D'or's survive today, as their fragility often lead to premature replacement. Happily, this lantern was acquired intact through the offices of Work Top Fabrications, Nottingham in 2004, who went to great lengths to remove this sole surviving lantern from the side of their premises, so that it could be placed into the collection and saved for posterity. The toolbox gives some idea of the lantern's size.
The lantern in acquired condition complete with wall mounted bracket. The toggle fasteners to release the bowl assembly are situated at the back of the aluminium housing.
A disused, but intact C151154 Sol-D'or' photographed on the side of a West Midlands factory. These is also a REVO C15152 'Sol-D'or' for 45/60-watt SO lamps held in the collection. |
Copyright(c) 2005 Claire Pendrous. All rights reserved.
Please note that all pictures are by Claire Pendrous, or are part of the Claire Pendrous photographic collection unless otherwise stated; none of these images can be copied without obtaining prior permission.